The breakdown has not been revealed earlier than
New stats have been launched for the primary time (Picture: Mike Kemp, In Footage through Getty Pictures)
The sharp enhance in Common Credit score (UC) claimants lately has been primarily fuelled by these transferring from older advantages reasonably than solely new purposes, official statistics reveal. The Division for Work and Pensions has revealed for the primary time an in depth evaluation displaying the proportion of claimants who’ve transitioned to UC from so-called “legacy” advantages, together with earnings help and jobseeker’s allowance.
Britain’s complete UC claimant depend reached 8.34 million in December 2025, rising by practically a million from 7.36 million the earlier 12 months. Statistics launched on Tuesday exhibit that over three-quarters of this development (775,790) resulted not from recent claims, however from people transitioning onto UC from various advantages.
The Authorities has acknowledged that UC implementation all through Britain ought to conclude this 12 months, with remaining legacy profit claimants scheduled to switch to UC by March. The operation to maneuver people from older profit sorts to common credit score – known as the “managed migration” of claimants – commenced on a restricted scale in Could 2022, earlier than accelerating in April 2023.
Throughout the 11-month interval from Could 2022 to April 2023, Britain’s complete UC claimant determine elevated by 360,000, rising from 5.54 million to five.90 million.
Nevertheless, since April 2023, the whole has surged by 2.45 million, with 70% comprising people who’ve been moved from older advantages. Of the 8.34 million people claiming common credit score in Britain throughout December 2025, 1.70 million had transitioned onto UC lately via the Authorities’s managed migration of legacy profit recipients.
The remaining 6.64 million claimants could have initially registered as new candidates, or moved throughout voluntarily from an earlier profit system, in the course of the timeframe since UC turned absolutely operational in 2018.
Common credit score supplies monetary help with on a regular basis bills and is accessible to these in employment on modest earnings, alongside people who’re unemployed or unable to work.
A DWP spokesperson stated: “Individuals transferring from previous legacy advantages onto common credit score – nearly 4 in each 5 – account for the overwhelming majority of the rise over the previous 12 months. This can be a transition we inherited from the earlier authorities, alongside a system that writes folks off.
“We’re fixing this. We’ve already legislated to take away incentives that discourage work and have redeployed 1,000 work coaches to help 1000’s of sick and disabled individuals who had been beforehand left with out contact for years.”
The Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) is axing six advantages because it transfers claimants throughout to the brand new system in a course of referred to as “managed migration”. (Picture: PA)
These newest statistics emerge lower than per week following Manchester United co-owner and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s remarks in an interview: “You’ll be able to’t have an economic system with 9 million folks on advantages.”
The newest accessible information, incorporating separate statistics for Northern Eire, signifies that no less than 8.6 million folks all through the UK had been seemingly claiming common credit score in the direction of the conclusion of 2025.
Separate figures revealed on Tuesday by the Division for Work & Pensions give an up to date breakdown of common credit score claimants by immigration standing. As of January 2026, 84.5% of claimants are British and Irish nationals or individuals who stay or work within the UK with none immigration restrictions.
That is up from 83.0% a 12 months earlier in January 2025. Some 9.0% of claimants have EU Settlement Scheme settled standing, with a proper to reside within the UK, down from 10.3%.
An extra 2.6% had indefinite go away to stay within the UK, up barely from 2.5%; 1.6% had been refugees, up from 1.3%; and 0.6% had come by secure and authorized humanitarian routes, together with beneath the Ukraine and Afghan resettlement schemes, down from 0.9%.
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Round 0.9% of these on UC in January 2026 had restricted go away to stay within the UK, protecting these with non permanent immigration standing, in contrast with 1.0% a 12 months earlier.
The remaining 0.8% included those that had been both not receiving UC funds or had no immigration standing recorded on digital programs.
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