Working age benefits

We discuss the government's welfare reforms aimed at helping sick and disabled people into work, and what the changes mean for health-related benefits

Have increases in NHS waiting lists and waiting times contributed to the growing number of  people claiming working-age health-related benefits? 

Over 20 years since they were introduced, tax credits have now been replaced by universal credit.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

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). 

In response to deteriorating global economic conditions, Rachel Reeves chose to fine-tune her spending plans to continue to meet her fiscal rules. 

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

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?

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

Why do so few people move from incapacity benefits into work? What does this mean for government plans to get more people working?

Use these charts to compare policies for reducing child poverty and to examine how child poverty rates have changed over time across different groups.

Relative child poverty has increased. Which children are most likely to be affected? What policies would most effectively reduce child poverty?

How do post-COVID claimants of health-related benefits compare with pre-COVID claimants? Where in the UK are they? How do other countries compare?

"The two-child limit has been pretty much laser-focused on increasing the measured rate of child poverty." Paul Johnson writes for the Times.