Benefit Cap statistics

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The Benefit Cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive. From 31 May 2016, the amount a household could receive in benefit income was limited to £26,000 per annum. On 7 November 2016, this threshold was lowered to £20,000 per annum. On 1 April 2023 this was increased to £22.020 per annum. PSU have compiled statistics on the following:

Number of capped households
Where capped households are located (by both local government district and assembly area)
Family structure of capped households (number of lone parents etc)
Benefits claimed by capped households.
Financial impact of being capped
Moving off the Benefit Cap – examining households who are no longer capped.

Update on Benefit Cap Statistics publication

Please be aware that we are planning to discontinue The Benefit Cap Publication series. The publication released on 27 August 2025 will be the last.

However, the Benefit Cap statistics found in the supplementary tables will continue to be available. These will now be included within the Universal Credit (UC) Statistics Publication supplementary tables, starting from the 26 November 2025.

We welcome your feedback, if you have concerns or suggestions about this change, please reach out to Analytics Division.

Latest Benefit Cap Publication

Benefit Cap Statistics - May 2025

Previous Benefit Cap Publications

2025

Benefit Cap Statistics - February 2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

User Consultation

Analytics Division would appreciate your feedback on the Benefit Cap Statistics publication. The request for user feedback and survey can be found below:

Benefit Cap Statistics user consultation

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Analytics Division

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