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SupportFund Household Finance Monitor: 2026 Baseline

A data-led snapshot of household financial pressures across prices, rents, benefits, energy debt, borrowing and local support using official UK and Great Britain statistics.

Published 13 August 2026 · Updated 13 August 2026 · SupportFund Media & Research · First edition — 2026 baseline · Last reviewed 13 August 2026

Executive summary

  • UK CPI annual inflation fell from a peak of 11.1% in the supplied series to 2.6% in the 12 months to June 2026, on the ONS's published monthly series running from January 2022.
  • Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation peaked at 19.1% in March 2023 within this 2022 to 2026 series and stood at 1.7% in the 12 months to June 2026.
  • The official Bank Rate rose from 0.25% in December 2021 to 5.25% by August 2023 and stood at 3.75% as at 13 August 2026.
  • Between 13 January 2022 and February 2026 the published headline caseload rose from 5.6 million to 8.3 million — a rise of about 2.7 million people. SupportFund calculation from rounded DWP headline figures; these are rounded snapshots at irregular intervals, so the difference is approximate.
  • Ofgem reports domestic energy debt and arrears of £4.79 billion in Q1 2026, with more than one million electricity accounts in arrears without a repayment arrangement.
  • 316 English local authorities share a published Crisis and Resilience Fund allocation of £858.0m for 2026/27.

Key findings

  • CPI annual inflation, 12 months to June 2026: 2.6%

    2.6% — Consumer Prices Index inflation was 2.6% in the 12 months to June 2026.

  • Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation, 12 months to June 2026: 1.7%

    1.7% — Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices were 1.7% higher than a year earlier.

  • Official Bank Rate in force as at 13 August 2026: 3.75%

    3.75% — The Bank of England's official Bank Rate changed to 3.75% with effect from 18 December 2025.

  • People on Universal Credit, February 2026: 8.3 million

    8.3 million — 8.3 million people were on Universal Credit in Great Britain in February 2026.

    Rounded DWP headline figure.

  • Domestic energy debt and arrears, Q1 2026: £4.79 billion

    £4.79 billion — Total domestic energy debt and arrears in the Great Britain energy market reached £4.79 billion.

  • Electricity accounts in arrears without a repayment arrangement, Q1 2026: 1,132,348

    1,132,348 — 1,132,348 domestic electricity customers in Great Britain were in arrears without a repayment arrangement in Q1 2026 — 3.8% of electricity customers.

  • UK average private rent: £1,388 per month

    £1,388 per month — The average monthly private rent in the UK was £1,388 in June 2026.

Analysis

This Monitor brings together separate official indicators of household financial pressure. They are published by different organisations, cover different geographies and measure different things. They are presented side by side, not merged.

Where a series has genuine historical depth — CPI inflation, food inflation and the official Bank Rate — the full published run is available in the SupportFund chart bank and as CSV. Where only sparse official snapshots exist, as with the Universal Credit caseload, that is stated explicitly and no intermediate values are estimated.

1. Prices and inflation

The ONS publishes CPI annual inflation monthly (series D7G7). Across the 54 published months from 2022-01 to 2026-06, the rate ranged from 1.7% to 11.1%.

Headline CPI describes an average basket. It does not describe any individual household's experience, and the ONS Household Costs Index shows different rates for different household groups.

  • Peak in this series: 11.1% (2022-10).
  • Latest published observation: 2.6% (12 months to June 2026).

2. Food costs

Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation (ONS series D7G8) peaked at 19.1% in March 2023 within this January 2022 to June 2026 series, well above headline CPI at the same time, and stood at 1.7% in the 12 months to June 2026.

This is the highest observation within the supplied 2022 to 2026 series. It is not presented as a record for any longer period.

3. Rents and housing costs

ONS private rent statistics put UK average private rent at £1,388 per month, with the England average higher at £1,446 per month.

Rent observations are published monthly for Great Britain nations; Northern Ireland is published on a different basis and is not forced into the same comparison.

4. Benefits and Universal Credit

Between 13 January 2022 and February 2026 the published headline caseload rose from 5.6 million to 8.3 million — a rise of about 2.7 million people. SupportFund calculation from rounded DWP headline figures; these are rounded snapshots at irregular intervals, so the difference is approximate.

Selected official DWP caseload snapshots. Values are rounded headline figures and observation intervals vary. This is not a complete monthly Universal Credit series and no intermediate months are estimated.

5. Energy debt

Ofgem reports total domestic energy debt and arrears of £4.79 billion in Q1 2026, up from £4.55 billion in Q4 2025.

Ofgem publishes gas and electricity customer accounts separately. Accounts are not households and gas and electricity counts must never be added together, because one household may hold both.

  • Electricity customers repaying debt: 851,701 (2.9% of electricity customers).
  • Gas customers repaying debt: 709,838 (2.9% of gas customers).
  • Electricity customers in arrears without a repayment arrangement: 1,132,348.
  • Gas customers in arrears without a repayment arrangement: 908,840.
  • Average debt on a repayment arrangement: £828 electricity, £679 gas.

6. Household borrowing

The official Bank Rate rose from 0.25% effective 16 December 2021 to 5.25% effective 3 August 2023, then fell in steps to 3.75% effective 18 December 2025. The official Bank Rate remained 3.75% as at 13 August 2026. No Bank Rate change occurred in 2026 before that date; the Monetary Policy Committee maintained 3.75% at its 2026 decisions through July.

Bank of England consumer credit indicators published in the SupportFund national data pack sit alongside this: they are separate measures of borrowing growth and cost, and are not combined with Bank Rate.

7. Local crisis support

In England, 316 local authorities share a published Crisis and Resilience Fund allocation of £858.0m for 2026/27. Allocations are government funding decisions, not measures of council generosity or of household entitlement.

Charts

UK inflation and food-price inflation, 2022 to 2026

United Kingdom · January 2022 to June 2026 · Source: Office for National Statistics

Within this January 2022 to June 2026 series, food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation peaked at 19.1% in March 2023. Each point is a published ONS monthly rate; no values are interpolated.

UK inflation and food-price inflation, 2022 to 2026 — underlying data
MeasureValueGeographyPeriod

Chart: SupportFund. Source data: Office for National Statistics. Consumer price inflation time series (MM23), series D7G7 and D7G8. Last checked 13 August 2026. View original source

UK Bank Rate, December 2021 to August 2026

United Kingdom · 16 December 2021 to 13 August 2026 · Source: Bank of England

Points mark official Bank Rate change dates. The rate holds between changes, so no monthly values are shown or invented. The official Bank Rate remained 3.75% as at 13 August 2026. No Bank Rate change occurred in 2026 before that date; the Monetary Policy Committee maintained 3.75% at its 2026 decisions through July.

UK Bank Rate, December 2021 to August 2026 — underlying data
MeasureValueGeographyPeriod

Chart: SupportFund. Source data: Bank of England. Official Bank Rate history. Last checked 13 August 2026. View original source

Universal Credit caseload: selected official snapshots, 2022 to 2026

Great Britain · January 2022 to February 2026 · Source: Department for Work and Pensions

Selected official DWP caseload snapshots. Values are rounded headline figures and observation intervals vary. This is not a complete monthly Universal Credit series and no intermediate months are estimated.

Universal Credit caseload: selected official snapshots, 2022 to 2026 — underlying data
MeasureValueGeographyPeriod

Chart: SupportFund. Source data: Department for Work and Pensions. Universal Credit official statistics. Last checked 13 August 2026. View original source

Energy debt and arrears by fuel, Q1 2026

Great Britain · Q1 2026 · Source: Ofgem

Customer accountsElectricity — repaying debtElectricity — repaying debt: 851,701851,701Gas — repaying debtGas — repaying debt: 709,838709,838Electricity — arrears, no arrange…Electricity — arrears, no arrangement: 1,132,3481,132,348Gas — arrears, no arrangementGas — arrears, no arrangement: 908,840908,840Share of customers — % of customers for that fuelElectricity — repaying debtElectricity — repaying debt: 2.9%2.9%Gas — repaying debtGas — repaying debt: 2.9%2.9%Electricity — arrears, no arrange…Electricity — arrears, no arrangement: 3.8%3.8%Gas — arrears, no arrangementGas — arrears, no arrangement: 3.7%3.7%Chart: SupportFund. Source data: Ofgem. Great Britain, Q1 2026.

£828

Average electricity debt on a repayment arrangement

£679

Average gas debt on a repayment arrangement

40%

Electricity customers repaying debt who are on a prepayment meter

37%

Gas customers repaying debt who are on a prepayment meter

Ofgem publishes gas and electricity customer accounts separately. Accounts are not households and gas and electricity counts must never be added together, because one household may hold both.

Chart: SupportFund. Source data: Ofgem. Debt and arrears indicators. Last checked 13 August 2026. View original source

Methodology

  • This publication combines separate official indicators. They measure different aspects of household finances and should not be interpreted as one composite measure.
  • SupportFund analysis of official ONS, DWP, Bank of England, Ofgem and government/local-authority data. SupportFund did not collect the underlying data.
  • Every figure is stored once as a canonical observation with its publisher, release title, source URL, reference period and last-checked date, and is read back from that record wherever it appears.
  • No value is interpolated, smoothed, back-cast or reverse-engineered. Sparse series are labelled as sparse.
  • Data snapshot frozen at 13 August 2026. Later official revisions are added as new observations, never by overwriting these.
  • No composite score, pressure index or ranking is produced.

Limitations

  • Indicators cover different geographies: United Kingdom, Great Britain or England. The coverage is labelled against each indicator.
  • Selected official DWP caseload snapshots. Values are rounded headline figures and observation intervals vary. This is not a complete monthly Universal Credit series and no intermediate months are estimated.
  • Ofgem publishes gas and electricity customer accounts separately. Accounts are not households and gas and electricity counts must never be added together, because one household may hold both.
  • The Ofgem energy debt series runs from Q1 2018 in the original source, but only Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 stock values are verified here. Earlier quarters are a known future expansion and are not back-filled.
  • Administrative statistics are routinely revised by their publishers.

Sources

Source: Office for National Statistics — Consumer price inflation time series (MM23), series D7G7 and D7G8

Last checked: 13 August 2026

View original source

Source: Bank of England — Official Bank Rate history

Last checked: 13 August 2026

View original source

Source: Department for Work and Pensions — Universal Credit official statistics

Last checked: 13 August 2026

View original source

Source: Ofgem — Debt and arrears indicators

Last checked: 13 August 2026

View original source

Source: Office for National Statistics — Private rent and house prices, UK: July 2026

Last checked: 13 August 2026

View original source

Corrections

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