Official Statistics

Universal Credit: 29 April 2013 to 12 January 2023

Published 14 February 2023

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

This bulletin contains highlights from official statistics on claims, starts, people and households (including payments) on Universal Credit for Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales). It also provides context to emerging stories in the data.

1. Main stories

• There were 5.9 million people on Universal Credit in January 2023

• The proportion of people in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime continues to increase

• There were, on average, 37,000 claims and 28,000 starts per week in January 2023

• Half of households on Universal Credit with a payment had children in November 2022

2. What you need to know

Universal Credit official statistics cover 4 series:

• Claims: the number of people who have made a new claim for Universal Credit

• Starts: the number of people who verify their identity and accept their claimant commitment

• People: the number of people who start on Universal Credit and have no end date recorded

• Households: the number of households who have a calculated entitlement for Universal Credit

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on these statistics. Operational and policy changes in response to the coronavirus pandemic have affected the time series for Universal Credit statistics. Therefore, we do not recommend making comparisons with trends before or after the coronavirus pandemic.

Further guidance on these statistics is provided in the About these statistics section of this bulletin.

3. People on Universal Credit

In these statistics a person is counted as being on Universal Credit if they have satisfied the conditions for being counted as starting on Universal Credit, have a National Insurance number recorded and no end date has been recorded. Not every person on Universal Credit will go on to have a calculated entitlement or receive a payment.

Figures for the latest month are provisional and subject to small revisions when the next figures are released. For the previous 12 months, the average percentage change between provisional and revised figures was a decrease of 1%.

There were 5.9 million people on Universal Credit in January 2023

People on Universal Credit, Great Britain, January 2018 to January 2023

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit

The number of people on Universal Credit peaked at 6.0 million in March 2021. It then fell to 5.5 million in March 2022 before rising to 5.9 million in January 2023.

The number of people on Universal Credit in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime continues to increase

Claimants are required to do certain work-related activities to receive Universal Credit. These activities are set 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. More detail can be found in the About these statistics section of this bulletin.

People on Universal Credit by conditionality regime, Great Britain, January 2018 to January 2023

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit by conditionality regime

As people move across from legacy benefits, the composition of people on Universal Credit continues to change. At first, Universal Credit was only available to working age individuals with no children who were seeking employment. Over time, Universal Credit was made available to people in different circumstances.

The number of people on Universal Credit in the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime has fallen from its peak of 2.4 million in March 2021 to 1.4 million in January 2023. The number of people on Universal Credit in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime has been rising steadily, reaching 1.9 million in January 2023. This overtook ‘searching for work’ as the largest conditionality regime in April 2022 and is occurring as people make new claims to Universal Credit and migrate across from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

57% of the people on Universal Credit in January 2023 were women

Women made up 57% of the people on Universal Credit in January 2023. An increase from 52% in January 2021, two years previously.

People on Universal Credit by gender and conditionality regime, Great Britain, January 2023

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit by gender and conditionality regime

There are more women than men in all conditionality regimes apart from ‘searching for work’. The increase in the proportion of people who are in the ‘no work requirements’ regime has contributed to the increase seen in the overall proportion of people on Universal Credit who are women.

The average (median) age of people on Universal Credit is slowly rising.

People on Universal Credit by age, Great Britain, January 2021 compared to January 2023

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit by age

The median age of people on Universal Credit has increased, from 36 in January 2021 to 38 in January 2023.

40% of the people on Universal Credit were in employment in December 2022

Universal Credit is available to people on a low income as well as those who are out of work.

These statistics define an individual as in employment if they receive employee earnings for the assessment period which includes the count date. The earnings data for each period can be received up to one month after the count date so they are not available until later than the other data on People on Universal Credit. For this reason, the statistics on employment are published a further month in arrears.

People on Universal Credit in employment, Great Britain, December 2017 to December 2022

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit by employment indicator

There were 2.3 million people on Universal Credit in employment for December 2022, 40% of all people on Universal Credit.

An increase in the employment rate, and that it is higher than the rate before the coronavirus pandemic, should not be interpreted as more employment. It should be considered in the context of the policy changes to Universal Credit to support people through the coronavirus pandemic.

People on Universal Credit with employment indicator by conditionality regime, Great Britain, December 2022

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit with employment indicator by conditionality regime

A claimant’s conditionality regime is measured on the count date and may not represent their situation for the entire assessment period. Employment status is measured using employment earnings received during the assessment period that is active on the count date.

Care should be taken when comparing employment rate and conditionality regime as they measure different aspects of someone’s work-related circumstances. For December 2022, 16% of claimants in ‘searching for work’ had earnings and were recorded as in employment because people with low earnings can be placed in this conditionality regime. To compare, 15% of people placed in the ‘working - no requirements’ conditionality regime were not in employment, usually due to earnings from the other adult in the home.

The proportion of people in employment in each conditionality regime has been consistent despite the distribution of people in each conditionality group changing over time.

A change was made to the source variable used to derive the employment indicator measure for values reported from November 2022 onwards. This is not expected to have significantly impacted the measure. More details are given in the Methodology section of background information and methodology.

4. Claims and Starts to Universal Credit

A claim is made when an individual applies for Universal Credit.

This is the first step a person needs to take to receive Universal Credit. Not everyone who makes a claim will then start on Universal Credit as their circumstances may change and they may close their claim before completing the process.

A person is counted as starting on Universal Credit when they have agreed their commitment requirements and had their identity verified.

There were, on average, 37,000 claims and 28,000 starts per week in January 2023

Claims and Starts to Universal Credit, average weekly rates, Great Britain, January 2021 to January 2023

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Claims on Universal Credit and DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts on Universal Credit monthly counts divided by interval between count dates

There are seasonal highs and lows in the rates of claims and starts. For example, there are drops in December and January and rises in February.

The average weekly rate of claims and starts in the 5 weeks to the count date in January 2023 was 37,000 claims and 28,000 starts each week. These are lower than they were in January 2021 but higher than they were for January 2022 when the rates were 34,000 claims and 27,000 starts each week.

5. Households on Universal Credit

A household is a single person or co-habiting couple with or without dependent children. This is also referred to as a benefit unit in other statistics. A household is counted as on Universal Credit when they have an entitlement calculated for the assessment period which includes the count date. Not all households will be due a payment after adjustment during the assessment period for deductions, sanctions, or the benefit cap. This bulletin focuses on those households with a payment indicator, those that were due a payment of Universal Credit.

The households series is produced three months in arrears.

There were 4.9 million households on Universal Credit in November 2022

Households on Universal Credit by payment indicator, Great Britain, November 2017 to November 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit by payment indicator

The number of households on Universal Credit peaked at 5.0 million in February 2021 then fell to 4.7 million in April 2022 before increasing to 4.9 million in November 2022.

The remaining statistics for households look just at those households with a payment indicator showing they were due a payment. There were 4.3 million households with a payment in November 2022, 88% of all households on Universal Credit that month.

Half of households on Universal Credit with a payment had children in November 2022

Households on Universal Credit with a payment by family type, Great Britain, November 2017 to November 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release

There was a methodology change affecting data from April 2019 onwards for this time series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit with payment indicator by family type

Households with children accounted for 50% of households on Universal Credit with a payment in November 2022.

For households on Universal Credit with a payment there is a long-term upward trend in the proportion that have children. At first, Universal Credit was only available to new benefit claims from individuals with no children who were seeking employment. Over time, Universal Credit was made available to people in different circumstances. Also, existing claimants of legacy benefits, such as Child Tax Credit, are being transferred onto Universal Credit, either due to a change in circumstances or as part of managed migration.

For those receiving a payment, the average amount was £820 in November 2022

The amount of Universal Credit that a household is entitled to is based on the standard allowance and additional entitlements such as housing or childcare, plus any additional amounts such as an advance or mortgage interest payment.

The amount paid to a household may be lower than their entitlement, for example, if a household is being sanctioned, limited by the benefit cap, or earning above the threshold so the taper rate is applied.

Households on Universal Credit with a payment, average (mean) payment by family type, Great Britain, November 2017 to November 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit with payment indicator by family type

The average (mean) payment amount to households on Universal Credit varies by family type. For November 2022 it ranges from £580 for single people with no children up to £1,050 for those with children.

There was an increase in the average payment amount in April 2020. Management information shows that there was an increase in the number of advances being paid in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. There was also a temporary increase in the standard allowance at this time which was then removed in October 2021.

Households on Universal Credit with a payment, entitlements by family type, Great Britain, November 2022

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit with payment indicator, entitlements by family type

Households on Universal Credit can be entitled to a range of additional entitlements on top of the standard allowance to support costs for children, childcare, housing, health and disabilities, and carers. Households can be entitled to more than one of these additional entitlements.

Most households have a housing entitlement. A large proportion of couples have a carer entitlement. A large proportion of households have the limited capability for work entitlement including the majority of couples without children.

Nearly all households received some or all their payment on time in October 2022

Statistics on payment timeliness are produced 4 months in arrears to avoid large revisions to provisional figures caused by retrospection. This is to allow for more accurate and higher quality statistics.

These figures are subject to revision and any conclusions or comparisons, particularly using the most recent month, should be made with caution.

In October 2022, 99% of households with a payment were paid all or some of their payment on time. This figure has been largely consistent since October 2020.

96% received all their payment on time in October 2022.

In July 2022, 88% of new claims received their first payment in full and on time

Households on Universal Credit with a payment, payment timeliness on new claims, Great Britain, October 2020 to October 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release

Source: (Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit) with payment indicator by payment timeliness

Payment timeliness is lower for new claims in comparison to all claims. There are several 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 not to be made on time.

For new claims in October 2022 (claims in their first assessment period on the count date), 88% received all their payment on time, 93% received some of their payment on time and 7% did not receive any payment on time.

6. Related statistics

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

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

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

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

Statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children for Universal Credit and Child Tax Credits.

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 His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs). ‘Fraud and error in the benefit system’ estimates how much money the department incorrectly pays.

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

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 United Kingdom. Universal Credit statistics uses the same data excluding Northern Ireland.

Alternative Claimant Count statistics (now discontinued) provide detailed information about the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits. Under Universal Credit, a broader span of claimants is required to look for work than under Jobseeker’s Allowance. Developed as an interim series to address this, it measures the number of people claiming unemployment benefits by modelling what the count would have been if Universal Credit had been in place from 2013 to August 2022. Now that most unemployment related benefit claimants have migrated to Universal Credit, the series has converged to the ONS Claimant Count. The ONS Claimant Count, released monthly, provides a timelier and more frequent series.

European Social Fund 2014 to 2020 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.

7. About these statistics

The number of people and households reported are those at a particular count date each calendar month. The count dates are the second Thursday of each month. The number of claims and starts reported are those occurring between count dates, and they are reported against the month of the later count date. The time between count dates is either 4 or 5 weeks exactly, depending on when the count date falls in each calendar month.

These statistics are classed as experimental statistics due to the ongoing development of the data systems used to support Universal Credit.

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 additional support for people with a disability, health condition, or caring responsibilities which may prevent them from working.

Payments are contingent on certain work-related activities being carried out depending on the outcome of the claimant assessment. Payment amounts can be reduced for a variety of reasons, such as sanctions, debt repayment, removal of spare room subsidy, or the taper for earnings above the work allowance.

Conditionality Regimes

All people on Universal Credit are placed into one of six 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 and the level of contact and support they receive. Universal Credit statistics uses the term conditionality regime in place of ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’.

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.

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 full service

Full service is the digital system that offers Universal Credit the full range of claimant groups. 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. Prior to full service, Universal Credit was restricted to mostly single working age people seeking work with no children. These people were moved onto full service by March 2019.

Where to find out more

Information on these statistics is available in the following documents:

• background information and methodology

• background quality report

• Quality Assurance of Administrative Data report

• release strategy

• official statistics that are experimental

Detailed guidance on the policy and operational aspects of Universal Credit:

• Understanding Universal Credit

• Universal Credit guides

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. The quality assurance of administrative data report provides quality assessments on the data sources used in these statistics.

The proportion of Universal Credit claimants declaring their ethnicity is 62% for January 2023. This is below the minimum requirement of 70%, so no information on ethnicity is currently included in this report.

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.

To support households through the coronavirus pandemic, policy and operational changes were made to Universal Credit. These have had an impact on the time series for Universal Credit statistics.

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

Release schedule

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

Next release of People on Universal Credit: 14 March 2023

Next release for Claims, Starts and Households on Universal Credit: 16 May 2023

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

Compliance check against the Code of Practice for Statistics

These statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for statistics.

A compliance check was conducted on Universal Credit statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation in May 2019 and we have acted on their recommendations to improve the presentation and user understanding of these statistics.

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.

8. Contacts

Lead Statistician: Lee McGargill

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

Email: team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk

For media enquiries on these statistics, please contact the DWP press office.

For statistics enquiries only. These contact details are unable to provide any information or assistance with claiming Universal Credit.

ISBN: 978-1-78659-486-0