Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
66th Report - Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25
Public Accounts Committee
HC 1231
Published 11 February 2026
Conclusions (3)
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Official error occurs when a benefit is paid incorrectly due to action, delay or a mistake by the Department, a local authority or HM Revenue & Customs.18 In 2024–25, official error overpayments were estimated at £1.0 billion, up from £0.8 billion in 2023–24, and official error underpayments were estimated at …
Government Response Summary
The department reports on its plans to improve payment accuracy and address the root causes of fraud and error each year in the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA), including official error overpayments and underpayments.
11
Conclusion
Acknowledged
In its 2024–25 annual report and accounts, the Department published information on some of the work it had done to identify and tackle the root causes of fraud and error, particularly on Universal Credit through activities such as its Targeted Case Review of existing claims.20 Targeted Case Review has helped …
Government Response Summary
The department reports on its plans to improve payment accuracy and address the root causes of fraud and error each year in the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA), including official error overpayments and underpayments.
25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Department outlined what it was doing to make it easier for people to report changes of circumstances.48 It highlighted a campaign that it would be launching in January 2026—”Tell DWP”—to help customers identify what they need to declare and encourage them to do so. It wanted to support those …
Government Response Summary
The department has established a comprehensive evaluation approach to assess the impact of the ‘Tell DWP’ communications campaign on claimant reporting behaviour and will publish findings from these evaluation activities.