DWP warning as £3billion in payments going unclaimed - are you due extra help?

More than one million households are being urged to check their entitlement after it was revealed £3billion worth of help is going unclaimed.

A new report released by the (DWP) highlights the number of people who do claim benefits, but could be entitled to higher payments because their circumstances have changed. The DWP describes this as “unfulfilled” benefits and estimates the total amount people may be missing out on is around £3.1billion in 2023/24.

This is compared with £2.3billion in 2022/23. Examples of “unfulfilled” benefits could include someone in receipt of a disability benefit but their condition has worsened since their initial claim, which means they may be entitled to a higher rate of benefit, or someone receiving help with rent through who has not reported a rent increase.

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Someone who has seen their savings decrease since they were last assessed for benefits may also now be entitled to more help. The three largest benefits, accounting for around three quarters of "unfulfilled" benefit expenditure are Personal Independence Payment (£870million), Disability Living Allowance (£750million) and Universal Credit (£730million).

In terms of the number of people affected, the DWP estimates it includes over 300,000 people on PIP (10.9% of PIP claims), around 300,000 people on DLA (25% of DLA claims) and around 350,000 people on Universal Credit (7.5% of Universal Credit claims).

Steve Webb, partner at pension consultants LCP, said: “There is understandable focus on people who miss out completely on benefits to which they are entitled. But this new report shines a helpful light on another reason why people may be missing out on billions of pounds in benefits.

"These are cases where people’s circumstances have changed since they first claimed benefit and would now be entitled to extra help but have not updated DWP. I would encourage anyone on a disability benefit whose condition has worsened or anyone on a housing benefit whose rent has gone up to make sure that DWP are aware of their latest situation.

"Anyone on a means-tested benefit who has seen their savings fall since they were last assessed should also update the Department. We need to ensure that all benefits are paid on the basis of people’s current needs and not their situation months or years ago.”

Check if you're eligible for benefits

If you don't claim benefits, but you think you may be entitled to help, there are free online calculators that can give you a good indication of whether you're able to get support. These include:

You'll need to share information about your living situation, your employment status, any savings you have, and if you currently already receive any benefits. If these calculators show you may be eligible for support, you can either put in a claim for the relevant benefit yourself, or get help by contacting .

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