What Policy in practice does

Policy in Practice is a UK-based social policy analytics software company founded in 2011 by Deven Ghelani, a former architect of the Universal Credit system. The company builds the "Better Off Platform," a suite of four integrated products: the Better Off Calculator (a benefits eligibility calculator endorsed by GOV.UK), the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT, an analytics platform for local authorities), the Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST, for cross-agency safeguarding data sharing), and Policy Analysis (expert social policy modelling including Council Tax Support scheme design). The platform combines household-level administrative data linkage (DWP benefits data matched with local authority records) with a policy rules engine covering 100+ benefit criteria, enabling proactive identification of unclaimed benefits, social tariff eligibility, and safeguarding risk across more than 7 million UK households missing out on over £24 billion annually in support.

Underlying technology centres on secure household-level data matching using DWP API integrations and Digital Economy Act Section 38 authority, with embedded API integrations into partner systems including Thames Water, Anglian Water, Southern Water, British Gas Energy Trust, SSEN, DebtStream, Lightning Reach, Nationwide Building Society, and Lantern. The Better Off Calculator sub-components include Better Off Score (prioritisation), Better Off Indicator (8-question screening), and Apply Once (one-click streamlined application).

The business model combines enterprise SaaS subscriptions (LIFT, MAST, Better Off Calculator white-labelled integrations to local authorities, utilities, and financial institutions), fee-for-service partnership and campaign engagements with government bodies and utilities, bespoke organisational training, and a freemium consumer tool monetised through B2B2C partnerships. Customers span 350+ organisations including over 120 UK local authorities, major utilities (Thames Water, Anglian Water, Southern Water, South East Water, British Gas Energy Trust, SSEN), financial institutions (Nationwide Building Society), housing providers (Places for People), and government bodies (Mayor of London / GLA, Welsh Government).

Name

Policy in practice

Legal name

Policy in Practice

Website

https://policyinpractice.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Policy in Practice is a UK social policy analytics company that builds the GOV.UK-listed Better Off Calculator, LIFT analytics platform, and MAST safeguarding tracker, helping 350+ local authorities, utilities, financial institutions, and housing providers identify £24 billion in unclaimed benefits for vulnerable households via administrative data linkage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Policy Analytics Software

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Provincial Human Services & Benefits Administration (Welfare, Disability, Child & Family) (BPAIABAI)

Keywords

• Benefits eligibility software
• Social policy analytics
• Income maximisation platform
• Safeguarding data software
• Local authority analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Platform Subscriptions: Annual subscription licensing of Better Off Calculator, LIFT, and MAST platforms to local authorities, housing providers, utilities, and financial institutions. Organizations pay for access to analytics tools and calculator integrations.
2. Partnership and Campaign Services: Fee-for-service engagements with government bodies and utilities for targeted benefit take-up campaigns. Includes data analytics, campaign design, and implementation support for Pension Credit and other benefit uptake initiatives.
3. Training Services: Bespoke organization training on UK benefits system for frontline staff in local authorities, housing, utilities and advice services. 90-minute online introductory training sessions delivered by policy experts.
4. Free Individual Calculator: Free benefits calculator available to individuals via GOV.UK and direct access, monetized through B2B partnerships with organizations who embed or offer the tool to their customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Policy in Practice develops and licenses the Better Off Platform, an integrated suite of social policy analytics software that helps local authorities, utilities, housing providers, and financial institutions identify households eligible for unclaimed benefits and support. Core offerings include the GOV.UK-listed Better Off Calculator (benefits eligibility assessment), LIFT (Low Income Family Tracker — analytics connecting administrative data across 100+ policy indicators), MAST (Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker — cross-agency safeguarding data sharing), and Policy Analysis (Council Tax Support modelling and bespoke social policy research). The software is sold via annual subscriptions and through API integrations embedded in partner platforms.

Product overview

Policy in Practice offers the Better Off Platform, a suite of four integrated software products built for local authorities, housing providers, utilities, financial services organisations, and advice charities to identify vulnerability, maximise household income, and reduce safeguarding risk. The core platform comprises the Better Off Calculator (benefits eligibility assessment, endorsed by GOV.UK and available online, by phone, and as a white-labelled partner integration), the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT, an analytics platform connecting administrative data to identify and track low-income households), the Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST, enabling cross-agency safeguarding data sharing), and Policy Analysis (expert modelling of Council Tax Support schemes and social policy impact). The Better Off Calculator sub-components include Better Off Score, Better Off Indicator, and Better Off Apply Once. LIFT analytics feed into all platform tools. Policy in Practice also publishes research such as the Justice Balance Report and the annual Missing Out analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Better Off Calculator: A clever, simple calculator to help maximize customers' income, increase engagement and save time and resources. Listed on GOV.UK and used by millions annually.
• Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT)
• Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST)

Products and services

• Better Off Calculator A GOV.UK-listed benefits eligibility calculator that assesses full eligibility for national benefits, locally administered entitlements, and regulated sector support including social tariffs. Features include Better Off Score (identifies which customers are missing out), Better Off Indicator (8-question quick eligibility check), full Calculator assessment, and Better Off Apply Once (one-click streamlined application). Available as a free tool for individuals via GOV.UK and as a registered, white-labelled integration for organisations including local authorities, utilities, housing providers, and financial services.
• Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) An intelligent analytics platform that connects local authority and partner data to identify low-income and vulnerable households, filter across 100+ policy indicators, target outreach efforts, and track the impact of income maximisation interventions over time. Built for local authorities, housing providers, utilities, and financial services organisations.
• Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST) A smart software solution enabling safeguarding professionals across councils, police, and blue-light organisations to securely share headline data, conduct lateral checks, coordinate prevention activity, identify which agencies are involved with a person or address, and report on safeguarding trends and impact.
• Policy Analysis An expert social policy analysis service that helps local authorities model fairest Council Tax Support schemes using their own data, model the impact of policy changes, and commission bespoke social policy research questions answered with administrative data. Also delivers findings on benefit take-up gaps, social policy modelling, and income maximisation strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• £2 billion identified in unclaimed benefits annually, helping 1.2 million people boost income by £500 million
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• National Children's BureauminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Research partnership studying link between household benefits, financial precarity and child welfare. Policy in Practice analysed over 100,000 linked benefits and children's social care records from six councils. Found that reducing financial hardship during Universal Credit uplift led to fewer social work referrals.
• Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)coreTechnology or Integration · 11 March 2026Partnership embeds Priority Services Register eligibility directly into benefit checks. Frontline advisors using the Better Off Calculator are automatically prompted when a household's circumstances match PSR criteria, enabling immediate registration for extra help during power cuts. Supports Ofgem's Share Once model vision.
• Welfare TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026Partnership offers 'last mile' support for vulnerable customers who are eligible for benefits but need help claiming them. Welfare Together provides one-to-one empathetic support helping customers navigate complex systems and complete applications. Completes Policy in Practice's end-to-end income maximisation service.
• South East WatercoreTechnology or Integration · 24 February 2026South East Water embedded the Better Off Calculator into its website's Priority Services page. The tool assesses eligibility for Social Tariff, Government benefits, and additional utility support. Part of South East Water's plan to help 104,000 customers by 2030.
• Thames WatercoreTechnology or Integration · 30 September 2025First-of-its-kind partnership for automatic enrollment of low-income customers in water social tariffs. Using LIFT data matching, Thames Water identifies eligible customers and enrolls them without application. Rolling out across 17 London boroughs, expected to help 33,000 households with £10+ million annually.
• LanterncoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2025Lantern, a UK debt resolution company, integrated the Better Off Calculator into its DebtStream collections portal to provide automated income checks for customers in debt. The integration embeds benefit eligibility assessment directly into customer financial evaluations, helping 730 customers complete benefit checks with 522 households discovering £3.75 million in annual benefits.
• Nationwide Building SocietycoreTechnology or Integration · 29 January 2025Nationwide offers Better Off Calculator online and over telephone - the first financial provider to offer free benefits support by phone. Helped 11,000 households identify £75 million in unclaimed benefits since June 2025 launch. Addresses digital exclusion.
• Welsh GovernmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2025Policy in Practice supports Welsh Government's 'Claim What's Yours' campaign to close £2 billion unclaimed support gap in Wales. Leading pilot project with 14 local authorities using LIFT to proactively identify and reach people who may be eligible for support.
• DebtStreamcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2024Integration of Better Off Calculator into DebtStream's digital self-service collections platform. Empowers consumers in arrears to see what benefits and support they may be missing, optimising income to support debt repayment. Calculator used by 10,000 people monthly.
• British Gas Energy TrustcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2024Better Off Calculator includes alerts directing users to British Gas Energy Trust's energy debt relief grants. The Trust provides grants to customers with energy debt. Over 80,000 customers assessed as eligible for Trust's support between April-September 2024.
• Greater London Authority (GLA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Ongoing partnership for London's Pension Credit campaign. Mayor Sadiq Khan's campaign has helped almost 9,000 London households claim £40 million in Pension Credit. Extended to include disabled Londoners and low-income families. Operating across 26+ London boroughs.
• Legal Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Policy in Practice conducted landmark four-year study linking law centre casework data to local authority benefits data to evaluate legal assistance impact. Published June 2026, the study tracked 110 households over 24 months showing legal help lifts incomes, prevents evictions, and eases distress. Delivered for under 5% of government's £5m Early Legal Advice Pilot cost.
• Adur and Worthing CouncilsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdur and Worthing Councils utilized LIFT to improve data sharing and target support for vulnerable residents amidst Local Government Reorganisation preparations. Platform enabled councils to identify eligible residents resulting in significant financial support and community engagement initiatives.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EntitledTo: UK-based benefits calculator and income maximisation platform serving individuals and local authorities. Direct competitor in the Better Off Calculator category, also listed on GOV.UK, with overlapping local authority and end-user customer base.
• IncomeMax: UK welfare benefits maximisation service working with local authorities and housing providers to identify unclaimed entitlements. Directly comparable business model to Policy in Practice's LIFT analytics, often delivering benefits take-up campaigns on behalf of councils.
• Turn2us: National charity operating a benefits calculator and grant eligibility tool, funded by National Lottery. Operates a free public-facing benefits calculator with overlap to Better Off Calculator, and refers users into similar downstream support pathways.

Broad incumbents

• Capita: Large UK outsourcing and government services provider with welfare, local government and digital software offerings. Broad incumbent that could bundle comparable benefits identification tools into its wider local authority portfolio contracts.
• Civica: Large UK government technology provider offering welfare, revenues and benefits administration software to local authorities. Broad incumbent operating across council back-office systems; competes indirectly via procurement frameworks where Policy in Practice's LIFT sits alongside Civica's broader benefits administration suite.

Emerging players

• IEG4: UK policy administration and benefits assessment software provider for local authorities, offering configurable rules engines for housing benefit and council tax support. Competes for the same local authority technology budgets as Policy in Practice's LIFT and Policy Analysis products.
• Xantura: UK analytics platform for local authorities using administrative data to predict vulnerability and council tax arrears. Directly comparable to LIFT in targeting vulnerable households via data matching, serving overlapping local authority buyers.
• Lightning Reach: UK support portal aggregating grants, benefits and emergency funds for individuals in financial hardship. Has a documented bidirectional API integration with Policy in Practice and addresses overlapping end-user needs (benefits and grants identification).

Others

• StepChange Debt Charity: UK debt advice charity providing benefits and income maximisation support alongside debt counselling. Adjacent ecosystem participant with overlapping client base (vulnerable households) and integration potential with debt-resolution partners like DebtStream.
• Money Helper (MaPS): UK government-backed money and pensions guidance service. Adjacent ecosystem participant providing public-facing money guidance, with overlapping user base and potential partnership channel for benefits identification and take-up campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/deven_ghelani
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PolicyinPracticeUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversalCreditCalculator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/policy-in-practice
• Instagraminstagram.com/policyinpractice

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Policy in practice