Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up
Introduction
Latest estimates of take-up of income-related benefits for Great Britain cover: Income Support, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
The latest report contains information on take-up relating to financial year 2006-07. It contains key results 
for percentage take-up by caseload and expenditure, and also includes estimates of the total and average amounts of benefit claimed and unclaimed. The National Statistics Press Release contains a set of results as well. The publication explores some of the reasons for non-take-up and includes the position of those entitled to but not receiving benefits in the household income distribution - as defined by the Households Below Average Income series. The report re-presents statistics for 2005-06. The chapters are rounded off by exploring patterns in caseload take-up for each benefit since 1997-98. Figures for previous years can be found in earlier reports.
The main data sources used to produce percentage take-up statistics are the Family Resources Survey, used to model the population in private households entitled to income-related benefits; and the DWP and local authority benefit records data - the basis of the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and the DWP Statistical Summaries - providing the counts of benefit recipients and typical amounts received.
New developments
This report is now being published as an internet-only publication.
Following consultation with users, and in line with harmonised definitions across government surveys, we have changed the definitions and names of the tenure type splits used in this publication. For further details, please see Chapter 6 of the latest report.
New analyses have been added to the publication, which compare the characteristics of Entitled Non-Recipients and Entitled Recipients, and in doing so explore some of the reasons for non-take-up. These new analyses compare ENRs and ERs in terms of:
- The Region/Country in which they live, for all benefits
- For Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit, their tenure type
- The proportions who are disabled
Related topics
In the summer of 2003, DWP analysts embarked on a National Statistics Quality Review of take-up of income-related benefit statistics. The aim was to assess whether the statistics continue to serve users needs and to identify areas of development. The full report , which contains the context, scope and conclusions of the review, was published on 26 October 2006.
Social research can play an important role in understanding take-up behaviour, and evaluating initiatives designed to promote take-up as well as improving the quality of statistics.
- Please feel free to view the DWP research pages.
Contact us
If you would like further information on the take-up of income-related benefits then please contact:
email: irb.takeup@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
or
IRB Take-Up
Income Analysis
Department for Work and Pensions
The Adelphi
1-11 John Adam Street
London
WC2N 6HT
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7962 8222