This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Benefits and Tax Credits in Scotland, August 2004
24/02/2005
This Statistical Publication Notice brings together a range of summary information published by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Inland Revenue on benefit recipients in Scotland across a range of benefits and tax credits.
Figures on Benefits have been provided by and published with the permission of the DWP. Figures on Tax Credits have been provided by the Inland Revenue.
The figures presented are the latest available at the time of publishing: August 2004 for all benefits (except people of State Pension Age claiming key benefits are at May 2004, and Housing and Council Tax Benefit which is at February 2004) and December 2004 for tax credits.
The main findings are:
- There were 536,800 working age claimants of key benefits in Scotland as at August 2004. This equates to 17 per cent of the working age population.
- There were 212,700 children under 16 who live in families which claimed key benefits in August 2004. This equates to 22 per cent of the population under 16 year.
- There are 945,400 people over State Pension Age claiming key benefits as at May 2004.
- Working age people claiming key benefits has decreased from 562,800 in 2001 to 536,800 in 2004. Children in families claiming key benefits has declined from 223,000 in 2003 to 212,700 in 2004. However, it should be highlighted that the figures are affected by the introduction of Child Tax Credit in April 2003. The number of people over State Pension Age claiming key benefits has increased between 2001 and 2004 from 913,000 to 945,400.
- The number of in-work families with children in Scotland with an award for Child/Working Tax Credit was 383,500 at the 3rd December 2004. Of these, there were 136,500 families who had an entitlement to both Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
- The number of in-work families with an award for Child or Working Tax Credit has risen from 379,500 at 11th July 2003 to 450,100 at 3rd December 2004. Working families with children entitled only to Child Tax Credit has increased from 219,200 to 238,700 over the same period.