What is the poverty line in the UK?

The UK has no single official poverty line. The measure used most is relative low income: a household is counted if its income is below 60% of the median (middle) household income for that year, after adjusting for household size. Absolute low income uses 60% of the median in a fixed reference year, adjusted for inflation, so it shows whether living standards at the bottom are rising in real terms.

Both are published by DWP in Households Below Average Income, before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC). AHC deducts rent, mortgage interest and similar costs, and usually shows more people in poverty. In the latest release the absolute reference year moved from 2010/11 to 2024/25 for linked data, so older and newer absolute figures are not directly comparable.

Because incomes are adjusted for household size, the cash line differs by household type; HBAI tables give the weekly amounts.

Official sources: DWP Households Below Average Income statistics · HBAI report, FYE 1995 to FYE 2025

When is the next figure out?

DWP statistics are pre-announced on the GOV.UK research and statistics calendar and published at 9:30am. Universal Credit statistics moved from monthly to quarterly releases in February, May, August and November after a 2026 consultation, with the final monthly release on 14 April 2026; provisional estimates were dropped and each quarterly release adds three months of finalised data. The benefits compendium, Benefit Combinations and National Insurance number allocations are now released together once a year. Fraud and error estimates appear each spring, and expenditure tables follow the Budget and spring forecast.

Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.

Terms used in this answer

• Median
  The middle value when all values are ordered from lowest to highest. Half are above and half below, so a few very large values cannot pull it up.
• Relative and absolute poverty
  Relative poverty means household income below 60% of the median in that year. Absolute poverty uses 60% of a fixed past median, adjusted only for inflation.
• Households below average income (HBAI)
  The DWP's annual statistics on the distribution of household income in the UK, the main source for official poverty figures.

Where the figures come from

• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics and Stat-Xplore
  Where to find DWP figures on Universal Credit, PIP, State Pension and Pension Credit, how to build a Stat-Xplore table and use the free Open Data API.
• UK poverty and household income statistics (DWP, ONS, DESNZ, Low Pay Commission and devolved governments)
  Where to find official UK poverty, household income, inequality, minimum wage and fuel poverty figures, and how to check claims about them.

Related questions

• How many people are in poverty in the UK?
• What is the median household income in the UK?
• What is the National Living Wage?

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about poverty, incomes and cost of living: all Poverty, incomes and cost of living questions.