Calculator
The tax and benefit system has undergone significant changes since April 2010, with cuts to both benefits and taxes for most working-age households, the opposite for pensioners, and a tax rise for those on the highest incomes. This tool allows you to analyse how these effects compare across the income distribution, and for different types of families.
To read more about recent changes to the tax and benefit system, and how we have calculated the effects of these, see our full report here.
Instructions
The first chart in this tool shows how tax and benefit reforms have affected incomes in cash terms (all adjusted for inflation - in today’s prices). The second chart shows the effect in percentage terms.
Use the arrows to see the total effects of reforms within different time periods. By default, we show the total effect of reforms from 2010 to 2024.
Use the dropdown to choose which groups you want to compare. You can show results for different deciles (tenths) of the income distribution, across the whole population or depending on age or work status. You can also compare other family types, age groups and regions.
By default, we only show benefits and direct taxes (e.g. income tax, National Insurance). In the cash changes chart, you can also click on the legend to include indirect taxes.
In cash terms
In percentage terms
Note: Changes in Scottish income tax and benefits are not modelled, so the Scotland datapoints only show the impact of changes by the UK Government.
Authors
Tom Waters
Tom is an Associate Director at the IFS and Head of the Income, Work and Welfare sector.
Tom Wernham
Tom is a Research Economist in the Income, Work and Welfare sector, having joined the IFS in 2020.
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