Pension Credit: spending and claimants by year
Spending on Pension Credit each financial year, in cash terms, from DWP's benefit expenditure tables, with the number of people receiving it where DWP gives a caseload.
£6.0 billion
1,376 thousand
DWP's benefit expenditure tables record spending on Pension Credit of £6.0 billion in 2024/25, in cash terms. The first year with spending in the tables is 2003/04 (£2.3 billion). DWP's caseload for 2024/25 is 1,376 thousand; the highest in the table is 2,736 thousand in 2009/10. Cash spending was highest in 2010/11, at £8.2 billion.
Spending and caseload by year
| Year | Spending (cash) | Change on previous year | Caseload (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | £6.0 billion | +9.9% | 1,376 |
| 2023/24 | £5.5 billion | +10.8% | 1,370 |
| 2022/23 | £4.9 billion | +2.1% | 1,374 |
| 2021/22 | £4.8 billion | -4.7% | 1,410 |
| 2020/21 | £5.1 billion | +0.2% | 1,480 |
| 2019/20 | £5.1 billion | -1.5% | 1,563 |
| 2018/19 | £5.1 billion | -4.2% | 1,654 |
| 2017/18 | £5.4 billion | -5.3% | 1,792 |
| 2016/17 | £5.7 billion | -6.8% | 1,903 |
| 2015/16 | £6.1 billion | -7.6% | 2,098 |
| 2014/15 | £6.6 billion | -6.6% | 2,228 |
| 2013/14 | £7.0 billion | -6.2% | 2,380 |
| 2012/13 | £7.5 billion | -6.7% | 2,505 |
| 2011/12 | £8.1 billion | -2.3% | 2,649 |
| 2010/11 | £8.2 billion | +1.4% | 2,718 |
| 2009/10 | £8.1 billion | +5.5% | 2,736 |
| 2008/09 | £7.7 billion | +4.6% | 2,724 |
| 2007/08 | £7.4 billion | +7.3% | 2,732 |
| 2006/07 | £6.9 billion | +6.9% | 2,729 |
| 2005/06 | £6.4 billion | +7.6% | 2,700 |
| 2004/05 | £6.0 billion | +155.6% | 2,594 |
| 2003/04 | £2.3 billion | 1,979 |
Source: DWP expenditure tables, Tables 1a and 1c. About these figures · CSV
Rates and related figures
Sources and receipts
- Benefit expenditure and caseload tables: outturn and forecast, Spring Forecast 2026, Department for Work and Pensions.
File: outturn-and-forecast-tables-spring-forecast-2026.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
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