Discretionary assistance fund: April to August 2025
For the period April to August 2025, discretionary assistance fund statistics, analysed by age and local authority.
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The discretionary assistance fund
The Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) is a programme run by Welsh government which provides payments to people in an emergency or who need help to live independently. Payments are split into two types depending on which category they fall into:
- Emergency Assistance Payments (EAPs) help pay for essential costs, such as food, gas, electricity, clothing or emergency travel
- Individual Assistance Payments (IAPs) help people live independently in their home or a property that they are moving into
To ensure the timely reporting of DAF figures the number and values of payments in this report refer to approved applications not applications which have been paid. This means the value of payments in this report may differ from the final amount paid to recipients. The most up-to-date data on the DAF, as well as additional monthly breakdowns, can be found on StatsWales. To help users interpret the data more information on data quality can be found in the DAF quality report.
Following our review of how we report Discretionary Assistance Fund data, we have decided to publish these statistics twice a year, in spring and autumn, typically covering the previous six months. This change aims to improve the accuracy of published figures, by reducing the likelihood and size of revisions.
For this release, we are publishing data for the five months from April to August 2025 individually on StatsWales. The five month period is an exception in order to avoid a long gap between releases, whilst we adjust our work programme for several changes this autumn.
Our summary report compares the new five months’ worth of data with the equivalent period last year. Please note that this differs from our previous reports which covered three months, and users should consider this when making comparisons between reports.
The next release will cover September 2025 to March 2026, after which we will follow a six-month schedule.
Main findings
- Between April to August 2025 there were 90,800 payments with a total value of £12,278,000.
- 86,300 of these payments were EAPs with a value of £6,730,000.
- 4,500 of these payments were IAPs with a value of £5,548,000.
- The average (mean) value of an EAP was £78 and the average value of an IAP was £1,230.
Figure 1: value of Emergency Assistance Payments and Individual Assistance Payments for April to August in 2024 and 2025
Description of figure 1: this bar chart shows the value of EAPs and IAPs in April to August 2025 and for the same period in 2024. There was 6.7 million pounds of EAPs in April to August 2025 a decrease of 0.9million compared with the same period in 2024 and 5.5 million pounds in IAPs, an increase of 0.8million.
Source: NEC Software Solutions UK data April to August 2025 (collected on behalf of Welsh Government).
As an emergency fund for those in financial crisis with no other means of support, fluctuations in the amounts awarded under the DAF occur from year to year. During the April to August 2025 quarter there was a fall in the number of DAF approvals.
The number and value of DAF payments, by month, on StatsWales
The differences in the total values of EAPs between periods was driven by a change in the number of payments. For EAPs there was 11% decrease in the number of payments in April to August 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. For IAPs there was a 4% increase.
Local authority
Figure 2: value of Emergency Assistance Payments and Individual Assistance Payments in each local authority between April to August 2025
Description of figure 2: this bar chart shows the total value of EAPs and IAPs paid in each local authority between April to August 2025. The total value of EAPs paid varied between £839,000 in Cardiff to £61,000 in Ceredigion. For IAPs the total value of payments varied from £947,000 in Cardiff to £76,000 in Ceredigion. Note that these results have not been adjusted for the difference in population between local authorities.
Source: NEC Software Solutions UK data April to August 2025 (collected on behalf of Welsh Government)
The number and value of payments, per month, for each local authority can be found on StatsWales.
The average value of a payment varied between £88 and £74 for all local authorities for EAPs and from £1,445 in Merthyr Tydfil to £998 in Powys for IAPs.
Age of recipient
Figure 3: Value of EAPs and IAPs by age group between April to August 2025
Description of figure 3: this bar chart shows the value of EAPs and IAPs awarded by age group between April to August 2025. The 30 to 39 year old age group received the highest value of EAPs with the 16 to 29 year age group the second highest. For IAPs the 16 to 29 year age group received the highest value of IAPs. For older age groups the money received from both EAPs and IAPs decreased with age. Note that these results have not been adjusted for the difference in population between age groups.
Source: NEC Software Solutions UK data April to August 2025 (collected on behalf of Welsh Government).
The number and value of payments, per month, for each age group can be found on StatsWales.
Those aged 30 to 39 received, in total, £2,663,000 from EAPs and £1,619,000 from IAPs. Those in the 16 to 29 age group received £1,677,000 and £1,659,000 from EAPs and IAPs respectively and those aged 70 and over received £54,000 from EAPs and £101,000 from IAPs. Note that these results have not been adjusted for the difference in population between age groups.
For EAPs the value of the average payment varied between £85 for those aged 30 to 39 and £66 for those aged 60 to 69. For IAPs the value of the average payment varied between £1,295 for those aged 30 to 39 and £966 for those aged 70 and over.
Quality and methodology information
The average EAP values are rounded to the nearest pound, average IAPs are rounded to the nearest 10 pounds and all other monetary values are rounded to the nearest 1,000 pounds. Number of payments are rounded to the nearest 100. The data presented in this report has not undergone the same level of quality assurance as official statistics and the data may be revised in future. Further information on what to keep in mind when interpreting these statistics can be found in the quality report.