Benefits

Liz Kendall stops herself just in time from lying about PIP cuts, as she argues with disabled MP Disability News Service17:40
DWP told to halt 'aggressive' moves to recover money benefits from claimants The Mirror10:03
Badenoch silence after ‘ticking time bomb’ claim is exposed as a lie by official figures Disability News Service17:19
Am I eligible for 'massively underclaimed' £5,700 health benefit? Yahoo! UK & Ireland18:01
Reviews into deaths and other harm linked to universal credit nearly double… as MPs vote for billions in cuts Disability News Service17:20
DWP declares crackdown on Universal Credit and benefits fraud is working Teesside Live15:46
DWP says it will review Universal Credit, PIP and other benefit claims The Mirror04:27

Latest News

In the last 2 hours

'The government sees us as a burden' - Kirklees backlash over Universal Credit and PIP changes Yorkshire Live04:16

In the last 4 hours

Players want cut to 12 County Championship games, says PCA ESPNcricinfo03:51

Earlier today

The costs and benefits of a shorter workweek VoxEU.org00:09

Yesterday

Monthly column: Our welfare system needs fixing to support people back into work Bedford Independent18:08 17-Jul-25

Am I eligible for 'massively underclaimed' £5,700 health benefit? Yahoo! UK & Ireland18:01 17-Jul-25

Liz Kendall stops herself just in time from lying about PIP cuts, as she argues with disabled MP Disability News Service17:40 17-Jul-25

Devon MPs call to scrap two-child benefits limit Torbay Weekly17:29 17-Jul-25

Reviews into deaths and other harm linked to universal credit nearly double… as MPs vote for billions in cuts Disability News Service17:20 17-Jul-25

Badenoch silence after ‘ticking time bomb’ claim is exposed as a lie by official figures Disability News Service17:19 17-Jul-25

Concerns over cuts dominate Carrickmore woman’s first year as MP We Are Tyrone17:01 17-Jul-25

Universal Credit Bill: HL Bill 123 of 2024–25 The House of Lords Library blog16:33 17-Jul-25

Bedford MP stripped of trade envoy position after welfare rebellion Bedford Times & Citizen16:28 17-Jul-25

DWP declares crackdown on Universal Credit and benefits fraud is working Teesside Live15:46 17-Jul-25

A System Built to Break Labour Hub14:17 17-Jul-25

DWP urges hundreds of thousands to claim state pension top up The Independent14:11 17-Jul-25

DWP urges 200,000 parents to come forward after missing out on massive state pension top up Yahoo! UK & Ireland14:09 17-Jul-25

US weekly jobless claims fall; job growth appears steady in July Yahoo! UK & Ireland14:04 17-Jul-25

Fewer Americans file for jobless benefits last week as layoffs remain at historically healthy… MailOnline13:53 17-Jul-25

Most common age to buy an annuity revealed as 64 ahead of state pension rise Pensions Age12:56 17-Jul-25

Almost 1,500 High Peak children in families hit by two-child limit Buxton Advertiser12:11 17-Jul-25

Pensioners with These 48 Health Conditions Could Be Owed Up to £441 a Month, Experts Warn Wellbeing News12:11 17-Jul-25

OBR warns that UK “cannot afford” triple lock The Actuary12:10 17-Jul-25

What is a whip and what does it mean to lose it? LBC News11:40 17-Jul-25

Pensioners with these 48 health conditions could be owed up to £441 a month Glasgow Evening Times11:36 17-Jul-25

Labour minister Jess Phillips says rebel MPs right to be punished The Independent11:28 17-Jul-25

Labour minister Jess Phillips says rebel MPs right to be punished for ‘slagging off own… Yahoo! UK & Ireland11:17 17-Jul-25

'I was left relying on food banks' says mum after DWP clawed back overpayments The Mirror11:14 17-Jul-25

Thousands of Ashfield children being hit by two-child benefit limit affecting families Hucknall Dispatch Online10:09 17-Jul-25

DWP told to halt 'aggressive' moves to recover money benefits from claimants The Mirror10:03 17-Jul-25

Labour rebels warn Starmer has made things worse by suspending whip from four 'kn**head' MPs… MailOnline09:37 17-Jul-25

Britain’s benefits system is not fit for the post-Covid world, writes Sir Iain Duncan Smith LBC News08:07 17-Jul-25

Urgent new DWP alert as some have £60 a month taken from their benefits The Mirror07:20 17-Jul-25

DWP 'more aggressive than banks' when clawing back overpaid benefits i News06:48 17-Jul-25

'Don’t wash your hands of cuts in Dudley' - Council leaders urged to call for benefit reform rethink Express & Star06:13 17-Jul-25

DWP says it will review Universal Credit, PIP and other benefit claims The Mirror04:27 17-Jul-25

Government treatment of over 1 million people who have been overpaid benefits is “reminiscent of carers’ allowance… Money and Mental Health Policy Institute01:14 17-Jul-25

DWP taking cash back from benefit claimants it overpaid is 'just like carer's allowance scandal' Big Issue00:14 17-Jul-25

Charity highlights ‘harsh treatment’ of people who have been overpaid benefits Evening Standard00:04 17-Jul-25

In the last 7 days

York MP Rachael Maskell suspended from Labour Party Ryedale Gazette & Herald, Yorkshire19:25 16-Jul-25

Sir Keir Starmer purges troublesome welfare backbenchers as he suspended MPs News Letter19:23 16-Jul-25

'Why are you ignoring disabled people?' Blind MP tears into Liz Kendall over benefits cuts Yahoo! UK & Ireland19:09 16-Jul-25

Martin Lewis urges pensioners to claim benefit worth thousands The Independent18:45 16-Jul-25

Bedford MP stripped of UK trade envoy role after welfare bill rebellion Bedford Independent18:00 16-Jul-25

Liz Kendall warns PIP benefits could be taken away completely without cuts Yahoo! UK & Ireland17:47 16-Jul-25

Devon children are going to school 'cold, hungry and tired' Devon Live16:55 16-Jul-25

Keir Starmer suspends rebellious MPs from Labour Party ITV15:53 16-Jul-25

Three Labour MPs suspended by the party for 'persistent' defiance of Keir Starmer as PM turns… MailOnline15:30 16-Jul-25

Stone condemns Universal Credit waiting time and urges Government to act: ‘People are being left without an income for… John O'Groat Journal, Scotland14:54 16-Jul-25

Tory says work doesn’t pay: raise the minimum wage so it does Socialist Party14:39 16-Jul-25

Benefit cheat failed to declare income of more than £90,000 The Guernsey Press & Star14:26 16-Jul-25

Review of Cass Sunstein: The Cost-Benefit Revolution John Kay14:12 16-Jul-25

DWP signs £15m deal to ‘enhance’ digital service for UC targeted case reviews PublicTechnology.net14:03 16-Jul-25

DWP giving bonus payment to people getting state pension, PIP and other benefits The Mirror13:33 16-Jul-25

Big donation of 'brass' enables welfare band to march on Rotherham Advertiser12:33 16-Jul-25

DWP boss Liz Kendall in clash over benefit cuts - 'why did you ignore disabled people' The Mirror12:27 16-Jul-25

Kendall defends welfare reform plan after Government forced to ditch key parts Evening Standard12:03 16-Jul-25

Is it time for a radical new approach to welfare? Institute of Economic Affairs11:55 16-Jul-25

Britain's benefits crisis: 3.6MILLION people are on Universal Credit with no obligation to seek … MailOnline10:14 16-Jul-25

Opinion: Welfare is caring and compassion Exmouth Journal07:55 16-Jul-25

HMRC may target state pensioners who breach £597 annual limit North Wales Live05:16 16-Jul-25

Universal Credit claims under review by DWP for ‘incorrect payments’ Devon Live05:12 16-Jul-25

Benefits cheat fraudulently claimed money over entitlement for nearly a decade Lancashire Telegraph05:07 16-Jul-25

Universal Credit and PIP changes are 'unacceptable and unjustified' says Kirklees councillors Yorkshire Live04:27 16-Jul-25

DWP could give four million households a £725 boost next year Stoke-On-Trent Live19:53 15-Jul-25

No commitment to scrap two-child benefit cap until funding is clear – minister Evening Standard16:55 15-Jul-25

DWP makes major Universal Credit change with UK households given £725 boost The Mirror16:39 15-Jul-25

Kemi Badenoch’s got it badly wrong on the two-child benefit cap The Independent16:25 15-Jul-25

Constituency data: Universal Credit claimants The House of Commons Library blog16:23 15-Jul-25

The ‘£299,325’ cost of matching the State Pension Fidelity International16:10 15-Jul-25

What does the universal credit immigration data show? Evening Standard16:04 15-Jul-25

Why PIP assessments aren’t fair i News15:47 15-Jul-25

Immigration status of benefit claimants published for first time BBC15:46 15-Jul-25

Keir Starmer wants fewer foreign nationals on benefits as it's revealed more than one million claim universal credit LBC News15:35 15-Jul-25

PM wants fewer jobless foreign nationals on benefits as first-time data released Evening Standard15:03 15-Jul-25

Brits on state pension face HMRC warning - and it's all to do with a £597 limit Daily Star14:29 15-Jul-25

Universal credit claims are up by a million in a year - and there's one main reason i News14:11 15-Jul-25

Obr boss denies forecast drove welfare cut proposals Evening Standard13:33 15-Jul-25

83% of Universal Credit claimants are British or Irish nationals, new data reveals LBC News12:53 15-Jul-25

Welfare Reform by Numbers The Political Quarterly Blog12:32 15-Jul-25

Labour publish immigration status of Universal Credit claimants for first time The National, Scotland12:03 15-Jul-25

Labour 'will be forced to reconsider' state pension triple lock pledge The Mirror12:01 15-Jul-25

More than one million migrants are claiming Universal Credit in Britain, latest figures show MailOnline12:00 15-Jul-25

Data shows immigration status of universal credit claimants for first time Evening Standard11:39 15-Jul-25

Charity service gives veterans access to £500,000 in crucial welfare support Third Force News11:31 15-Jul-25

DWP August payment dates confirmed as thousands to get benefits or state pension early The Mirror11:04 15-Jul-25

August 2025 all DWP benefits and pension payments change update dates and cost of living support Devon Live10:33 15-Jul-25

HMRC warning for Brits who receive state pension as they could owe money The Mirror10:18 15-Jul-25

DWP outlines major £725 Universal Credit changes that would start next year The Mirror06:14 15-Jul-25

Benefit claimants could have payments stopped in hospital The Mirror06:14 15-Jul-25

DWP confirms four major Universal Credit changes for next year Devon Live03:16 15-Jul-25

Four out of five Southwark MPs fall behind the government on cuts to welfare Southwark News18:24 14-Jul-25

August 2025 benefits and pension payments dates The Independent17:11 14-Jul-25

I’m a mum impacted by the two-child limit on benefits. Labour must do what’s right and end it Big Issue15:21 14-Jul-25

I'm a pension campaigner. The triple lock should stay until it hits £340 a week i News13:14 14-Jul-25

The importance of getting social security right Third Force News11:50 14-Jul-25

Melton woman's personal view on welfare reforms Melton Times10:36 14-Jul-25

DWP update over Blue Badges and free buses for PIP claimants after welfare reform Daily Star09:55 14-Jul-25

DWP updates PIP, Blue Badge and free bus travel rules Devon Live09:37 14-Jul-25

Cumbrian union protests against proposed disability benefit cuts The Carlisle News & Star07:53 14-Jul-25

Miscarriage of justice victims no longer lose means-tested benefits if compensated The Justice Gap07:51 14-Jul-25

Comment: Why I still believe the Better Chicken Commitment has a future Poultry News06:11 14-Jul-25

DWP Universal Credit paedophile with 'entrenched preference for young girls' avoids jail Birmingham Live05:37 14-Jul-25

Major PIP and Blue Badge update to claimants as welfare reforms unveiled The Mirror01:16 14-Jul-25

Welfare policy bill bears hallmarks of Government dysfunction says MP Stratford Standard, Warwickshire17:00 13-Jul-25

I rely on PIP – here’s how I really spend my money including £200 a month on taxis i News15:24 13-Jul-25

DWP State Pension uplift could see people receive extra £657 The Mirror12:30 13-Jul-25

13 freebies over-60s can claim without reaching DWP state pension age Birmingham Live06:56 13-Jul-25

‘I’m a pregnant mum of four. The two-child benefit cap means I have to skip meals’ i News06:13 13-Jul-25

Four major changes to affect Universal Credit next April Plymouth Live01:21 13-Jul-25

DWP benefit payments may be cut by 15% in certain circumstances - are you affected? The Mirror22:04 12-Jul-25

Wales' Labour First Minister backs Wealth Tax and piles pressure on Keir Starmer The Mirror19:16 12-Jul-25

Benefits cheat caught out by own Facebook posts says being 'target' in prison was 'terrifying' Birmingham Live17:13 12-Jul-25

Right-wing media’s welfare myths exposed Left Foot Forward14:03 12-Jul-25

DWP make Universal Credit change which could stop people getting their money Daily Star12:32 12-Jul-25

'Stealth' tax alert for pensioners who face £15k burden by 2030 The Mirror12:09 12-Jul-25

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18 Jul 04:16

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About our Benefits news

Latest news on the UK's benefits system. The United Kingdom has a comprehensive system of social security and welfare benefits. These benefits are available to all UK residents, regardless of their employment status. The benefits system is designed to provide a safety net for those in need and to ensure that everyone can enjoy a basic standard of living. The main types of benefits available in the UK are income-related benefits, disability benefits, carer's benefits, and bereavement benefits.

Some of the main benefits in the UK include:

- Universal Credit: a monthly payment that replaces six other benefits (income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Housing Benefit) for people who are on a low income or out of work.
- Pension Credit: a means-tested benefit that tops up the income of pensioners who have reached the qualifying age.
- Employment and Support Allowance: a benefit for people who have a health condition or disability that affects their ability to work.
- Personal Independence Payment: a benefit for people who have a long-term health condition or disability that affects their daily living or mobility.
- Disability Living Allowance: a benefit for children under 16 who have a long-term health condition or disability that affects their daily living or mobility.
- Attendance Allowance: a benefit for people aged 65 or over who have a long-term health condition or disability that requires personal care or supervision.
- Child Benefit: a benefit for parents or guardians of children under 16 (or under 20 if they are in approved education or training).
- Housing Benefit: a benefit for people on a low income who need help with their rent.
- Council Tax Reduction: a benefit for people on a low income who need help with their council tax bill.

There are also other benefits and allowances for specific groups of people, such as carers, veterans, bereaved people, students, and asylum seekers.

To claim benefits in the UK, people usually need to meet certain eligibility criteria, such as their nationality, residence status, income, savings, age, health condition, work status, and family situation. They also need to apply through the relevant government agency or online service and provide evidence of their circumstances. Some benefits are paid automatically based on tax records or other information.

The UK benefits system aims to provide a safety net for people who are in need and to reduce poverty and inequality in society. However, it also faces some challenges and criticisms, such as its complexity, cost, adequacy, fairness, fraud, error, and impact on work incentives.

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