The cost of running Universal Credit is likely to be more expensive than the systems it replaces, is placing a huge burden on staff administering it and has the highest rate of overpayments for any benefit other than tax credits according to a National Audit Office report.

In its latest analysis of Universal Credit (UC) up to the coronavirus lockdown the NAO said ‘it is still not certain that UC will be cheaper to administer than the benefits it replaces,’ costing £301 per claim in February compared to the £173 forecast in the original business case.