Research and analysis

DWP complaints management information: Data from April 2021 to December 2023

Published 21 March 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Background and Introduction

You can make a complaint if you’re unhappy with the service provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), for example if:

• mistakes have been made

• there were unreasonable delays

• you feel you’ve been treated poorly

• you haven’t been kept informed

A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction about the service provided which is not resolved by operational staff as normal business.

We will not investigate complaints:

• about government policy or law.

• that have already been investigated or are currently being investigated by the Independent Case Examiner or the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

• that are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings, including legal settlements

Purpose of the statistics

This publication presents DWP statistics on the number of received complaints from April 2021 to December 2023.

Number of received complaints ^{[footnote 1]}

DWP received complaints by service line and quarter

Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Period	Retirement Services	Universal Credit (UC)	Working Age (excluding UC)	Disability Services	Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt
2021 to 2022	3,070	5,625	1,545	2,690	1,350
2022 to 2023	4,590	7,315	1,020	2,330	1,095
2023 to 2024, year to date	3,325	5,930	985	2,305	985

Period	Retirement Services	Universal Credit (UC)	Working Age (excluding UC)	Disability Services	Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt
April to June 2021	405	1,165	395	510	265
July to September 2021	945	1,395	430	710	305
October to December 2021	960	1,505	425	760	335
January to March 2022	760	1,560	295	710	450
April to June 2022	950	1,575	175	585	270
July to September 2022	1,190	1,735	220	525	280
October to December 2022	1,115	1,955	235	570	230
January to March 2023	1,330	2,050	390	650	320
April to June 2023	1,340	2,000	340	830	320
July to September 2023	1,055	1,845	385	780	325
October to December 2023	925	2,085	260	695	340

Notes about the data

The data used is based on complaints recorded in DWP’s eCase system ^{[footnote 2]}.  Complaints can be received by phone, in person, in writing or through Universal Credit claimant’s journals. The figures are subject to retrospection- meaning changes can occur as DWP receives updated information, particularly in the most recent month.

This data shows that the number of complaints received by DWP’s Working Age, Universal Credit, Retirement Services, Disability Services and Counter Fraud Compliance and Debt service varies over time.  This could be the result of a range of different factors, and it is not possible to attribute changes in the number of complaints received to a particular single cause. Examples of factors that might affect the number of complaints received include the number of people using DWP’s services, the complexity of their needs and the number of transactions they require.

Definitions and terminology within the statistics

Ad-hoc statistics

This is a one-off statistical publication. It is published in the interest of transparency and is not part of our regular official statistics release for complaints.

Complaint

A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction about the service provided which is not resolved by operational staff as normal business.

Received complaint

A received complaint is any complaint sent to the Department via official channels.

Retirement Services

A service line in the DWP that contains the product lines Attendance Allowance, Bereavement Benefit, Carer’s Credit, Carer’s Allowance, Cold Weather Payment, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 65+, DWP Visiting, International State Pension, New State Pension, Pension Credit, Pre - Retirement (Futures), Social Fund Funeral Payments, State Pension, Widows Pension, Winter Fuel Payment, and Vaccine Damage Payment.^{[footnote 3]}

Universal Credit (UC)

A service line in the DWP that contains the product lines UC Full Service and UC Live.

Working Age (excluding UC)

A service line in the DWP that contains the product lines Child Tax Credit (CTC), Council Tax, Employer, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Housing Benefit, Income Benefit, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Maternity Allowance, New Style ESA, New Style JSA, Not Benefit Related, Short Term Benefit Advance, Social Fund, Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG), and Working Tax Credit.^{[footnote 3]}

Disability Services

A service line in the DWP that contains the product lines Access to Work, Disability Living Allowance Adult, Disability Living Allowance Child, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Personal Independent Payment Reassessment (PIP Reassessment).

Counter Fraud Compliance and Debt (CFCD)

A service line in the DWP that contains the product lines Counter Fraud Compliance and Debt, Debt, and Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). ^{[footnote 3]}

Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

The Code of Practice for Statistics is built around 3 main concepts, or pillars:

• Trustworthiness – this is about having confidence in the people and organisations that publish statistics

• Quality – is about using data and methods that produce assured statistics

• Value – is about publishing statistics that support society’s needs for information

The following explains how we have applied the pillars of the Code in a proportionate way.

Trustworthiness

The figures are based on information supplied through the DWP’s online system, eCase, that is used to record complaints to the department. This system allows consistent and efficient recording of complaints.

Quality

The information presented on received complaints is taken from eCase, the online system used to record complaints. Quality assurance processes are built in the design of business rules used for producing the figures. 

Value   

In publishing this data, we aim to support the information needs of society, parliamentarians, and stakeholders, and maintain transparency between the DWP and the public.

Where to find out more

You can find out more about the DWP Complaints procedure at Complaints procedure – Department for Work and Pensions

Contact Information

For Press enquiries, contact DWP Press Office on: 0203 267 5144.

1. Rounded to the nearest 5. Totals may not correspond to the sum due to rounding. ↩

2. eCase is the system DWP uses to record and manage complaints and correspondence. ↩

3. Not all the areas listed involve payment to a claimant. ↩ ↩² ↩³