UB40 are a British reggae band formed in 1978 in Birmingham.

The band was named after a paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit. The designation UB40 stood for Unemployment Benefit, Form 40. The DHSS was replaced by what is now the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and the UB40 no longer exists, although the term is still well understood to refer to unemployment claims in the UK.

UB40 are a British dub / reggae pop music band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band is one of the most culturally diverse dub reggae bands with musicians of English, Scottish, Irish, Yemeni and Jamaican parentage. The band is named from the paper form issued by the UK government’s Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the band’s formation for claiming unemployment benefit (UB40 = Unemployment Benefit, Form 40). UB40 were influenced by the many Blues Parties they attended