'Getting benefits eased pressure on my family': £9.6bn of universal credit went unclaimed in 2024

A staggering £9.6 billion of universal credit went unclaimed in 2024, new research has found – as well as hundreds of millions in carer’s allowance.

The welfare system is intended to support the most vulnerable.

But confusing eligibility criteria and opaque processes mean too many people never receive the financial help that they’re entitled to.  

“Our data shows that there is support available for many, but all too often it’s difficult to find,” said Anna Stevenson, benefits expert at financial hardship charity Turn2us.

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Last year, some 1.5 million people used the charity’s free online Benefits Calculator. Of these, some 60% people discovered they were eligible for benefits they weren’t claiming.

Extrapolating this total outward, the total missed potential value runs into the billions of pounds. 

More than £9bn in universal credit went unclaimed last year, the charity estimates. Additionally, 135,000 people missed out on more than £636 million worth of new-style jobseeker’s allowance, while 185,000 carers missed out on £588m in carer’s allowance.

Single mum of three Esther “never thought” she’d qualify for carer’s allowance, despite caring for two sons with complex needs.

The Londoner was juggling three jobs – but applying for benefits never crossed her mind.

“I was guilty of believing the stereotype of why people have benefits – they have to be in absolute depravity. I just didn’t think that I fit,” she told Big Issue.

“It’s that word benefit, you think you have to qualify in some sense. I’d never even considered it. People don’t have those conversations.”

Esther’s eight-year old twins are “wonderful”, but they have “severe, complex needs”.

“They are amazing, but they have no self-help skills, so feeding and changing them, dressing them – they’re eight, but they sort of have a mental age of around 18 months,” she explained.

When Esther used the Turn2us Benefits Calculator, she found she qualified for the carer’s element of universal credit. It “changed everything”.

“Because the thing is, sometimes one benefit leads to others, right?” she said.

“So I found that once I qualified from the carer’s element universal credit. Then there were other things that came into play, like, for example, getting grants in the summer for food for the boys. The council tax went down to zero. It was just a massive, massive relief.

“It wasn’t just money; it gave my family hope, dignity and the basics my children need. I tell everyone: you never know who might need that lifeline.”

There are millions more just like Esther, said Stevenson, who are entitled to “extra cash” but fail to claim it.

“We know it’s tough right now, especially with back-to-school costs stacking up and household bills climbing,” she added. “Don’t wait until things get harder – check now and ease the pressure on your family.”

Previous studies have corroborated this gap between entitlement and payment. Indeed, some have produced even more dramatic figures.

Last year, Policy in Practice estimated that the total amount of unclaimed income related benefits and social tariffs across the UK was £22.7bn per year.

This figure excluded disability benefits and discretionary support, both of which require a further assessment.

“Including these elements pushes the true level of unclaimed support to over £30bn,” the report authors found.

Complexity and a lack of awareness play a role – but so does stigma.

“Negative perceptions around claiming benefits discourage eligible people from engaging with the benefit system,” the Policy in Practise authors found.

Those negative perceptions are widespread, said Esther. But no one should let “shame” hold them back from accessing what they are entitlement.

“I’m now not worried about where my meal is going to come from. If my washing machine breaks, it’s OK. I can fix it. You know, I can turn on the heating in winter – I used to have to put the boys in onesies and sit them up back to front so that they couldn’t take them off, so that they would stay warm.”

“But it’s not just because they have complex needs – these are basic needs to just exist, to heat your home and go to your fridge and make a meal.”  

To check your benefit entitlements quickly and confidentially, visit the Turn2us Benefits Calculator here.

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