Integrating administrative data to improve the Family Resources Survey

In March 2026, for the first time, Family Resources Survey (FRS)‑based Accredited Official Statistics incorporated linked Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits data, addressing a long‑standing issue of benefit under‑reporting in income statistics. This innovative methodological development has reduced benefit under‑reporting, improved the quality of poverty and income statistics, and strengthened the evidence base used by policymakers across government.

About the Family Resources Survey

The primary purpose of the FRS is to provide DWP with data to inform the development of social welfare policy, and it is the source of the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) analysis. Therefore, the quality of the information on incomes collected in the FRS is very important. As the survey-based datasets are released through the UK Data Service, they can also be used by researchers and academics to inform analysis and public debate, so quality improvements have widespread benefits.

Identifying opportunities to improve

A long-standing limitation of the survey has been the under‑reporting of DWP benefit receipt, which affects the accuracy of income measures and users’ confidence in the statistics. We have been transparent about this in our publications, and we knew that being able to link the administrative data held by DWP to the survey data would improve the quality of the data.  This idea was first considered around 20 years ago.

Starting in 2007, FRS respondents were asked for consent to link their survey responses to administrative records. The approach to obtaining consent was designed to meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. Each year, around two-thirds of respondents consented. With our linking approach at that time, we were able to match around 80% of these respondents, which gave us a half-linked dataset, limiting its analytical potential.  We weren’t in a position to add linked data into our main FRS dataset, but we were using linked data to improve our modelled estimates of the take-up of income-related benefits.

A change in the lawful basis for data linking in 2018 changed everything: public task became our basis, since we serve the public interest in accordance with law. This update meant we could attempt to link all respondents (who are fully informed about how their information will be used), as opposed to the two-thirds who consented previously.

The team leader at the time saw that this created an opportunity for us to develop an approach to integrate administrative data directly into the survey, with the additional longer‑term aim of improving efficiency and reducing respondent burden.

Developing a high-quality lookup file

Developing this approach was supported by close collaboration with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and our fieldwork organisations to improve the quality of the respondent information collected to be used for matching.

The legal change, together with recent improvements in our linking methodology, means that we can now find National Insurance Numbers for more than 95% of respondents. We now have a high-quality lookup file enabling linkage between survey responses and administrative datasets. This high match rate gives us a solid foundation to build on as there are fewer unlinked cases to consider. The routines to create the lookup file have evolved so that it can be created in a timely fashion, which is repeatable. This is important as we have an annual reporting schedule to keep to for our accredited official statistics.

Using administrative data

The focus then turned to how we could use administrative data to replicate the FRS income concepts and variables. This meant identifying the benefits respondents were in receipt of at the time of the interview and the amounts received. Significant analytical development work was undertaken to identify the appropriate data sources to do this and develop the necessary code to apply to them. More details on this are included in Family Resources Survey Transformation: integrating administrative data for benefits.

Addressing user needs

User needs were central throughout the development of these changes, with the focus on improving data quality for users. Advice from the FRS Expert Advisory Group and feedback from policy, analytical and external users informed decisions on implementation and communication.

To support user understanding, publication teams produced back‑series analysis alongside the March 2026 release to illustrate the effect of the methodological change on key time series, with further back‑series planned for release in the summer. Updated technical papers, tables, Stat‑Xplore guidance and research datasets released on the UK Data Service and ONS Secure Research Service ensure transparency and accessibility for different user groups.

Next steps

Our long-term work programme continues, and we are taking forward work across several different areas to see what other data sources we can integrate into the FRS to improve data quality for users in the future.

More details on our development work and publications using our improved approach are available on GOV.UK:

• Family Resources Survey: financial year 2024 to 2025
• Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2025
• Pensioners’ Incomes: financial years ending 1995 to 2025
• Family Resources Survey Transformation: integrating administrative data into the FRS, March 2024
• Family Resources Survey Transformation: integrating administrative data for benefits, March 2026