HOUSEHOLDS on certain benefits could be missing out on cash due to making a simple mistake.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays welfare benefits to around 23.7million people.
To get these benefits, people need to meet certain eligibility criteria and the amount of money they can get depends on their circumstances.
You need to tell the DWP if your circumstances change as this means your payments can go up or down.
If you haven’t got in touch, you could be missing out on extra cash you’re entitled to.
The DWP estimates £3.7bn could be owed to households who haven’t reported a change in circumstances.
It calls this ‘unfulfilled eligibility’, and this is based on claims made between September 2023 and October 2024.
People claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and Universal Credit (UC) account for 80% of the amount going unclaimed.
About a third is owed to PIP claimants alone.
Recent data found the unfulfilled eligibility rate for PIP payments is 4.1%.
This equates to £1.06billion worth of benefit payments not being fully claimed.
For Universal Credit, £980million worth is going unclaimed – with an unfulfilled eligibility rate of 1.5%.
Meanwhile about £850million is unclaimed for people on Disability Living Allowance.
The unfulfilled eligibility rate for this is 11.1%.
What changes in circumstances should I report?
You should make sure you report any changes to your circumstances for a number of reasons.
The amount you should be getting in benefits depends on your circumstances so this could go up or down if something changes.
That means you could be missing out on claiming more, or you could be overpaid.
Your claim might be stopped or reduced if you don’t report a change straight away.
If you’re being paid too much you might have to pay some of the money back, as well as a £50 penalty.
If you deliberately choose not to report changes then you are committing benefit fraud.
These are the changes you need to report:
- Changing your name or gender
- Finding or finishing a job, or working different hours
- Your income going up or down
- Starting or stopping education, training or an apprenticeship
- Moving house
- People moving into or out of the place you live (for example your partner, a child or lodger)
- The death of your partner or someone you live with
- Having a baby
- Starting or stopping caring for someone
- Getting married or divorced
- Starting or ending a civil partnership
- Planning to go abroad for any length of time
- Going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation
- Any changes to your medical condition or disability
- Changing your doctor
- Changes to your pension, savings, investments or property
- Changes to other money you get (for example student loans or grants, sick pay or money you get from a charity)
- Changes to the benefits you or anyone else in your house gets
- You or your partner getting back-pay (sometimes called ‘arrears’) for salary or earnings you’re owed
- Changes to your immigration status, if you’re not a British citizen
If you claim Child Benefit, you should also report changes to your child’s circumstances.
How can I report a change?
How you report a change in circumstances depends on the type of benefits you’re receiving.
If you’re on Universal Credit, you should use your Universal Credit online account.
Alternatively you can contact the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
If you’re on Pension Credit, you should call the Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469 or report changes by post.
People on Attendance Allowance can call the helpline on 0800 731 0122.
Carer’s Allowance recipients can report a change online or call the Carer’s Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297.
All of these phone lines are open between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
If you get disability benefits like Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or PIP you can call the Disability Service Centre.
The number is 0800 121 4433 and the line is open between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Child Benefit claimants should report changes using the online service, or call or write to the Child Benefit Office.
If you get Housing Benefit, you should tell your local council.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
