A new report reveals that thousands of working parents in the UK are earning far less than what is considered necessary for a decent standard of living. The study, conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) alongside Loughborough University, shows that hundreds of thousands of parents are more than £20,000 below the income needed to meet basic living standards in the UK. The report defines this minimum income as the amount required for households to "live with dignity" and includes essential expenses like housing, food, and healthcare. For a single parent with two children working full-time at the national living wage, the income covers only 67 per cent of the required minimum, leaving a shortfall of over £22,000. Approximately 340,000 single parents in the UK earn at or below this level. For a couple with two children, both working full-time on the same wage, the income reaches 80 per cent of the threshold, but they still face a shortfall of around £15,000. The report also highlights that individuals receiving out-of-work benefits earn less than a quarter of the income needed for a decent standard of living. This percentage increases slightly for lone parents and couples, but remains significantly low. The JRF updated its findings due to the UK's housing crisis, as long-term shortages and lengthy waiting lists have made access to social housing increasingly difficult. This has led to higher minimum income requirements, particularly due to rising private rental costs. A single parent with two children renting in the private sector would need an income of £67,000 to meet the living standard, compared to £59,800 in social housing—a difference of £8,000. Similarly, a single pensioner relying solely on the state pension would need £21,300 to rent privately, which is £5,000 more than the £15,900 required in social housing. The full state pension currently amounts to £12,547 annually. Darren Baxter, housing lead at the JRF, emphasized that private rentals are becoming the primary living arrangement for families raising children and for elderly individuals. However, high rent prices are making it difficult for these households to achieve stability. The charity is calling for a rent cap in the UK, but the government has shown no intention of implementing such a policy. Rental prices for new tenancies have risen by 2.6 per cent in the year ending July 2026, with further increases expected as the slowdown in rental growth begins to reverse.