Official Statistics

Child and Working Tax Credits error and fraud statistics 2020 to 2021

This report presents the estimate from the tax year 2020 to 2021 Error and Fraud Analytical Programme, which measures error and fraud in the tax credits system.

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Details

HMRC identified a minor historical error in the statistics covering tax year 2020 to 2021 published on 23 June 2022 affecting the final central estimate (£ million) of tax credits error and fraud and number of awards in error and fraud, as a result of incorrect weighting. A corrected version also including data from previously open sample cases was published on 11 April 2024.

More information on revisions to Official Statistics can be found in the HMRC policy on revisions to official statistics.

For the tax year 2020 to 2021, the central estimate of the rate of error and fraud favouring the claimant is around 4.7%. This equates to around £710 million paid out incorrectly through error and fraud.

Media contact:

HMRC Press Office

[email protected]

Statistical contact:

[email protected]

Further details, including data suitability and coverage, are included in the background quality report.

Updates to this page

Published 23 June 2022
Last updated 11 April 2024 + show all updates
  1. HMRC identified a minor historical error in the statistics covering tax year 2020 to 2021 published on 23 June 2022 affecting the final central estimate (£ million) of tax credits error and fraud and number of awards in error and fraud, as a result of incorrect weighting. A corrected version also including data from previously open sample cases was published on 11 April 2024.

  2. First published.

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