More or Less Can you get £71,000 on benefits?
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Jan 28, 2026 
Tom Coles, the programme’s self-styled sauna correspondent, Lizzy McNeill, a sharp fact-checker, and Joe Shalam, policy director at the Centre for Social Justice, unpack the £71,000 benefits claim. They examine how the figure is built, compare household versus individual income, probe incentives and disability rules, and also check related factoids about crime stats, GDP slips and a sauna temperature quirk.
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Misleading £71,000 Comparison Explained
- The Centre for Social Justice's £71,000 claim compares one individual's pre-tax pay to a family's total benefits, making the figure misleading.
- That £71,000 is gross pay which, after tax, student loan and pension deductions, equates to about £46,000 take-home in their example.
How The Benefits Cap Changes The Math
- The benefits cap limits total household support, so typical three-child families get about £22k–£25k, not £46k.
- Exemptions apply when a household member receives disability or serious-illness benefits, which can raise payments substantially.
Disability Exemptions Inflate Benefit Totals
- Disability-related payments (PIP, health element of UC) and uncapped housing support can add roughly £20k to household income.
- The Centre for Social Justice's high-benefit example relies on a household qualifying for those disability-related exemptions.