Money

Are you missing £4,700?

Up to 2.6 million working-age families did not receive support they were entitled to, worth about £4,700 a year on average. It is the first new government estimate for this group in nine years. Here is what was counted and how to check for free.

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People in Britain in a city square beside St Pancras station in London — A new government estimate shows how many families are not receiving support they may be entitled to. Photo: ONLYWAY NEWS Photo: ONLYWAY NEWS

On 22 October, the Department for Work and Pensions published a new estimate: up to 2.6 million working-age families may have been entitled to support but did not receive it in the financial year ending 5 April 2025. The average amount unclaimed was about £4,700 per family for the year, with up to £12.7 billion unclaimed overall.

This is not an automatic promise of £4,700 to everyone. It is the average modelled amount for families the department estimates were entitled to support. Actual entitlement and payment depend on income, savings, rent, children, health and household circumstances.

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How much went unclaimed?

Support measured	Take-up	Did not claim	Amount unclaimed	Average per family
Working-age Universal Credit or equivalent benefits	72% of families; 87% of available expenditure	up to 2.6 million families	up to £12.7 billion	about £4,700 a year
Pension Credit	62% of families; 74% of available expenditure	up to 900,000 families	up to £2.4 billion	about £2,500 a year
Housing Benefit for pensioners	83% of families; 86% of available expenditure	up to 270,000 families	up to £1.3 billion	about £4,700 a year

The working-age measure combines Universal Credit with the legacy benefits it replaces: income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit for working-age claimants. The £12.7 billion figure is therefore not a Universal Credit-only total.

What counts as a family?

A single adult counts as one family. The other category is a married or cohabiting couple, with or without dependent children. The estimate of 2.6 million families does not mean 2.6 million married couples.

The statistics cover England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland. They cover private households only. People in care homes, student halls, military barracks and prisons, and those temporarily living in bed-and-breakfast accommodation, are excluded.

Why are these estimates?

DWP combines administrative records for people receiving benefits with the Family Resources Survey and a tax-and-benefit model. There is no administrative list of people who never applied, so their numbers and unclaimed amounts are modelled with uncertainty ranges. The word “up to” reflects the official upper estimate.

This is the first working-age take-up release in nine years. It uses a composite measure because migration from legacy benefits was still under way. DWP labels the working-age figures as official statistics in development. The 2024 and 2025 estimates should not be compared directly because the composition of the eligible group changed.

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How can you check for free?

Open the government benefits calculators page. It links to free independent tools from Entitledto, Turn2us and Better Off Calculator. The result is an estimate, but it can show possible benefits and how working or changing hours may affect them.
Gather the figures. You will need earnings and other income, savings and investments, rent or mortgage costs, Council Tax, childcare costs and benefits already received.
Include both adults. If you live as a couple, entitlement will usually depend on both partners’ income and savings, even where one person submits the claim.
Apply only through the official service. A calculator does not create a claim. Working-age people will usually need a separate Universal Credit claim. Pensioners may need a Pension Credit claim and, if renting, a Housing Benefit claim through their council.

Check before making a new claim

Do not close an existing benefit or start a new claim blindly. A Universal Credit claim can end certain legacy benefits and it is usually impossible to return to them. Save the calculator result first and get free advice from Citizens Advice or another independent adviser if the move affects several benefits, rent or disability support.

Do not delay the check because backdating rules differ. Pension Credit can normally be backdated for no more than three months where entitlement existed throughout. Universal Credit can be backdated only in limited circumstances. The date of the claim can therefore cost real money.

The practical point

£4,700 is an average annual amount left unclaimed by an eligible family, not a fixed payment. Enter your real figures into a free calculator, save the result and then use the official claim service.

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Published 22 October 2026, 17:10 4 min read Editorial desk of the British newspaper ONLYWAY NEWS - LONDON - UK

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