Who misses out on Universal Credit? Take-up by household type

DWP estimates that 72% of families entitled to Universal Credit (or the older benefits it replaces) claimed it in 2024/25, against 74% the year before (DWP notes the two years aren't directly comparable because the group of eligible families changed during the move to Universal Credit). Up to 2.6 million entitled families didn't claim, leaving up to £12.7 billion unclaimed in the year, about £4,700 a year for each family that missed out. These figures cover Great Britain and are estimates.

DWP counts 'Universal Credit or equivalent benefits' as one group: Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and working-age Housing Benefit.

Who is least likely to claim

The share of entitled families who actually claim varies a lot by household type:

• Single people with children: 94% claim
• Families with children overall: 81%
• Single people without children: 66%
• Families without children overall: 65%
• Couples with children: 60%
• Couples without children: 55%

So couples, whether or not they have children, are the households most likely to be missing out.

Most of the money is being claimed

By value, 87% of the money that could have been claimed was claimed, the same as the year before. Because 28% of entitled families don't claim but only 13% of the money goes unclaimed, the families not claiming are, on average, entitled to smaller amounts than those who do. (That last point is our reading of DWP's two figures, not a DWP statement.)

Working doesn't rule you out

Universal Credit isn't only for people out of work. It is for working-age people on a low income, whether they are employed, self-employed or out of work. The main conditions are being 18 or over (some 16 and 17 year olds qualify in specific circumstances), being under State Pension age, living in the UK and having savings under £16,000. Earnings reduce your payment gradually (by 55p for every £1 above any work allowance) rather than cutting it off.

How to check

Your actual award depends on your income, savings, housing costs, health and household, which a website like this can't see. Use the official Universal Credit calculator, or an independent one such as Turn2us or entitledto, to get an estimate before you apply. You can apply online at gov.uk/apply-universal-credit. If you have children, also check Child Benefit and free school meals.