Treasury Minister Chris Thomas has released new figures showing both the scale and rising cost of incapacity benefit.
It follows a written Tynwald question from Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse.
In February 2026, 2,373 people received incapacity benefit, 657 on short‑term support and 1,716 on long‑term support.
Long‑term claims have remained stable for several years, while short‑term claims continue to fluctuate.
Cost Trend
Five‑year cost trend Annual spending on incapacity benefit has increased steadily over the past five financial years.
The estimated cost for 2025/26 is £15.6 million, up from £13.2 million in 2021/22. Both short‑term and long‑term payments have risen year‑on‑year:
- 2025/26: £3.13m short‑term, £12.50m long‑term
- 2024/25: £2.99m short‑term, £12.20m long‑term
- 2023/24: £2.89m short‑term, £11.36m long‑term
- 2022/23: £2.46m short‑term, £10.76m long‑term
- 2021/22: £3.05m short‑term, £10.38m long‑term
Minister Thomas said it was not possible within the timeframe to break down how many claims were due to mental health conditions versus other medical reasons, as this would require manually reviewing thousands of medical certificates.
He added that the medical reason for incapacity is not recorded electronically because it does not affect entitlement.
The full written answer can be found here.
