Monthly data updated by the Scottish Government on 6 October recorded 93,360 cumulative applications for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) during April–August of the 2026–27 financial year. Actual or committed spending over the same period reached £93.0 million. Compared with the same point in the previous financial year, applications were down 5% while spending was 19% higher.

DHP figures cover applications for additional help with housing costs and payments made or committed by local authorities. Because the application count resets at the start of each financial year, the totals are cumulative from April, not August-only figures. The government identifies the DHP table as official statistics, while noting that Scottish Welfare Fund application data in the same workbook is management information that has not yet met the required quality-assurance standard.