Financial wellbeing in February 2026

Summary

• Financial difficulty rose sharply in the month to February 12th, with 8% of households reporting they missed a bill, loan, or housing payment and 55% of households reporting having made at least one adjustment to cover essential spending such as utility bills, housing costs, groceries, school supplies and medicines.
• Households with a working age parent are most likely to report financial difficulties.
• This month saw little change in our consumer confidence metrics.

You can view more data and articles from our monthly tracker survey on our dedicated Consumer Insight Tracker page.

Financial difficulty rose dramatically in the month to February 12th

After a positive start to the year with financial adjustments falling, this month we saw a dramatic rise in reported financial difficulty. In the month to February 12th, 8% of households reported missing a bill, loan, or housing payment. This headline figure includes:

• 4.9% of households reported missing a household bill payment
• 3.9% of households reported missing a loan or credit card payment
• 4.7% of renters reported missing a rent payment
• 1.7% of mortgage holders reported missing a mortgage payment

As shown in the chart below, this is the highest level of missed payments recorded since August 2024. That month appeared to be a statistical outlier, as the months immediately preceding and following it were more broadly in line with typical levels. Next month’s data will help determine whether this latest spike is a similar anomaly or a more concerning reflection of deepening financial difficulty.

8% of households said they had missed a payment in the month to February 12th

The month to February 12th also saw a significant rise in households making adjustments to cover essential spending. 55% of households reported having made at least one adjustment to cover essential spending such as utility bills, housing costs, groceries, school supplies and medicines. Adjustments include cutting back on essentials, dipping into savings, selling possessions or borrowing. 

55% of households made at least one adjustment to cover essential spending in the last month

Households with a working age parent are most likely to report financial difficulties

The missed payment and financial adjustments rates were particularly high for working age parents in the month to February 12th. 15% of households with a working age parent reported missing a bill, loan, or housing payment and seven in 10 reported making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending (70%). These are both significantly higher than working age non-parent households (7.2% and 56% respectively) and pensioner households (0.4% and 35% respectively).

Consumer confidence remained broadly similar to last month

This month saw little change in our consumer confidence metrics:

• Consumer confidence in the future UK economy dropped three points to -43
• Consumer confidence in their future household financial situation decreased one point to -10
• Consumer confidence in their current household financial situation dropped three points to +21

Consumer confidence in February remained similar to January

Summary

The stability in consumer confidence this month contrasts with a marked increase in financial difficulty for many households, particularly parents. Next month’s data will be key in determining whether this sharp rise in missed payments and adjustments is a temporary outlier or a sign of more persistent financial difficulty.

Methodology

Fieldwork for Which? 's Consumer Insight Tracker is conducted monthly by Yonder on behalf of Which?. The latest wave of data collection took place between 11th to 12th February.  A sample of 2,082 UK adults were surveyed online and weighted to be nationally representative.