Original research · Northern Ireland

The Missing Money Index: Northern Ireland

Which councils claim least? Six benefits, eleven councils, from the Department for Communities’ own claimant counts and the 2021 Census. The same measure as the Irish Index, built the same way.

What this is, and what it is not. Each council's figure is the number of people claiming a benefit, divided by the number of people in the group that benefit is for. It is an index of take-up, with 100 as the Northern Ireland rate. It is not a count of eligible people: the Census does not hold income. A council below 100 may have fewer eligible people, or more people missing out. Every number is our arithmetic on two official sources, and none of it is a decision from any Department.

Belfastlowest take-up of Attendance Allowance: 77 against a Northern Ireland 100

3,472people over 65 with activities limited a lot, in the councils below the NI rate, short of it

£13,847,724a year at the lower rate if those councils reached the NI rate

Attendance Allowance

No means test. Across Northern Ireland 64,160 claim it, against 90,519 people aged 65 and over whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot: a rate of 70.9%. 8 of 11 councils are at or above the Northern Ireland rate. The value column is the lower rate, £76.70 a week.

Council	In the group	Claiming	Index	Short of the NI rate
Belfast	17,348	9,470	77	2,826 people £11,271,218 a year if take-up
Derry City and Strabane	7,717	4,860	89	610 people £2,432,924 a year if take-up
Antrim and Newtownabbey	6,668	4,690	99	36 people £143,582 a year if take-up
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	9,655	6,920	101	above, by 77
Mid Ulster	6,332	4,570	102	above, by 82
Fermanagh and Omagh	5,679	4,190	104	above, by 165
Lisburn and Castlereagh	6,417	4,730	104	above, by 182
Newry Mourne and Down	8,256	6,290	107	above, by 438
Mid and East Antrim	6,772	5,410	113	above, by 610
Ards and North Down	8,597	7,080	116	above, by 986
Causeway Coast and Glens	7,078	5,950	119	above, by 933

Caveat: Attendance Allowance starts at State Pension age (66) and the Census band at 65; a person can qualify without describing their activities as limited a lot. Claimants: DfC via NISRA, table BSLGD, 2025. Group: Census 2021, table C21010LGD (long-term health problem or disability, limited a lot, ages 65-74 and 75+).

Carer's Allowance

Not means-tested, but an earnings limit applies. Across Northern Ireland 77,390 claim it, against 121,437 people giving 20 or more hours of unpaid care a week: a rate of 63.7%. 6 of 11 councils are at or above the Northern Ireland rate. The value column is £86.45 a week.

Council	In the group	Claiming	Index	Short of the NI rate
Lisburn and Castlereagh	8,663	4,230	77	1,291 people £5,803,561 a year if take-up
Antrim and Newtownabbey	9,419	4,990	83	1,013 people £4,553,840 a year if take-up
Ards and North Down	10,743	5,710	83	1,136 people £5,106,774 a year if take-up
Mid and East Antrim	8,747	4,880	88	694 people £3,119,808 a year if take-up
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	13,367	8,420	99	99 people £445,045 a year if take-up
Newry Mourne and Down	11,985	7,960	104	above, by 322
Belfast	23,021	15,350	105	above, by 679
Fermanagh and Omagh	6,902	4,710	107	above, by 311
Causeway Coast and Glens	8,914	6,200	109	above, by 519
Mid Ulster	8,833	6,260	111	above, by 631
Derry City and Strabane	10,843	8,680	126	above, by 1,770

Caveat: the payment needs 35 hours a week; the Census bands split at 20 and 50, so the group is wider than the rule; carers over State Pension age often have an underlying entitlement but no payment. Claimants: DfC via NISRA, table BSLGD, 2025. Group: Census 2021, table TS018 (provision of unpaid care, 20-49 and 50+ hours).

Pension Credit

Means-tested. Across Northern Ireland 59,980 claim it, against 306,169 people aged 66 and over: a rate of 19.6%. 7 of 11 councils are at or above the Northern Ireland rate. The value column is varies by household; DWP puts the average award at about £4,300 a year.

Council	In the group	Claiming	Index	Short of the NI rate
Lisburn and Castlereagh	24,644	2,890	60	1,938 people
Ards and North Down	34,229	4,110	61	2,596 people
Mid and East Antrim	25,679	3,720	74	1,311 people
Antrim and Newtownabbey	23,579	3,450	75	1,169 people
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	32,861	6,460	100	above, by 22
Causeway Coast and Glens	25,677	5,030	100	above, by 0
Fermanagh and Omagh	20,036	4,420	113	above, by 495
Newry Mourne and Down	28,336	6,280	113	above, by 729
Mid Ulster	21,137	5,080	123	above, by 939
Belfast	47,427	11,910	128	above, by 2,619
Derry City and Strabane	22,564	6,630	150	above, by 2,210

Caveat: most pensioners are above the income limit, so the national rate is low; a council below the national rate may be better off, or missing out. Claimants: DfC via NISRA, table BSLGD, 2025. Group: Census 2021, table C21002LGD (single year of age).

Personal Independence Payment

No means test. Across Northern Ireland 219,610 claim it, against 246,132 people aged 16 to 64 with a long-term condition that limits their day-to-day activities: a rate of 89.2%. 5 of 11 councils are at or above the Northern Ireland rate. The value column is the daily living component, lower rate, £76.70 a week.

Council	In the group	Claiming	Index	Short of the NI rate
Lisburn and Castlereagh	16,065	12,370	86	1,964 people £7,833,218 a year if take-up
Ards and North Down	19,798	15,770	89	1,895 people £7,558,018 a year if take-up
Mid and East Antrim	17,861	14,470	91	1,466 people £5,846,994 a year if take-up
Antrim and Newtownabbey	18,320	15,410	94	936 people £3,733,142 a year if take-up
Causeway Coast and Glens	18,971	16,250	96	677 people £2,700,147 a year if take-up
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	25,820	22,330	97	708 people £2,823,787 a year if take-up
Mid Ulster	16,616	14,890	100	above, by 64
Newry Mourne and Down	21,959	20,120	103	above, by 527
Belfast	53,045	49,670	105	above, by 2,341
Fermanagh and Omagh	14,266	13,390	105	above, by 661
Derry City and Strabane	23,411	24,940	119	above, by 4,052

Caveat: PIP is awarded on how a condition affects daily life and mobility, which the Census question does not measure exactly. Claimants: DfC via NISRA, table BSLGD, 2025. Group: Census 2021, table C21010LGD (limited a lot or a little, ages 16-64).

State Pension

Contributory. Across Northern Ireland 326,160 claim it, against 306,169 people aged 66 and over: a rate of 106.5%. 5 of 11 councils are at or above the Northern Ireland rate. The value column is not a take-up question: shown as the method's own check.

Council	In the group	Claiming	Index	Short of the NI rate
Belfast	47,427	49,790	99	734 people
Antrim and Newtownabbey	23,579	25,190	100	above, by 71
Ards and North Down	34,229	36,290	100	174 people
Causeway Coast and Glens	25,677	27,300	100	54 people
Lisburn and Castlereagh	24,644	26,200	100	53 people
Mid Ulster	21,137	22,490	100	27 people
Mid and East Antrim	25,679	27,270	100	86 people
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	32,861	35,190	101	above, by 183
Fermanagh and Omagh	20,036	21,530	101	above, by 186
Newry Mourne and Down	28,336	30,420	101	above, by 234
Derry City and Strabane	22,564	24,490	102	above, by 453

Caveat: almost everyone over 66 claims it, so the councils should sit close to 100; where one does not, the population has moved since the 2021 Census. Claimants: DfC via NISRA, table BSLGD, 2025. Group: Census 2021, table C21002LGD (single year of age).

Employment and Support Allowance

Income-related ESA is means-tested; contributory ESA is not. Across Northern Ireland 88,460 claim it, against 112,618 people economically inactive because long-term sick or disabled: a rate of 78.5%. 7 of 11 councils are at or above the Northern Ireland rate. The value column is the support group rate, £145.90 a week.

Council	In the group	Claiming	Index	Short of the NI rate
Belfast	26,781	19,720	94	1,316 people £9,984,229 a year if take-up
Derry City and Strabane	12,831	9,450	94	629 people £4,772,097 a year if take-up
Newry Mourne and Down	10,399	7,970	98	198 people £1,502,186 a year if take-up
Mid Ulster	7,623	5,910	99	78 people £591,770 a year if take-up
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	11,677	9,360	102	above, by 188
Causeway Coast and Glens	8,625	6,890	102	above, by 115
Fermanagh and Omagh	6,514	5,330	104	above, by 213
Antrim and Newtownabbey	7,563	6,270	106	above, by 329
Ards and North Down	7,626	6,390	107	above, by 400
Lisburn and Castlereagh	5,748	4,860	108	above, by 345
Mid and East Antrim	7,231	6,310	111	above, by 630

Caveat: people are moving from ESA to Universal Credit, so the national rate falls each year; the index compares councils in the same year. Claimants: DfC via NISRA, table BSLGD, 2025. Group: Census 2021, table TS022 (economic activity, long-term sick or disabled).

Each council has its own page, with every Jobs and Benefits office: Northern Ireland by council.

How this was produced

Claimants are the Department for Communities’ annual counts by Local Government District, published by NISRA (table BSLGD), 2025.
The groups are from the 2021 Census on the NISRA data portal, by the same eleven districts: single year of age, long-term health problem or disability by age, unpaid care, economic activity.
The index is a council's claimants per person in the group, divided by the Northern Ireland figure, times 100. "Short of the NI rate" is how many more people would be claiming if the council matched Northern Ireland.
The value multiplies that shortfall by a registered rate from our figure register, re-read at its official source every night. It is what the gap is worth if, and only if, take-up is the reason.
The Census was March 2021 and the claimant counts are 2025; councils that grew fastest since will read a little low. The State Pension pair is the check: it should sit near 100 everywhere.

Using this

Journalists, councillors, MLAs and advice services are welcome to use any of it, with a link back. The full dataset is published openly as JSON, CC BY 4.0; the sources are Open Government Licence. The Irish counties are on the Missing Money Index. If you are over 66 in Northern Ireland and not claiming, the guides are Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit.

This page is generated, not typed. It is rebuilt when DfC publishes a new year or a rate changes. Last generated 15 October 2026.

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