The original estimates for the weekly Minimum Income for Healthy Living (MIHL) were calculated by Morris and colleagues for single men aged 18 to 30 in 1999 and for single and coupled older adults in 2005. The MIHL estimates were made using information on prices from low cost retailers and suppliers, national data on the expenditure of low-income older people, published research and expert reviews. We have disaggregated the estimates for singles and couples into their component parts and, using the corresponding items from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) ‘basket of goods and services’, have updated the costs of constituent items for each month to reflect current and historic prices.

The component parts of the MIHL and corresponding CPI item codes are as follows: 1) Diet/Nutrition (D7BU); 2) Physical Activity: anti-ageing, autonomy (D7FH); 3) Housing, a home (D7BX); 4) Healthcare (D7BZ); 5) Psychosocial relations / social inclusion (D7C4); 6) Hygiene (D7CY); 7) Getting about (D7C2); 8) Other costs of social living (e.g. clothing) (D7BW); 9) Contingencies, inefficiencies (D7BT). The first graph shows these inflation adjusted levels of the MIHL for single and coupled over 65s, compared to changes in the level of Pension Credit since it was introduced in October 2003 until the most recent increase. The inflation adjusted changes in component parts of the MIHL are shown in the second graph for single adults aged over 65 years.