Thousands of families are being pushed into poverty by welfare changes which could see cuts of £500 million a year to social security spending in Scotland, according to official papers.

The 2019 Annual Report on Welfare Reform shows the largest reductions since 2015 are as a result of the benefit freeze, two-child cap and changes to the work allowance.

It shows 8,500 families in Scotland have already had their income cut by the two-child limit and that figure will reach 40,000 at full rollout, bringing up to 20,000 youngsters into poverty.

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Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "The UK Government is still refusing to listen to the overwhelming evidence that Universal Credit (UC), the benefit cap and the benefit freeze have caused significant hardship and misery to thousands of people and families.

"Yet this report - the seventh we have produced - lays bare the evidence that households are having to cope with a reduction in their income of thousands of pounds - many of them with children.

"The Scottish Government will not stand by and let people who are already struggling continue to face a reliance on food banks and the stress of debt and rent arrears."

Figures from the report show 86% of UC claimants have seen a fall in the amount they can earn before losing UC entitlement.

It also reveals 91% of Scottish households affected by the benefit cap contain children.

The cap has impacted more than 3,000 households which are losing an average of more than £3,000 per year.

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Around 5,600 couples are predicted to lose up to £7,000 per year by 2023/2024 because of changes to pension credit eligibility.

The Scottish Government has committed to spend at least £100 million each year in response to the welfare cuts.

A UK Government spokeswoman said: "Tackling poverty will always be a priority for this government. Absolute poverty is lower than it was in 2010, there are more people in work than ever before, and wages continue to outpace inflation.

"But we know some families need more support, which is why we continue to spend £95 billion a year on working-age benefits.

"Meanwhile, Scotland has significant welfare powers, including flexibilities within UC and the power to top-up existing benefits, pay discretionary payments and create entirely new benefits altogether."