Official Statistics

Universal Credit: 29 April 2013 to 9 April 2020

Published 19 May 2020

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

The latest release of these statistics can be found in the Universal Credit statistics collection.

This bulletin contains statistics on claims made, starts, people and households including payments for Universal Credit in England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain).

The statistics released with this bulletin include claims made and starts during the initial period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the number of people on Universal Credit at 9 April 2020.

Statistics for households during the pandemic will be released with our next quarterly bulletin in August. Households data is not available earlier because there are retrospective revisions to the data and data is incomplete due to assessment period timings.

For more information and on the timeliness of the statistics, please see the background information and methodology document.

Release schedule

The bulletin is published quarterly in February, May, August and November, supplemented by monthly data updates for people on Universal Credit in Stat-Xplore.

• Next release of people on Universal Credit: 16 June 2020
• Next release for claims, starts and households on Universal Credit: 11 August 2020

All releases can be found in the collection of Universal Credit statistics.

Other statistics

Similar statistics on Universal Credit for Northern Ireland are produced by the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland). Further statistics for Universal Credit are listed at the end of this bulletin.

Status

Universal Credit statistics are official statistics that are experimental. This is due to the ongoing development of the data systems that are used to support Universal Credit.

Guidance

Guidance on these statistics is available in the background information and methodology document.

Update of revision policy for household statistics

Statistics for households on Universal Credit will now be revised up to 2 years prior to the latest month in the series. Previously the entire back series was revised. Read changes in this publication for information on this update.

Postcode district for claims and starts to Universal Credit has been withdrawn

This is due to an issue with the underlying data. Postcode districts (for example, E5) will be restored when a new methodology is developed. This does not affect postcode area (for example, ‘E’ in the postcode E5) for claims and starts which remains available.

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged on the content, relevance, accessibility and timeliness of these statistics by sending an email to team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk.

1. Data tools accompanying this release

This bulletin presents commentary on the latest Universal Credit statistics. Alternative ways to view Universal Credit statistics are available:

• Stat-Xplore allows users to explore Universal Credit data and build their own tables – it also contains some ready-made tables
• Universal Credit claimants at Jobcentre Plus office level in an interactive map
• Households on Universal Credit at local authority level in an interactive map
• an interactive dashboard of the latest Universal Credit household statistics by region

2. Main story

Claims made to Universal Credit

There were with 1.5 million claims made to Universal Credit in the period 13 March 2020 to 9 April 2020. This is over 6 times more than in the same period last year and the most in a single month since the introduction of Universal Credit in April 2013.

These figures differ to earlier published management information. To provide timely information on the volume of claims being made to Universal Credit, DWP published management information that was an initial view of what was recorded on the administrative system. To provide this management information in a timely manner it cannot be produced with the same level of quality assurance and to the same methodology as used in official statistics.

Starts to Universal Credit

The record number of claims led to 1.2 million starts to Universal Credit in the period 13 March 2020 to 9 April 2020.

People on Universal Credit

At 9 April 2020.

Figure 1: People on Universal Credit increases by 40% in one month,

Month	People
April 2020 (p)	4,200,000
January 2020	2,800,000
October 2019	2,500,000
July 2019	2,200,000
April 2019	1,900,000

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

On 9 April 2020 there were 4.2 million people on Universal Credit.

• this is an increase of 1.2 million people (40%) in one month as people seek support by restrictions that were introduced as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, compared with an average 4% month-on-month increase between April 2019 and March 2020
• ’Searching for work’ conditionality (1.8 million; 43%) remains the largest conditionality regime. Since 13 March 2020, it has increased by two-thirds from 1.1 million (36%)
• there was an increase in the relative proportion of claimants whom where men (from 44% to 47%). Similarly, there was an increase in the relative proportion of older working-age age groups for people on Universal Credit
• although all regions had a large increase in the number of people on Universal Credit during the initial stages of the pandemic, the level of increase was not the same across all regions. Relative to other regions, the proportion of people on Universal Credit in the South East increased to 10.9% from 10.4% and in the South West to 8.0% on 9 April 2020 from 7.6% from 12 March 2020
• the North West had the largest month-on-month increase in the number of people on Universal Credit at 9 April 2020. It is now the region with the most people on Universal Credit (13.8% of all people on Universal Credit from 13.9% at 12 March 2020). The number of people in the North West is slightly higher than in London, where the proportion of all people on Universal Credit fell to 13.7% from 14.6% at 12 March 2020

Households on Universal Credit

At 13 February 2020:

2.6 million households on Universal Credit, of which 2.4 million (94%) were receiving a Universal Credit payment.

In January 2020:

• 99% of households in payment receive all or some of their Universal Credit payment on time
• 93% of households with new claims in payment receive all or some of their first Universal Credit payment on time

3. Things you need to know

Management Information

To meet user needs for more timely information during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, DWP is publishing weekly management information on the number of declarations (claims) and advances. The first of these time limited management information releases was published on Tuesday 21 April 2020 and are to be published weekly until the end of June.

There are methodological differences between the management information for ‘declarations (claims)’ and ‘claims made to Universal Credit’ in official statistics which mean that the 2 series are not comparable.

More information is given in the section on claims made to Universal Credit and in the background information and methodology document.

What is Universal Credit?

Universal Credit is a single payment for each household to help with living costs for those on a low income or out of work. It is replacing six benefits, commonly referred to as the legacy benefits.

Support for housing costs, children and childcare costs are integrated into Universal Credit. It also provides additions for people with a disability, health condition or caring responsibilities which may prevent them from working.

Universal Credit has been rolled out in stages:

• March 2013 to December 2017: Universal Credit was available to new claimants in a limited group, mostly to 18 to 60 year old single people with no children, unemployed (typically people who would have claimed income-related Jobseekers Allowance) where the Universal Credit live service was available. Where their circumstances changed they could remain on Universal Credit
• April 2016 to December 2018: Gradual roll out of Universal Credit full service. Where available, Universal Credit is available to new claims and people on legacy benefits whose circumstances change.
• December 2018: Universal Credit full service is available in every area of Great Britain

Read the background information and methodology document for a more detailed timeline.

Data sources and limitations

These official statistics have been compiled using data in systems used by the department in the administration of Universal Credit and records of Universal Credit benefit payments made by the department.

While every effort is made to collect data to the highest quality, as with all administrative data it is dependent on the accuracy of information entered into the system. Checks are made throughout the process from collection of the data to producing the statistics, but some data entry or processing errors may filter through to the data used to produce the statistics.

As Universal Credit continues to develop, caution should be used when interpreting statistics over long time periods. Administrative system changes could cause discontinuities in the time series that were not the result of a policy decision or the economic environment.

There are inherent differences in the data for People on Universal Credit and Households on Universal Credit, thus it is not possible to cross-tabulate between the two measures. More information is provided in the relationship between people and households on Universal Credit section of the background information and methodology of these differences between the 2 datasets.

It is also not advisable to cross-tabulate between some measures, for example conditionality regime and the employability indicator. This is due to the method of measurement for both not lining up because of methodological differences.

A full discussion of strengths and limitations is in the background information and methodology.

Count date

Statistics for people on Universal Credit are based on the count of people on the second Thursday of each month, referred to as the count date. This date is determined by the date used for the Claimant Count which some of these data feed into. For this publication the latest count date is the 9 April 2020.

Claims and starts are based on the total flow between the day after the count date for the previous month up to the count date.

Household statistics are based on the assessment periods that overlap the count date. A longer time period is required before publishing statistics for households than statistics for people, claims and starts because data for payment information for households is subject to more retrospection.

The background and methodology document provides more information on the process of producing these statistics.

4. Claims made to Universal Credit

Making a claim is the first step an individual will need to do to receive Universal Credit. Not everybody that makes a claim will go on to start on Universal Credit.

There were more than 6 times the usual number of claims made in the 4 weeks from 13 March 2020, with a record 1.5 million claims made. Comparatively, in 2019 there was an average of 55,000 claims made each week (figure 2).

These figures differ to earlier published management information. To provide timely information on the volume of claims being made to Universal Credit, the DWP published management information that was an initial view of what was recorded on the administrative system. To provide this management information in a timely manner it cannot be produced with the same level of quality assurance and to the same methodology as used in official statistics.

The number of claims made to Universal Credit per week rises sharply from March 2020 to April 2020.

Figure 2: Claims made (weekly), 10 January 2019 to 9 April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

The restrictions that were introduced throughout the country as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to a huge increase in the number of claims for Universal Credit.

This increase in claims for Universal Credit is not all necessarily due to unemployment. On 20 March 2020, the government announced a temporary increase of £1,000 to the Universal Credit standard allowance for 1 year, increasing the amount of earnings a household could receive before their Universal Credit award is reduced to nil.

Moreover, the self-employed who are temporarily without income due to the government’s ‘stay at home’ restrictions, and people and households with COVID-19 or following the government requirements to isolate and not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay may also claim Universal Credit.

People who are furloughed and on a low income may also qualify for Universal Credit.

Claims started to increase in the week prior to the government announcing that all non-essential travel must stop. In the first 2 weeks of the ‘lockdown’ there were over 500,000 claims a week, more than 9 times the usual level of claims made in a week. (figure 2)

The highest number of claims in a day was on 27 March 2020.

Figure 3: Claims made (daily), 28 February 2020 to 9 April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

There were large spikes in the number of claims on the day (23 March 2020) the Government announced the ‘lockdown’ and the day after (24 March 2020), as well as on the day after (27 March 2020) the Chancellor announced the support package for the self-employed (figure 3).

Not all claims that are made will go on to start on Universal Credit. This can be because, for example, the circumstances of some people who have made a claim may change before they start on Universal Credit, and they may close their claim before starting.

Difference between official statistics (claims made) and management information (declarations)

The DWP are publishing time limited weekly management information on the number of ‘declarations (claims’). There are methodological differences between this and the official statistics that mean the two are not comparable.

For the period 13 March to 9 April 2020, ‘claims made to Universal Credit’ in official statistics is around 207,000 lower than the published management information for individuals.

The purpose of official statistics is to measure the number of people making a claim whom are new to Universal Credit or are returning to Universal Credit after a period of not claiming. The management information is a view of what is recorded on the administrative data for internal operational and decision making purposes. This leads to methodological differences between the series.

The differences between official statistics and management information include that where a claimant makes multiple claims within a month, only the first claim made is counted in official statistics. Official statistics also has complex methodology whereby claims are not counted if they are found to be part of a continuous period on Universal Credit. This can happen when, for example, a claimant moves from a single claim to a joint claim, or vice versa.

Furthermore, the number of claims quoted by the DWP during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic were based on operational management information which is for contracts (the equivalent of households in official statistics) as joint claims were counted once, whereas official statistics would count both people on the claim separately.

A more detailed explanation of the differences can be found in the background information and methodology document.

5. Starts to Universal Credit

Following making a claim, once an individual has agreed their commitment requirements and had their identity verified among other criteria, they are deemed to have started on Universal Credit. For the full definition of what is regarded as a start on Universal Credit refer to the background and methodology document.

There were 1.2 million starts to Universal Credit in the 4 weeks to 9 April 2020. This is around 6 times more than the average number of starts per month during 2019.

Sharp increase in starts to Universal Credit in 4 weeks to 9 April 2020.

Figure 4: Starts to Universal Credit, April 2016 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

The record number of claims made has led to a record 1.2 million starts to Universal Credit (figure 4).

Due to government requirements to ‘stay at home’ wherever possible, and a need to provide support to people as quickly as possible, some temporary changes were made to claiming Universal Credit during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A “claimant commitment” sets out what claimants are expected to do in return for benefits and support, and exactly what happens if they fail to comply. Claimant commitments would normally be agreed with a Work Coach by attending their local Jobcentre and must be accepted in order to receive Universal Credit.

However, due to exceptional circumstances resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, claimants were not expected to accept claimant commitments to be entitled to Universal Credit. Moreover, requirements to prepare for work, search for work or be available for work are temporarily suspended in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The impact of this for these statistics means that for all claims for the 4 weeks to 9 April 2020, they will count as a start on the date the claimant verified their identity. Usually, for most claims it is the date of the claimant commitment being agreed that determines when the claim counts in the ‘starts on Universal Credit’ series.

There was an increase in the proportion of men starting on Universal Credit in April 2020.

Figure 5: Starts to Universal Credit by gender, April 2016 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a proportional increase in the number of men starting on Universal Credit than women. For the 4 weeks to 9 April 2020, 56% of starts to Universal Credit were men, compared to around 50% in the previous 2 months (figure 5).

Increase in the proportion of older working-age age groups starting on Universal Credit.

Figure 6: Starts to Universal Credit by age group, June 2019 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Claimants starting on Universal Credit during the coronavirus pandemic have a different age profile to claimants starting on Universal Credit before the pandemic.

There is a proportional increase in claimants in the age groups in the 30 to 59 years range. In particular, in the 45 to 49 and 50 to 54 years age groups, the proportion of claimants has increased from 7.9% in March 2020 to 9.7% in April 2020 and 6.9% to 8.9% respectively (figure 6).

Correspondingly, there are proportional falls in the 16 to 19 (from 6.7% to 3.3%), 20 to 24 (from 14.4% to 11.7%) and 60 to 65 age groups (5.0% to 4.3%).

However, the trends in the age groups that have a proportional increase differ between men and women. For the 25 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39 and 40 to 44 age groups the proportion of men in each of these age groups as a percentage of all claimants to have started on Universal Credit has increased, while the proportion of women in each of these age groups has decreased.

The only age groups where women have increased as a proportion of all those who have started on Universal Credit compared with previous months are the 45 to 49, 50 to 54 and 55 to 59 year age groups.

6. People on Universal Credit

The number of people on Universal Credit increases by 40% in April as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The number of people on Universal Credit at 9 April 2020 was 4.2 million. This is an increase of 40% from 13 March 2020.

The number of people on Universal Credit has increased at an even faster rate in the month since the coronavirus pandemic.

Figure 7: People on Universal Credit, April 2015 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a marked increase in the number of people on Universal Credit as it increased by 1.2 million (40%) in one month to 4.2 million people. This is almost 10 times the monthly increase in April 2019.

Included in this large increase will be people who are self-employed and whose income has been affected by the ‘stay at home’ restrictions, people with COVID-19 or in a household that is isolating and are not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, or people who have been furloughed and are on a low income. For more refer to claims made to Universal Credit and the ‘Changes to Universal Credit in response to the coronavirus pandemic’.

Around 39% of the 4.2 million people have been on Universal Credit for up to 3 months. This proportion has increased from 18% last month due to the large increase in the number of claims starting this month. Almost one-third of people on Universal Credit have been on Universal Credit for more than 1 year, down from 41% in March 2020.

As the Universal Credit full service was gradually rolled out to areas across Great Britain the number of people on Universal Credit increased at a faster rate. Between March 2018 and March 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people on Universal Credit increased by 1.2 million between March 2019 and March 2020 (figure 7).

Universal Credit full service was available in every area of GB by December 2018 when Universal Credit replaced the legacy benefits for new claims for most people. The number of people on Universal Credit has continued to increase since then as people start new claims, and existing claimants’ change in circumstances move them onto Universal Credit.

Women outnumber men on Universal Credit.

There are more women on Universal Credit than there are men.

Figure 8: People on Universal Credit by gender, April 2015 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

There are more women claiming Universal Credit than men at 9 April 2020. However, the proportion of people on Universal Credit on 9 April 2020 that were men increased to 47% from 44% on 12 March 2020 (figure 8).

From the introduction of Universal Credit up until May 2018, men on Universal Credit outnumbered women on the benefit. Since May 2018, this has changed to women outnumbering men. This change is explained by Universal Credit being only available to working age individuals with no children and whom were seeking employment in the initial introduction of Universal Credit. This group of people are those that would have claimed income related Jobseekers Allowance, which is a benefit that has been typically claimed by men more than women (source: Stat-Xplore).

The broadening of Universal Credit to the people who would have claimed the other legacy benefits has led to more females than men claiming Universal Credit. These benefits, which include Income Support and Child Tax Credit, tended to have been claimed by women.

Most claimants who are claiming during the pandemic are in the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime.

Claimants are required to do certain work-related activities to receive Universal Credit. These activities are determined by which of the 6 conditionality regimes the claimant is placed in. The conditionality regime also determines the level of contact with the claimant, and the support that they will receive.

Conditionality regime is used in Universal Credit statistics instead of terms ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’. To help users understand the different regimes more easily, this bulletin uses different terms to the official terms for the labour market regimes. The definitions section of this bulletin provides more information on the different conditionality regimes, and their associated conditionality groups and labour market regimes.

Different members of the same household may be subject to the same or different requirements. As circumstances change claimants will also transition between different levels of conditionality. This means that there is a ‘flow’ of claimants between these groups, that is the number of claimants in each group is constantly changing in our published statistics, month to month.

Increase in ‘Searching for work’ conditionality regime during the coronavirus pandemic halts downward trend.

Figure 9: People on Universal Credit by conditionality regime, April 2016 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

The ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime has increased to 43% of all people on Universal Credit from 36% in March 2020.

On 20 March 2020, the Chancellor announced a package of support for workers. This included a £1,000 increase to the standard allowance for Universal Credit for 1 year. This has made Universal Credit more easily available to those isolating and not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay. This, and the unique situation of the coronavirus pandemic in restricting people’s opportunities for work, has led to a marked increase for ‘searching for work’ which had been decreasing as a proportion of all conditionality regimes prior to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it should be noted that requirements to search for work and be available for work are temporarily suspended in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime was on a long term downward trend, from 68% in April 2016. This was because Universal Credit was initially only available to people who were expected to be jobseekers. As Universal Credit has broadened to people that would have claimed other legacy benefits through the introduction of full service the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime has fallen as a proportion of the overall caseload.

The ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime has fallen markedly as a proportion of Universal Credit from 26% in March 2020 to 20%. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime had seen the largest increase in proportion (figure 9).

The conditionality regime measures which regime an individual is in on the count date. This may not be representative of the entire assessment period for that individual. Conditionality regime figures are not the same as the employment measures, which shows whether an individual has had earnings during their assessment period. The two measures should only be used together with caution. The background information and methodology document provides more information on this.

Older age groups have increased in proportion in April 2020 halting a decreasing trend.

The higher proportion of starts to Universal Credit in the 45 to 49 and 50 to 54 years age group shows in the age profile for people on Universal Credit on 9 April 2020. These age groups have increased to 9.1% and 8.1% on 9 April 2020 from 8.8% and 7.8% in March 2020 respectively. (figure 10)

Increases in the proportion of people on Universal Credit in the 45 to 49 and 50 to 54 age groups.

Figure 10: People on Universal Credit by age group, June 2019 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Claimants from the South-East and South-West make up a greater proportion of people on Universal Credit.

Relative to other regions, there are proportionally a higher number of people in the South East and South West in April 2020 on Universal Credit than in March 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. On 9 April 2020 there were 10.9% of people on Universal Credit in the South East, an increase from 10.4% on 12 March 2020. The proportion of people on Universal Credit that were from the South West increased to 8.0% from 7.6% in March 2020 (figure 11).

More people on Universal Credit, proportionally, in the South-East and South-West and fewer people, proportionally, in London.

Figure 11: People on Universal Credit by region, June 2019 to April 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

The proportion of people on Universal Credit in London has fallen to 13.7% from 14.4% in March 2020. London was the region where the highest proportion of people on Universal Credit live in March 2020. But the North West had a smaller proportional decrease to 13.8% from 13.9% and is now the region where the highest proportion of people on Universal Credit live.

However, within regions there are differing trends. For example, in the South West Cornwall has increased to 12.0% from 10.9% in March as a proportion of people on Universal Credit in the South West. Wiltshire decreased as a proportion of people on Universal Credit in the South West to 7.5% from 7.9%.

In the North East, Northumberland increased as a proportion of people on Universal Credit in the North East to 8.6% from 7.7% while Newcastle-upon-Tyne decreased as a proportion of all people on Universal Credit in the North East to 13.2% from 13.8%.

In London, there were increases in the proportion of people on Universal Credit for Bexley, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. Hammersmith and Fulham, Barking and Dagenham and Croydon had decreases in proportion of people on Universal Credit in London.

The changes in proportions within the regions and other geographical measures, including Westminster parliamentary constituencies can be explored in Stat-Xplore. An interactive map is also provided to find the figures for your local Jobcentre Plus office.

7. Households on Universal Credit

In Universal Credit statistics a household is a single person or couple living together with or without dependent children. This is sometimes referred to as a benefit unit in other statistics. To be counted in the ‘households on Universal Credit’ series, a household needs to have had their entitlement calculated for the assessment period covering the count date.

Statistics for ‘households on Universal Credit’ are produced 3 months in arrears, and are not available for the period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the time the data extract for this bulletin was taken. This is because of data availability and retrospection. No household that claimed UC during the large increase in initial claims will have ended their first assessment period and had their entitlement calculated at the time the data was taken. For more information on this and the timeliness of these statistics, refer to the background information and methodology document.

There were 2.6 million households on Universal Credit in February 2020, an increase of 0.3 million since November 2019.

Of these households, 94% (2.4 million) were receiving a payment, compared to 92% (1.4 million out of 1.6 million) in February 2019.

There are a number of reasons why a household may not be in receipt of a payment, such as when someone moves into work and their level of earnings means that they no longer receive a payment.

Around 94% of households on Universal Credit were in payment in February 2020.

Figure 12: Households on Universal Credit in-payment, February 2017 to February 2020

Month	In payment (%)
February 2020 (p)	94
November 2019 (r)	93
August 2019 (r)	93
May 2019 (r)	93
February 2019 (r)	92
November 2018 (r)	86
August 2018 (r)	85
May 2018 (r)	82
February 2018	80
November 2017	75
August 2017	73
May 2017	73
February 2017	71

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

The proportion of households receiving a payment increased from 87% in January 2019 to 92% in February 2019. This was the result of an update to the Universal Credit administrative system allowing ‘nil’ claims to be identified and closed. Prior to this update, some claims where the claimant had moved into employment and whose Universal Credit award was reduced to ‘nil’ as a result of their earnings were still counted in the data. For more information on this see the Background information and methodology document.

The average payment increases as Universal Credit is paid to a broader range of households.

The amount of Universal Credit a household receives is based on the standard Universal Credit entitlement plus additional entitlements that they are eligible for. Above these entitlements households may also receive additional payments for a loan advance, hardship payment, severe disability payment or mortgage interest.

The payments will be lower than their Universal Credit entitlements where the household is making a loan repayment, has been sanctioned, is limited by the benefit cap, is having benefit or tax credit overpayments being recovered or their income is above the threshold where the payment is reduced by the taper.

The average (mean) amount of Universal Credit paid to households on Universal Credit was £730 per month in February 2020. This is an increase from £670 a year earlier as the increase in the proportion of households with entitlements increases the average award (figure 13).

The average payment for Universal Credit is increasing as a broader range of households receive Universal Credit.

Figure 13: Average payment for in-payment households, February 2017 to February 2020

Month	Average (mean) payment
February 2020 (p)	£730
November 2019 (r)	£720
August 2019 (r)	£710
May 2019 (r)	£690
February 2019 (r)	£670
November 2018 (r)	£660
August 2018 (r)	£660
May 2018 (r)	£630
February 2018 (r)	£620
November 2017 (r)	£580
August 2017 (r)	£570
May 2017 (r)	£540
February 2017 (r)	£520

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: This chart only includes households were Universal Credit is in payment. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

Around 6% of households where Universal Credit is in payment are paid more than £1,500. The average (mean) payment is increased by these large payments, which are largely caused by households receiving payments in addition to their standard entitlements. In February 2020, the median payment – the amount where 50% of households are paid more, and 50% of households are paid less than – is lower than the average (mean) payment at £630 (figure 14).

Average (mean) payment is influenced by a number of high payments.

Figure 14: Payments by payment band, February 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: This chart only includes households were Universal Credit is in payment. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series. Figures marked (p) are provisional.

A growing proportion of payments are made to households with children.

A growing proportion of Universal Credit claims in payment are to households with children as legacy benefits and tax credits are closed to new claims and new claimants move to Universal Credit as circumstances change. These households make up 46% of payment awards in February 2020, compared with 40% in February 2019 (figure 15).

The percentage of Universal Credit payments awarded to households with children has increased over time.

Figure 15: Households by family type (%), February 2017 to April 2017

Month	Single, with child dependant(s)	Couple, with child dependant(s)	Single, no child dependant(s)	Couple, no child dependant(s)	Total
February 2020 (p)	35	12	50	3	100
November 2019 (r)	35	12	50	3	100
August 2019 (r)	34	11	52	3	100
May 2019 (r)	32	11	54	3	100
February 2019 (r)	30	10	57	3	100
November 2018 (r)	30	9	57	3	100
August 2018 (r)	29	9	59	3	100
May 2018 (r)	26	9	63	3	100
February 2018	23	8	67	3	100
November 2017	21	7	70	2	100
August 2017	19	6	73	2	100
May 2017	17	5	77	1	100
February 2017	14	5	80	1	100

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: This chart only includes households where Universal Credit is in payment. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series. Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

All entitlement types are increasing as a proportion of Universal Credit payments.

There are a range of additional entitlements in Universal Credit payments for children, health and disabilities, housing and carers. The proportion of Universal Credit payments with each of these entitlements has increased as Universal Credit replacing legacy benefits for new claims was introduced in more Jobcentre Plus offices (figure 16).

Housing and child elements are the biggest entitlements.

Figure 16: Entitlements, February 2017 to February 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: This chart only includes households where Universal Credit is in payment. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

Entitlement for housing is included in the majority of awards to households in payment, with 65% of payment awards including this element in February 2020, compared with 52% in February 2017.

The child entitlement is included in nearly half of awards to households in payment, with 47% of these awards including this entitlement in February 2020, compared with 40% a year earlier and 19% in February 2017 (figure 16).

Households receiving full payment on time has increased over the last year.

Statistics on payment timeliness are produced a further month in arrears to avoid large revisions to provisional figures caused by retrospection. This is to allow for more accurate and higher quality statistics.

In January 2020, 96% of households received their full payment on time.

Figure 17: Payment timeliness (all claims), July 2017 to January 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: Payment timeliness statistics are available in Stat-Xplore from April 2019 onwards. To allow sufficient time for information to be gathered on all payments, figures are not included for the latest month in the series. Payment timeliness statistics for January 2017 to March 2019 for Universal Credit full service can be found in table 1.1 in the ODS tables accompanying this bulletin. Figures prior to April 2019 are Universal Credit full service only. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

There has been an increase in payment timeliness over the last year with 96% of all households in payment receiving their full payment on time in January 2020, compared to 91% in January 2019. Additionally, 99% of households receiving a payment were paid some payment on time, compared to 97% in January 2019 (figure 17)

Payment timeliness for new claims have also increased over the last year.

Payment timeliness is lower when looking at new claims than when looking at all claims. There are a number of one-off verification processes that must be completed by the claimant and by DWP at the start of the claim.

These are to confirm the current circumstances of the claimant (or both claimants in a joint claim) and their entitlement to Universal Credit. Delays to completion of these processes can cause payments to not be made on time.

Around 89% of households with new claims received their entire Universal Credit payment on time.

Figure 18: Payment timeliness (new claims), July 2017 to January 2020

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

Note: Payment timeliness statistics are available in Stat-Xplore from April 2019 onwards. To allow sufficient time for information to be gathered on all payments, figures are not included for the latest month in the series. Payment timeliness statistics for January 2017 to March 2019 for Universal Credit full service can be found in table 1.1 in the ODS tables accompanying this bulletin. Figures prior to April 2019 are Universal Credit full service only. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

Households with new claims to Universal Credit in payment and receiving all their payment on time has increased to 89% of households in January 2020, compared to 83% in January 2019. Around 93% of new claimants in payment received at least some payment on time in January 2020. This compares to 90% that received some payment on time in January 2019 (figure 18).

8. About these statistics

Purpose

These statistics provide the primary official source of information about people and households on Universal Credit, and claims and starts to Universal Credit.

They enable a variety of users to be informed about different elements of the benefit including politicians, policy and administrative staff in central and local government, academics, the voluntary sector and journalists. They use the statistics for a range of purposes from monitoring and accountability to research and policy development. The background information and methodology document includes more details on the users and uses of these statistics.

User engagement and development of these statistics

These official statistics have been compiled using data from systems within local offices and records of Universal Credit benefit payments made by the department.

These and other new data sources will, in time, allow a progressively broader range of breakdowns to be published as data sources are developed. The methodology used and definitions of the official statistics may be updated within subsequent releases, along with information on the impact of any changes to the time series already released.

A strategy for the release of official statistics on Universal Credit was first published in September 2013 and last updated in January 2018 following consultation with users.

Compliance check against the Code of Practice for Statistics

These statistics have been developed using guidelines set out by the UK Statistics Authority and are official statistics that are experimental.

A compliance check was conducted on Universal Credit statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in May 2019. They welcomed many aspects of the release and made a number of recommendations to support the development of these experimental statistics.

Since that compliance check we have introduced a number of developments. The background information and methodology contains more details on these.

Users are invited to comment on the content, relevance, accessibility and timeliness of these statistics by sending an email to team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk or on the Welfare and Benefits statistics board of StatsUserNet.

Rounding

Volumes and amounts have been rounded as detailed in the background information and methodology document. Percentages are calculated using numbers prior to rounding and rounded to the nearest whole percentage point.

Revisions

Universal Credit statistics are subject to scheduled revisions as detailed in the background information and methodology document. Other revisions to these statistics since the last quarterly bulletin are detailed below.

Changes to this publication

Change to the revision policy for households

Household statistics will now be revised back 2 years from the latest month in the series with effect from this release.

From the introduction of the household statistics to Universal Credit statistics, the entire back series was revised with each release of household statistics. This is because the level of retrospection in the payment data was unknown and it was not possible to assess what a suitable revision period would be.

However, as more knowledge has been learned about the level of retrospection in payment data, it has now been possible to determine how far back in the series revisions should take place without compromising the integrity of the statistics.

A period of 2 years from the latest month in the series is the amount of time that the LCW needs before retrospection is at levels which do not impact on the integrity of the statistics. Most other measures in the households series need between 9 months and 1 year before retrospection falls to low enough levels. Changing the household revision policy broadly brings it in line with claims made where no revisions are made, and starts and people where only the month before the latest month in the series is revised.

9. Related statistics

This publication complements other statistics bulletins that, together, provide a more coherent view of Universal Credit claimants and awards, and other benefits.

Universal Credit statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland).

Benefit sanctions includes statistics on people having their award stopped or reduced for not meeting their agreed conditions.

Benefit Cap includes statistics on people who have had their Universal Credit award capped because their total amount received in benefits is higher than the maximum amount of benefits a person can receive.

DWP benefits provides statistics for benefits that Universal Credit is replacing.

Fraud and error in the benefit system provides estimates of the number of households that may have been paid too much Universal Credit or not enough. These overpayments and underpayments happen as a consequence of fraud; claimant error; and official error (processing errors or delays by DWP, a Local Authority, or Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs). ‘Fraud and error in the benefit system’ estimates how much money the department incorrectly pays.

Claimant count is a measure of the number of people claiming benefits principally for the reason of being unemployed, based on administrative data from the benefits system. It includes people on Universal Credit in the searching for work conditionality regime for the UK. Universal Credit statistics uses the same data excluding Northern Ireland.

Alternative claimant count statistics measure the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits by modelling what the count would have been if Universal Credit had been fully available from when Universal Credit was introduced in 2013 with the broader span of people this covers. Under Universal Credit, a broader span of claimants are required to look for work than under Jobseeker’s Allowance. This is a feature of the design of Universal Credit and has the effect of increasing the Claimant count irrespective of how the economy performs. For this reason, the Office for National Statistics have stated that the Claimant count figures are no longer a reliable indicator of the labour market. The Alternative claimant count attempts to address this.

European Social Fund 2014 - 2020 (ESF 14-20) programme is an EU-funded employment, skills and social inclusion programme across England aimed at providing the help people need to achieve their potential. This publication uses Universal Credit data to show how many people who started on the programme were on Universal Credit.

10. Definitions

Claim made – A claim made is when an individual submits an application for Universal Credit.

Start – A person has started on Universal Credit when their identity has been verified and they have agreed their claimant commitment.

People – A person is counted on Universal Credit when they have met the definition to start, they have a National Insurance number recorded and there is no record of a closure of the claim.

Household and in-payment – A household is a single person or co-habiting couple with or without dependant children. A household is counted when their assessment period overlaps the count date. An in-payment household is one that has received a Universal Credit payment of £0.01 or more after deductions, sanctions and the benefit cap during that assessment period.

Conditionality Regimes – All people on Universal Credit are placed into one of four conditionality groups, depending on their personal circumstances. Which of these groups they are placed into will determine what activities they are required to do (if any) as part of their claim. Universal Credit statistics uses the term conditionality regime in place of ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’. The table below shows the circumstances of individuals for each conditionality regime and the associated group and labour market regime.

Conditionality regime	Description	Conditionality Group	Labour Market Regime
Searching for work	Not working, or with very low earnings. Claimant is required to take action to secure work - or more or better paid work. The Work Coach supports them to plan their work search and preparation activity. Typical examples of people in this regime include jobseekers and self-employed in start-up period. Claimants are only in this regime if they do not fit into one of the other regimes.	All work related requirements	Intensive Work Search
Working – with requirements	In work, but could earn more, or not working but has a partner with low earnings.	All work related requirements	Light touch
No work requirements	Not expected to work at present. Health or caring responsibility prevents claimant from working or preparing for work. Examples of people on this regime include those in full time education, over state pension age, has a child under 1 and those with no prospect for work.	No work related requirements	No work related requirements
Working – no requirements	Individual or household earnings over the level at which conditionality applies. Required to inform DWP of changes or circumstances, particularly at risk of earnings decreasing or job loss.	No work related requirements	Working enough
Planning for work	Expected to work in the future/ Lead parent or lead carer of child aged 1 (aged 1 to 2, prior to April 2017). Claimant required to attend periodic interviews to plan for their return to work.	Work focused interview	Work focused interview
Preparing for work	Expected to start work in the future even with limited capability to work at the present time or a child aged 2 (aged 3 to 4, prior to April 2017). Claimant expected to take reasonable steps to prepare for working including Work Focused Interview.	Work preparation	Work preparation

Universal Credit live service – The original service offering Universal Credit. Initially restricted to mostly single working age people with no children, seeking work. It was available throughout Great Britain by May 2016. It closed to new claims from 1 January 2018 and all remaining claimants were moved to full service by March 2019.

Universal Credit full service – Full service is the digital system that offers Universal Credit to the full range of claimant groups. New claims are made on gov.uk and most accounts are managed only through an online account. It was gradually introduced to Jobcentres from 2016 and was available in every Jobcentre across Great Britain and Northern Ireland by December 2018. When full service became available in a Jobcentre, existing Universal Credit claimants on live service were transferred to full service within 3 months.

A glossary for further terms used in Universal Credit statistics is included in the background and methodology document.

11. Contacts

Feedback on the content, relevance, accessibility and timeliness of these statistics and any non-media enquiries should be directed to:

Statistician: Stephen Slater

email: team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk

Media enquiries: 0203 267 5129

ISBN: 978-1-78659-196-8