Humanitarian · Benefits & hardship support · 28 October 2026
DWP issues first notice requiring banks to share benefit data
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced its first Eligibility Verification Notice, requiring banks to share information to check benefit entitlement. The measure is expected to save taxpayers £1.2 billion by 2030/31.
The Department for Work and Pensions has published its first Eligibility Verification Notice. This official decision requires banks to share specific account information to help verify whether claimants still meet benefit eligibility rules. The move marks the first step in a wider effort to review how entitlement is checked across the welfare system.
Under the new rules, banks will be asked to flag accounts where data suggests eligibility criteria may no longer be met. The department expects this Eligibility Verification Measure to save taxpayers £1.2 billion by 2030/31. These savings are part of a broader plan to save £14.6 billion by tackling fraud, error and debt. A further £1.4 billion in savings is projected between 2027 and 2032 as a result of additional reforms.
The measures are introduced under the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025. Their stated aim is to detect fraud, reduce incorrect payments and protect public funds. To support this, 2000 additional anti-fraud specialists will be deployed into Jobcentres nationwide. Further sustainable welfare reform is expected to follow the Milburn and Timms reviews, which are due in the Autumn.
Written by StreetOwl from Department for Work and Pensions’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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