Benefits

How much does the government spend in each region of England and how does that compare with regional economic activity?

Over 20 years since they were introduced, tax credits have now been replaced by universal credit. How did they change the UK welfare system?

The tortured maths behind the chancellor’s fiscal headroom suggest her ‘ironclad’ fiscal rules are having unintended consequences on real-world policy

The latest official statistics on household incomes show dramatic falls, but there is reason to doubt their reliability.

What were the decisions and trade-offs made by Chancellor Reeves?

Today it was confirmed that the changes to welfare represent a £4.2bn net saving by 2029-30 (2025-26 prices). 

This £5bn saving is the largest cut to welfare in almost a decade, but is smaller in scale than cuts made during the 2010s.

The gap between the basic level of unemployment benefit and the highest level of incapacity benefit which had widened for decades is now set to shrink

The reforms announced today, to be implemented or consulted on, represent a fundamental change to the way that the state supports out-of-work people.

Mitigating the two-child limit policy would be an effective way to reduce child poverty, but designing an effective policy is not straightforward. 

Is the working-age population less healthy since the pandemic? What role is changing health playing in rising health-related benefit claims?

France’s failed budget highlights fundamental challenges with public debt, slow growth, and the need for significant reforms.

At this online event, IFS researchers presented new research highlighting key issues with the benefit system around retirement age.

This IFS Pensions Review report sets out issues with the current means-tested benefit system for those approaching the state pension age and beyond. 

The UK Budget has improved the Scottish funding outlook, but tough choices loom down the line 

Following a bulge in claims, recent figures suggest new disability benefits may not pose as big a cost to the Scottish Budget 2024 as first feared.

We discuss the Chancellor's first Budget and what impact the changes could have.