Complaints to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about Universal Credit have increased by 43% in the last year. This is despite there only being a 12% increase in claimants.
The DWP publishes their official complaint statistics quarterly, so they’ve just released the figures up til the end of December 2025.
Overall, the department received 7,730 complaints, which is a 19% increase from December 2024. However
Universal Credit got over half of those complaints at 3,930. That’s a 43% increase from the previous year.
DWP blaming increase in Universal Credit again
They try to explain this away, of course, with the increase in Universal Credit claimants:
There are a range of different factors that may lead to a change in the number of complaints received. This can include increases in the caseload of a benefit, though you do not need to be in receipt of a DWP benefit to complain. In December 2025 there were 8.3 million people on Universal Credit, up from 7.4 million people on Universal Credit in December 2024.
However, the number of claimants only increased by 12%, so to blame that for a 43% leap is absurd.
There was also a sharp increase in complaints about disability services, which provide specialist support and advice to claimants. Whilst it hasn’t increased in number, statistically it has shot up by 62%. The type of complaint also matters. The DWP mentioned in the release that many complaints were ‘you’ve got it wrong’, but they conveniently missed out that many complained about staff not respecting them.
Just 4 out 10 complaints were upheld by the DWP, meaning many were probably once again treated poorly.
Universal Credit is currently experiencing a big increase in claimants as many are being forced to move onto it from legacy benefits. The DWP claims they are supporting everyone to move over, but the number who have failed to move over says otherwise.
Many disabled people have said they find the process too complex to navigate. So the process is probably not made any better by rude staff who don’t treat claimants with basic respect.
UC is generally a shit show
Along with migration issues, the Universal Credit system is, in general, an absolute shit show. Universal Credit sanctions are at a record high under Labour. The amount of compensation the DWP has had to issue due to their own incompetence has also shot up.
The Public Accounts Committee found that benefit claimants were overpaid by £1 billion in 2024-25 due to the DWP’s own errors. However, this was cancelled out by the fact that claimants were underpaid by £1.2 billion for the same reason 2024-25.
Instead of holding their hands up, the DWP once again blamed claimants.
The PAC report said:
The DWP has carried out some work to tackle the root causes of fraud and error – but this has focused on those committed by claimants, rather than errors by officials.
It’s clear from repeated inquiries, reports, and the DWP’s own stats that the department needs to spend less time demonising claimants and focus on teaching their staff how to be fucking compassionate.
But it’s clear from how much they’re pushing the workshy narrative that they care far more about forcing people off benefits than actually supporting people. But more people supported into benefits wouldn’t fit their narrative.
Featured image via the Canary
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