There are almost zero recorded losses to the taxpayer due to fraud in the disability benefit benefits system, new statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show.
Personal independence payment (PIP) fraud stood at 0% in the financial year ending 2024. Meanwhile, disability living allowance (DLA) fraud was just 0.1%, which was rounded to £0m.
It comes as the government continues its drive to tighten disability benefits, eradicate “sick-note culture” and crack down on fraud within the welfare system more widely.
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Mikey Erhardt, campaigner at Disability Rights UK said: “New data shows what we, as disabled people, have known for years – PIP fraud is a non-issue. PIP fraud is now the lowest on record – despite the government placing fraud front and centre of their latest public announcements.”
PIP overpayments stood at 0.4%, which is the equivalent of £90m lost in a year. That is compared to 1.1% (£200m) in the financial year ending 2023, a significant decrease.
The majority of overpayments happened because of errors where the claimant did not report a change in their needs. Only one in 100 PIP claimants were overpaid.
For DLA, the overpayment rate was 0.5% or £30m in the financial year ending 2024. Around 0.2% was because of claimant error, mainly because of claimants failing to report that they were admitted to hospital or care homes.
Overpayments due to official errors made by the DWP were 0.2% (£10m), mainly because the department made errors when allocating award levels at assessment stage.
Erhardt added: “If the government is concerned about fraud, it would be serious about the £15.2bn that multinational companies hide from the UK via tax havens. Money which could fund public services that we all need and use. Instead, disabled people continue to be demonised.”
Universal credit fraud is at much higher rates. Overpayments due to fraud were 10.9%, equating to a loss of £5,660m to the taxpayer. That’s compared with 11.4% (£4,930m) in the financial year ending 2023.
Earlier this year, an organised gang was convicted of stealing £54m from the universal credit system by submitting thousands of false claims.
Under-declaration of income remained the most prominent reason for universal credit fraud, followed by a failure to provide evidence or engage with the Jobcentre.
Under-declaration of income remained the most prominent reason for universal credit fraud, followed by a failure to provide evidence or engage with the Jobcentre.
But fraud relating to additional elements besides standard allowance – such as the health elements or carer elements – were just 0.1% in the financial year.