Financial wellbeing in September 2025
Summary
- The proportion of UK households who reported missing a housing, bill, loan or credit card payment increased by 1.2 percentage points to 7.7% in the month to September 12th. This was mainly driven by a rise in missed loan or credit card payments amongst higher earners and a rise in missed household bill payments amongst lower earners.
- Despite this, we have not seen a change in the proportion of households making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending.
- Consumer sentiment remained similar to levels in August 2025.
The number of households missing essential payments rose in September
The proportion of UK households who reported missing a housing, bill, loan or credit card payment increased by 1.2 percentage points in the month to September 12th to 7.7%. This is the highest level of missed payments we have observed this year, but similar to levels seen in February (7.6%) and July (7.4%).
7.7% households missed at least one payment in the month to September 12th
Approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure.
Looking closer at the types of payments missed and who has missed them, the increase in the overall missed payment rate is mainly driven by two changes:
- A statistically significant increase in the proportion of adults on high incomes missing a loan or credit card payments (2.3% in August 2025 to 4.4% in September 2025).
- A large increase amongst adults on low incomes missing a household bill payment (increasing 1.5 percentage points to 7% in September 2025).
Household bill and loan or credit card missed payment rates by household income
Data for demographic groups are unweighted, and sample sizes vary across survey waves. Typically, each wave includes between 637 and 785 respondents in the low income band, 760 to 869 in the middle income band, and 315 to 458 in the high income band. Income bands are defined based on annual household income and differ before and after 2022. Before 2022, the low income band includes those earning up to £21,000, the middle income band ranges from £21,001 to £41,000, and the high income band includes those earning over £41,000. From the start of 2022 these thresholds shift: the low income band includes those earning up to £28,000, the middle income band ranges from £28,001 to £48,000, and the high income band includes those earning over £48,000.
Despite these increases in missed payments, we have not seen a change in the proportion of households making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending. The proportion of households making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending has remained at a similar level this month, dropping by one percentage point to 49%.
Half of households reported making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending in the month to September 12th
Approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure.
Consumer confidence in the future UK economy remains low
This month we saw very little change in our three consumer confidence metrics;
- confidence in consumers’ current household financial situation increased by 2 points to +22,
- future household financial situation confidence decreased by 1 point to -13, and
- future UK economy confidence decreased by 1 point to -50.
Consumer confidence in the future UK economy has remained low throughout 2025 following the dramatic fall in the second half of last year. The current score of -50 reflects that 62% of UK adults think the economy will worsen over the next 12 months and only 12% think it will get better. In other words, there are five times as many people who think it will get worse than think it will get better.
Consumer confidence in the future UK economy sits at -50
Source: Which? Consumer Insight Tracker, Online Poll weighted to be nationally representative, approx 2,000 respondents per wave.
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 12th and 14th of September. A sample of 2,073 UK adults were surveyed online and weighted to be nationally representative.