Official Statistics

Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 13 January 2022

Published 15 February 2022

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

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

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

Notices

Users are advised that:

• geography data for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit may be out of date
• the interactive map which shows statistics on households on Universal Credit at local authority level has been withdrawn

More information is provided in the About these statistics section.

1. Main Stories

• 34,000 claims made to Universal Credit per week, on average, in the 5 weeks to 13 January 2022
• 29,000 starts on Universal Credit per week, on average, between 15 October 2021 to 13 January 2022
• 5.6 million people on Universal Credit at 13 January 2022, down 65,000 from October 2021
• 4.8 million households on Universal Credit in November 2021
• 4.1 million households received a payment in November 2021, down 120,000 from August 2021
• a fall in the average (mean) payment to households in payment to £780 in November 2021 from £810 in September 2021
• 87% of new claims and 97% of all claims received their payment in full and on time for the assessment period covering 14 October 2021, compared with 88% and 96% respectively in July 2021

2. What you need to know

Universal Credit statistics cover 4 series:

• Claims: the number of people who have made a new claim for Universal Credit. Not all new claims go on to “start” on Universal Credit
• Starts: the number of people who verify their identity and accept their claimant commitment in the period of the statistics
• People: the number of people claiming Universal Credit who have verified their identity and have accepted their claimant commitment on the second Thursday of the month
• Households: the number of households who have a calculated entitlement for Universal Credit for the monthly assessment period active on the count date (second Thursday of the month). The commentary for households in this bulletin focuses mostly on households who are “in payment” which is defined as households with a monthly award or advance payment of more than £0

Further guidance on these statistics is provided in the About these statistics section of this bulletin and the background information and methodology document. Information on the timeliness of the statistics is provided in the background quality report.

Interactive tools

Alternative ways to view these 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
• An interactive dashboard of the latest Universal Credit household statistics by region

Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The coronavirus (COVID-19) 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 the coronavirus pandemic to during it.

The background information and methodology document explains the changes made and how they affect these statistics.

Experimental statistics

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.

3. Claims made to Universal Credit

Making a claim is the first step an individual will need to do to receive Universal Credit.

There was an average of 34,000 claims per week made to Universal Credit in the 5 weeks to 13 January 2022.

Number of claims seasonally low over the Christmas period

Claims made (weekly), Universal Credit, Great Britain, January 2017 to January 2022

See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Claims on Universal Credit, weekly

The number of claims received over the Christmas period was seasonally low with 21,000 claims made between 24 December 2021 and 30 December 2021. In the 5 weeks leading up to 13 January 2022 there was a weekly average of 34,000 claims made to Universal Credit. This is a decrease of 8% compared to the weekly average of 37,000 claims made in the 4 weeks leading up to 9 December 2021.

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.

4. Starts to Universal Credit

Following making a claim, a claimant is counted as starting on Universal Credit statistics when they have agreed their commitment requirements and had their identity verified among other criteria. For the full definition of what is regarded as a start on Universal Credit refer to the background and methodology document.

There was a weekly average of 29,000 people starting on Universal Credit between 15 October 2021 to 13 January 2022.

Number of starts per week lower this quarter

Starts on Universal Credit (monthly), Great Britain, January 2017 to January 2022

See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts on Universal Credit, month

Over the quarter (15 October 2021 to 13 January 2022), there was a weekly average of 29,000 starts to Universal Credit. This is a 9% decrease in the weekly average of 32,000 starts in the previous quarter (9 July 2021 to 14 October 2021).

The UK government made a number of changes to Universal Credit to support people through the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. These changes, together with the changes in people’s circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, coincided with a large increase to the number of starts to Universal Credit between 13 March 2020 and 14 May 2020. In total between these dates there were 2.4 million starts to Universal Credit. This contributes 39% of the total 6.1 million claims for Universal Credit having started between 13 March 2020 and 13 January 2022.

Broadly equal split of men and women starting on Universal Credit

Starts on Universal Credit by gender, Great Britain, January 2017 to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts on Universal Credit, gender by month

Over the quarter (15 October 2021 to 13 January 2022), the proportion of men starting on Universal Credit steadily increased. In January 2022, men made up 51% of people starting on Universal Credit, up from 48% in October 2021.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, there were more women starting on Universal Credit. However, during periods of national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were more men starting on Universal credit. The peaks of these periods were in the 4 weeks to 11 February 2021 (53%) and the 5 weeks to 14 May 2020 (58%).

5. People on Universal Credit

‘People on Universal Credit’ counts the number of people with an open claim on the count date who had accepted a claimant commitment and verified their identity. Not every person on Universal Credit on the count date will go on to receive a calculated entitlement or payment for the assessment period.

There were 5.6 million people on Universal Credit on 13 January 2022.

Number of people on Universal Credit has decreased from the peak of 6.0 million in March 2021

People on Universal Credit, Great Britain, January 2017 to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, month

The number of people on Universal Credit was 5.6 million on 13 January 2022. This is 1.1% (65,000) lower than on 14 October 2021. The figure for 13 January 2022 is provisional.

The number of people on Universal Credit on a count date peaked at 6.0 million on 11 March 2021. Since then, there was a gradual fall of 5.7% (340,000) in the number of people on Universal Credit between March 2021 and January 2022.

In the previous 12 months, January 2021 to December 2021, the average percentage change between provisional and revised figures was a decrease of 1.3%. This is within a range that could continue the gradual fall of people seen on Universal Credit since March 2021. The size of revisions of the overall total of people on Universal Credit for the 12 previous months is shown in the background information and methodology document.

The number of people on Universal Credit doubled to 6.0 million on 11 March 2021 from 3.0 million on 12 March 2020, the last count date before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This increase occurred as restrictions to the economy and society were introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To support households through the coronavirus pandemic, policy and operational changes were made to Universal Credit. Details of how these changes could have affected these statistics are in the background information and methodology document.

55% of people on Universal Credit are women

People on Universal Credit by gender, Great Britain, January 2017 to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

Women account for 55% of people on Universal Credit on 13 January 2022, compared to 54% on 14 October 2021.

From the introduction of Universal Credit up until June 2018, men on Universal Credit outnumbered women on the benefit. Since June 2018, this has changed to women outnumbering men. During the initial introduction, Universal Credit was only available to working age individuals with no children and who were seeking employment. This group of people are those that would have claimed income related Jobseeker’s 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 women than men claiming Universal Credit. These benefits, which include Income Support and Child Tax Credit, tended to have been claimed by women.

Age distribution has shifted towards middle and older age groups between January 2021 and January 2022

People on Universal Credit by age group, Great Britain, January 2021 compared to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There has been an upward shift in the age distribution of Universal Credit claimants in the 12 months up to January 2022. The proportion of claimants aged 16 to 29 has fallen from 32% on 14 January 2021 to 28% on 13 January 2022. The middle and older age groups increased or remained broadly unchanged.

Number of people on the ‘Searching for work’ conditionality regime is down by 560,000 since January 2021

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 the 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. The number of claimants in each group is constantly changing in our published statistics, month to month.

Conditionality regime (number of people), Universal Credit, Great Britain, January 2017 to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

The number of people on Universal Credit who were not working or on low earnings and required to search for work as a condition of their claim (‘searching for work’) has fallen by 560,000 to 1.7 million (29% of all people on Universal Credit) in January 2022 from 2.2 million (38% of all people on Universal Credit) in January 2021.

Over the same period, the number of people on Universal Credit whose circumstances mean they have no requirements to work (‘no work requirements’) has risen by 360,000 to 1.5 million (26% of all people on Universal Credit) in January 2022 from 1.1 million (19% of all people on Universal Credit) in January 2021.

The number of people on Universal Credit who were working and earning enough not to have any work-related requirements as a condition of their claim (‘working – no requirements’) has fallen to 1.2 million (21% of all people on Universal Credit) in January 2022, compared to 1.3 million (22% of all people on Universal Credit) in January 2021.

These changes have occurred as the restrictions on the economy from the coronavirus pandemic have eased. As people in the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime return to work or a full wage, they will either stop claiming Universal Credit or move into a different conditionality regime such as ‘Working - No work requirements’.

Conditionality regime (proportion), Universal Credit, Great Britain, January 2018 to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

The proportions of people on Universal Credit on each of the conditionality regimes has changed because of the new claimants to Universal Credit during the initial period of the coronavirus pandemic.

Until the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime was on a long-term downward trend. It fell from 62% in October 2016 to 36% in March 2020. This was because Universal Credit was initially only offered to jobseekers. As the benefit broadened to other eligible groups, and more people transferred from legacy benefits, the share of people in ‘searching for work’ has fallen.

The conditionality regime measures which regime an individual is in on the count date. This may not be representative of their entire assessment period. Conditionality regime figures are not the same as the employment measures, which show 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.

Employment rate has increased since October 2021

Universal Credit is available to people who are in work and on a low income, as well as to those who are out of work. Most claimants on low incomes will still be paid Universal Credit when they start a new job or increase their hours.

Universal Credit statistics measure employment as receiving employee earnings during the assessment period which is active on the count date.

As earnings for this period can be received up to one month after the count date, this data is not available for processing at the time that other data for people on Universal Credit is available. The later availability of this data means that statistics on employment for people on Universal Credit are published a month later than other statistics for people on Universal Credit.

People on Universal Credit in employment, Great Britain, December 2016 to December 2021

Note: (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

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

The composition of Universal Credit claimants has changed since June 2020. There is now a higher proportion of people on Universal Credit being recorded as in employment. This is because of policy and operational changes, due to the coronavirus pandemic, that have allowed people with higher earnings than previously to be eligible for Universal Credit.

The number of people on Universal Credit in employment has remained at around 2.3 million since 10 December 2020. The employment rate has increased for all people on Universal Credit to 42% on 9 December 2021 from 39% on 10 December 2020 as the total number of people on Universal Credit has decreased.

The 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.

Not all people in ‘searching for work’ conditionality are unemployed

People on Universal Credit, employment rate by conditionality regime, Great Britain, December 2020 to December 2021

Note: (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

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

A claimant’s conditionality regime may not be apparent from their employment status as there are differences between how conditionality regime and employment status are measured.

The conditionality regime is a measure of the regime the claimant is on the count date whereas employment status measures whether a claimant has received any employee earnings during the assessment period that covers the count date. For this reason, a claimant may not necessarily be in employment on the count date.

In the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime, 85% of claimants received no earnings and are recorded as not in employment for the assessment period covering 9 December 2021. Typically, around 85% of claimants received no earnings and were recorded as not in employment in the months before the coronavirus pandemic.

This means that 15% are recorded as having received earnings and being in employment. These claimants will include those who are in work with earnings below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET). The AET for April 2021 to March 2022 is £345 per month for an individual, and £552 per month for a household.

In the ‘working – no requirements’ regime there are 88% of claimants in employment. There are 12% of claimants who are recorded as not having received earnings and not in employment. These include claimants who are not in work, but who are in a household with earnings above the household Conditionality Earnings Threshold (CET). The CET is the amount of the National Minimum Wage for the claimant’s expected hours of work.

In a couple household, if one of the adults is earning above the household CET, then the claimant is placed in the ‘working – no requirements’ regime regardless of the individual employment status. The household CET is a combination of both adults individual CETs.

The number of people on Universal Credit has decreased for all regions since January 2021

Percentage change of people on Universal Credit by region, Great Britain, January 2021 to January 2022

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

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

There have been small regional disparities in the reduction of the number of people on Universal Credit during the last year. The South West (7.5%) has seen the largest reduction between 14 January 2021 and 13 January 2022.

Over the same period, Wales (1%) has seen the smallest reduction in the number of people on Universal Credit.

Claimants from London and the North West remain the largest proportions of people on Universal Credit

Distribution of people on Universal Credit by region, Great Britain, January 2021 compared to January 2022

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There is a decrease in the percentage of people on Universal Credit that live in London, the South East and the South West compared with last year. 

In January 2022, there were 16.7% of people on Universal Credit living in London, a decrease from 17% in January 2021. The South East and the South West both also decreased by 0.3 percentage points between January 2022 and January 2021, falling from 11.5% to 11.2% and from 7.5% to 7.2% respectively.

There is an increase in the percentage of people on Universal Credit that live in the West Midlands compared with last year. In January 2022, there were 10.1% of people on Universal Credit living in the West Midlands, an increase from 9.8% in January 2021.

Other regions have either had minimal or no change as a percentage of people on Universal Credit over the past year.

For more regional and local level information see the map for claimants on Universal Credit at Jobcentre Plus office level.

6. Households on Universal Credit

In Universal Credit statistics a household is a single person or couple living together with or without 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. For more information and the timeliness of these statistics, refer to the background information and methodology document.

There were 4.8 million households on Universal Credit in November 2021. This is a decrease of 0.1 million since August 2021.

Of these households, 85% (4.1 million) received a payment.

Total households on Universal Credit by in payment and not in payment, Great Britain, November 2016 to November 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit

There were 4.8 million households on Universal Credit for assessment periods covering 11 November 2021. This is 0.1 million fewer households than in August 2021. In November 2020, there were 4.9 million households on Universal Credit.

Proportion of households in payment relatively consistent since April 2021

Households on Universal Credit in payment, Great Britain, November 2016 to November 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes)

Households on Universal Credit are categorised as either in payment or not in payment. There were 4.1 million households in payment in November 2021 (85% of all households on Universal Credit). This is around 94,000 fewer households compared to August 2021 and 33,000 fewer households than November 2020.

The percentage of households on Universal Credit that were in payment in November 2021 was 85%. This compares with 85% in August 2021 and 84% in November 2020.

During the last quarter (September 2021 to November 2021) there was a reduction in the percentage of households on Universal Credit in October 2021 to 84% before increasing in November 2021 to 85%.

There have been changes to policy between September 2021 and November 2021 that have affected whether some households are in payment or not in payment:

• the end of the temporary increase to the standard allowance (£1,040 a year) on 6 October 2021 that was introduced at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic would have changed some households to not in payment
• a reduction in the earnings taper rate to 55% from 63% from 24 November 2021 would bring more households into payment
• an increase in the work allowance of £500 a year from 24 November 2021 would also bring more households into payment

Before the coronavirus pandemic the percentage of households in payment was 94%. This fell at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic due to operational changes to support households.

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

The average (mean) Universal Credit payment is broadly equal to November 2020

The amount of Universal Credit a household receives is based on the standard Universal Credit allowance plus additional entitlements that they are eligible for.

Above these entitlements households may also receive additional payments, for example a advance or mortgage interest payment.

A payment to a household may be lower than their entitlement. For example, where a household is being sanctioned, limited by the benefit cap or earning above the threshold and the payment is reduced by the taper.

Average (mean) Universal Credit payment for in payment households, Great Britain, November 2016 to November 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes), measures (payment amount mean)

The average (mean) award paid to in payment households on Universal Credit was £780 per month in November 2021. This is unchanged from November 2020 when the average was also £780. There was a reduction in the average (mean) payment in October 2021 to £770 from £810 in September 2021.

The policy changes on 6 October 2021 and 24 November 2021 mentioned earlier in this chapter would also have had an effect on the average payments of households on Universal Credit. The effects of these changes on payments are explained in the background-information-and-methodology.

Since 12 April 2021, new advance payments may be repaid over 24 months rather than 12 months. Together with the reduction of the cap on total monthly reductions from 30% to 25%, this has resulted in smaller deductions to Universal Credit payments.

There was a spike in the average payment for assessment periods covering 9 April 2020, with the average payment of £840. Management information shows that there was an increase in the number of advances being paid in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.

The average (mean) payment is affected by large payments. In November 2021, 7% of households that received a payment were paid more than £1,500. The average (mean) payment is increased by these large payments, which are mostly caused by households receiving payments in addition to their standard entitlements.

The median is less affected by large payments. In November 2021, the median payment (£680) was lower than the average (mean) payment of £780.

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

In payment households by payment band and family type, Great Britain, November 2021

Note: figures are provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes), measures (payment amount mean), Monthly award amount (bands)

The distribution across payment bands has changed following the temporary increase to the standard allowance (£1,040 a year) coming to an end on 6 October 2021. There were 360,000 households in the £300 to £400 payment band in November 2021. This is a decrease from 530,000 households in August 2021. Over the same period, the number of households in the £200 to £300 payment band increased from 200,000 to 440,000.

Over half of households in payment do not have children

In payment households by family type, Great Britain, November 2016 to November 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series. A methodology change has affected this time series. Before April 2019, families with children are determined by whether the household is awarded a child entitlement. From, and including, April 2019 families with children are determined by a child or young person under 20 that has been verified as living in the household.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes), family type

Households without children accounted for around 52% of households on Universal Credit in payment in November 2021. This is 5% lower than in November 2020.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic there was a long-term upward trend for the proportion of in payment households on Universal Credit that have children. This was due to Universal Credit replacing legacy benefits and tax credits for new claims. Households transferring from legacy benefits and tax credits due to a change in circumstances also contributed to this trend.

A higher proportion of households in payment receive additional entitlements compared to November 2020

Entitlements for in payment households, Great Britain, November 2016 to November 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Entitlements, payment indicator (yes)

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 decreased at the same time as the increase in claimants from the coronavirus pandemic. This suggests a greater proportion of new claimants were not claiming additional entitlements. Previously, the proportion of claimants with additional entitlements was on an increasing trend as Universal Credit gradually replaced legacy benefits for new claims.

The proportion of awards receiving support for rental housing costs (housing entitlement) has returned to the level seen before the coronavirus pandemic. Housing entitlement was included in awards for 67% of households receiving a payment in November 2021, compared to 61% in November 2020.

Households are paid child entitlement to help with the cost of looking after children. In November 2021, around 47% of households in payment received child entitlement compared to 41% in November 2020. This is the highest percentage since before the coronavirus pandemic. The proportion of households receiving child entitlement fell from 46% in March 2020 to 41% in April 2020 where it remained until December 2020. Like housing entitlement, the proportion of households receiving child entitlement has generally been increasing since then.

A larger percentage of households received their full payment on time than in October 2020

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.

Payment timeliness (all claims), Universal Credit, Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: 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 are available in Stat-Xplore from April 2019 onwards. Payment timeliness statistics for January 2017 to March 2019 for Universal Credit full service can be found in table 1.1 in the ODS table accompanying the November 2021 release. 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.

Source: Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Payment Timeliness

Households receiving their full payment on time for all claims in payment has continued an upward trend throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Of households in payment, 97% received all their payment on time in October 2021. This is an increase from 96% in July 2021 and also an increase from 95% in October 2020.

Nearly all households in payment (99%) were paid all or some payment on time in October 2021.

87% of new claims received their full payment on time in October 2021

Payment timeliness (new claims), Universal Credit, Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: 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 are available in Stat-Xplore from April 2019 onwards. Payment timeliness statistics for January 2017 to March 2019 for Universal Credit full service can be found in table 1.1 in the ODS table accompanying the November 2021 release. 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.

Source: Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, 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.

The proportion of new claims (claims in their first assessment period on the count date) receiving all the first payment on time in October 2021 was 87%. This is slightly lower than the 88% of new claims receiving all their first payment on time in both July 2021 and October 2020.

For households receiving their first payment in October 2021, around 91% received some or all of the payment on time. This is compared to 92% in July 2021 and 93% in October 2020.

Payment timeliness was higher at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic because of temporary operational and policy changes. This includes redeploying staff within DWP to handle Universal Credit claims, and changes to some verification processes due to the closure of jobcentres.

7. 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 dependent 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.

8. 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 Her 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 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 (ESF) 2014 to 2020 (ESF 14 to 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.

9. About these statistics

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 6 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.

Where to find out more

Information on these statistics are available in the following documents:

• background information and methodology
• background quality report
• Quality Assurance of Administrative Data report
• release strategy

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.

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 these differences between the 2 datasets.

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: 15 March 2022.

Next release for claims, starts and households on Universal Credit: 17 May 2022.

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 (OSR) in May 2019. We have acted on the recommendations made by the OSR 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.

Notices

Geography data for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit

Geography data used in this publication for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit are based on address information which is held in a central data source. The geography data may not be up to date for some claimants.

During the coronavirus pandemic, jobcentre appointments were suspended for claimants, which meant that evidence to verify a change of address could not be provided. As a result, an update to the central information source used by Universal Credit statistics was deferred, which affects all geography statistics for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit from April 2020.

Work is ongoing to verify changes of address declared during the coronavirus pandemic and update the data source used for claimant addresses.

Geographies in the Claims made to Universal Credit and Starts to Universal Credit data are not affected by this issue as they are obtained from the Universal Credit full service data which records the addresses as declared by the claimant.

Interactive map which shows statistics on households on Universal Credit at local authority level

Software used for the interactive map showing households on Universal Credit at the local authority level is no longer supported. The interactive map has therefore been withdrawn and a replacement is currently under development. Once completed and launched, the upcoming interactive tool, Examine-a-Stat, will have improved functionality, in addition to interactive maps, to better meet a wider range of user needs, and will be available in due course.

The most recent data for households on Universal Credit up to November 2021 can be obtained via Stat-Xplore.

10. 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

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: 978-1-78659-388-7