This is a quarterly National Statistics release of the main DWP-administered benefits via Stat-Xplore or supplementary tables where appropriate.

Impact of Scottish devolution: proposed changes to the presentation of statistics

The https://www.gov.scot/publications/responsibility-for-benefits-overview/" class="govuk-link">devolution of social security benefits to the Scottish Government is beginning to impact DWP statistics, where benefit administration is moving from DWP to the Scottish Government. As this change takes place, for a transitional period, Social Security Scotland will administer new claims and DWP will continue to administer existing claims under an agency agreement. DWP will no longer hold a complete count of the number of claimants across Great Britain.

We are now considering how we present Official Statistics on disability benefits, and the key change we propose will be the removal of the Great Britain total. Instead, we propose to present totals for England and Wales, where DWP is retaining policy ownership, and a separate breakdown for Scotland where we are administering claims on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Under this proposal DWP would only make presentational changes when a material impact on the benefit statistics becomes apparent. We want to continue to provide a total picture for Great Britain in situations where DWP still administer a benefit in its entirety. For Disability Living Allowance, we want to make changes in time for our release in August 2022.

We would welcome your views on these proposed changes, please contact: benefits.statistics@dwp.gov.uk

Please refer to our background information note for more information on Scottish devolution.

State Pension

During 2019, a new DWP computer system called “Get Your State Pension” (GYSP) came online to handle State Pension claims. The GYSP system is now handling a sizeable proportion of new claims.

We are not yet able to include GYSP system data in our published statistics for State Pension. The number of GYSP cases are too high to allow us to continue to publish State Pension data on Stat-Xplore. In the short term, we will provide GYSP estimates based on payment systems data. As a temporary measure, State Pension statistics will be published via data tables only. This release contains State Pensions estimates for the five quarters to November 2021.

For these reasons, a biannual release of supplementary tables to show State Pension deferment increments and proportions of beneficiaries receiving a full amount has been suspended. The latest available time period for these figures remains September 2020.

We are developing new statistical datasets to properly represent both computer systems. Once we have quality assured the new data it will be published on Stat-Xplore, including a refresh of historical data using the best data available.

Read our background information note for more information about this.

Housing Benefit (HB) dataset: removal of Passported Status field

A policy change was introduced in April 2018 whereby Universal Credit (UC) recipients in specified types of temporary accommodation would need to claim support for housing costs through Housing Benefit (HB) rather than the Housing Element of UC. This change

The Abstract of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit rate statistics provides:

• a guide to DWP benefit uprating history
• a comparison of the value of benefits over time
• supporting tables showing historical figures back to 1948

Tell us what you think

We are seeking your views about this publication. To help shape future releases we would like to learn more about how the release is being used, and how easy it is to find the information you need.

We’re also asking for feedback on the suitability of sources used in relation to inflation and earnings. Your response to the questionnaire will help us understand the way our statistics are used and what users consider important.

Read the abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics: user questionnaire for more information.

Send comments by email to: benefit.statistics@dwp.gov.uk

This publication provides ad hoc statistics on the cost of working age ill-health and disability that prevents work.

The areas considered are:

• Lost production because of economic inactivity due to long-term or temporary sickness

• Lost production due to sickness absence

• Lost production due to informal care giving which removes people from the workforce

• Additional costs to the NHS when someone’s health condition causes them to move from economically active to economically inactive

• Lost Tax and forgone National Insurance returns to the Exchequer due to health conditions preventing or limiting employment

• Cost of social security benefits related to health conditions that prevent people from working

These tables are only updated once a year and therefore the totals used in breakdowns may not be consistent with those published in the main expenditure tables.

Next release: Following publication of the department’s accounts.

What does this publication tell me?

This publication contains a series of tables about the company cars provided as benefits in kind to employees by employers. These tables show the number of recipients of such benefits, the taxable value of the benefits and the Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NIC) liabilities on them. Breakdowns are provided by income level and geographical region of the recipient and by the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission level and fuel type of the vehicle.

Company car statistics are provided for tax year 2021 to 2022 alongside earlier years. Provisional information for 2022 to 2023 has also been included in this publication.

Figures are based on 2 sources of data on company cars:

• P11D forms returned by employers after the end of the tax year
• company cars reported by employers in Real-Time Information submissions (from tax year 2017 to 2018 onwards)

A further table reports the total amount of Class 1A National Insurance paid on all benefits in kind (including company cars), and the corresponding value of those benefits.

These statistics are produced annually.

The background quality report provides further details of the tax and National Insurance treatment of company cars, describes the data sources and modelling and projection methods and describes the completeness and accuracy of the data used.

Statistical contacts

Enquiries about statistics on taxable benefits in kind and expenses should be directed to the statisticians responsible for these statistics by contacting personaltax.statistics@hmrc.gov.uk.

Any media enquiries should be directed to the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Press Office.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is seeking your views about the abstract of statistics publication. To help shape future releases we would very much like to learn more about how the release is being used, and how easy it is to find the information you need.

We’re also asking for feedback on the suitability of sources used in relation to inflation and earnings. Your response to the questionnaire will help us understand the way our statistics are used and what users consider important.

Return your completed questionnaire to benefits.statistics@dwp.gov.uk, or if you would prefer to talk to the lead statistician for the series, telephone: Alan Gibson: 0204 560 5899.

The data table shows the local authority Housing Benefit (HB) subsidy initial estimates for expenditure and subsidy of HB for England, Scotland and Wales.

These figures are projected HB payments for the financial year 2024 to 2025 and are used as the basis for subsidy payments in the first 6 months of that year.

The guidance notes and forms have been added to explain the cell data given in the data table.

The forms are used by local authorities to claim a subsidy to administer and pay HB.