Universal Credit
Benefit rates this year, all in one place
The main amounts from April 2026, in the period each benefit is published in, with weekly, monthly and yearly equivalents.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Most benefits rose by 3.8 % in April 2026, in line with the Consumer Prices Index for September 2025, and the new and basic State Pensions by 4.8 % under the triple lock. Universal Credit is set monthly: the standard allowance is £338.58 for a single person under 25, £424.90 at 25 or over and £666.97 for a couple where either partner is 25 or over, with £303.94 for each child. Other benefits are weekly: PIP pays £76.70 or £114.60 for daily living and £30.30 or £80.00 for mobility, Carer’s Allowance £86.45, Child Benefit £27.05 for the eldest child and £17.90 for others, New Style JSA and ESA £95.55 at 25 or over, the full new State Pension £241.30 and the Pension Credit guarantee £238.00 for a single person. Two figures did not move: the benefit cap stays at £22,020 a year for families outside London, and the Local Housing Allowance stays at its April 2024 level.
One benefit rate, in every period
Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment
£86.45 a week
| A week | £86.45 |
| A month | £374.62 |
| A year | £4,495 |
Published as a weekly rate; the monthly figure is the week × 52 ÷ 12, the way Universal Credit converts it.
The full table
Each row gives the rate as DWP or HMRC publishes it, then the same amount as a week, a month and a year. A year is 52 weeks or 12 months; the monthly equivalent of a weekly rate is the week × 52 ÷ 12, the conversion Universal Credit uses when it deducts another benefit.
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard allowance, single under 25 | £338.58 a month | £78.13 | £338.58 | £4,063 |
| Standard allowance, single 25 or over | £424.90 a month | £98.05 | £424.90 | £5,099 |
| Standard allowance, couple both under 25 | £528.34 a month | £121.92 | £528.34 | £6,340 |
| Standard allowance, couple, one 25 or over | £666.97 a month | £153.92 | £666.97 | £8,004 |
| Child element, each child | £303.94 a month | £70.14 | £303.94 | £3,647 |
| Child element, eldest born before 6 April 2017 | £351.88 a month | £81.20 | £351.88 | £4,223 |
| Disabled child, lower rate | £164.79 a month | £38.03 | £164.79 | £1,977 |
| Disabled child, higher rate | £514.71 a month | £118.78 | £514.71 | £6,177 |
| LCWRA element (claims before 6 April 2026) | £429.80 a month | £99.18 | £429.80 | £5,158 |
| LCWRA element (new claims from 6 April 2026) | £217.26 a month | £50.14 | £217.26 | £2,607 |
| Carer element | £209.34 a month | £48.31 | £209.34 | £2,512 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal rate, under 25 | £75.65 a week | £75.65 | £327.82 | £3,934 |
| Personal rate, 25 or over | £95.55 a week | £95.55 | £414.05 | £4,969 |
| ESA work-related activity component | £37.95 a week | £37.95 | £164.45 | £1,973 |
| ESA support component | £50.35 a week | £50.35 | £218.18 | £2,618 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIP or ADP daily living, standard | £76.70 a week | £76.70 | £332.37 | £3,988 |
| PIP or ADP daily living, enhanced | £114.60 a week | £114.60 | £496.60 | £5,959 |
| PIP or ADP mobility, standard | £30.30 a week | £30.30 | £131.30 | £1,576 |
| PIP or ADP mobility, enhanced | £80.00 a week | £80.00 | £346.67 | £4,160 |
| Attendance Allowance, lower rate | £76.70 a week | £76.70 | £332.37 | £3,988 |
| Attendance Allowance, higher rate | £114.60 a week | £114.60 | £496.60 | £5,959 |
| DLA care, lowest rate | £30.30 a week | £30.30 | £131.30 | £1,576 |
| DLA care, middle rate | £76.70 a week | £76.70 | £332.37 | £3,988 |
| DLA care, highest rate | £114.60 a week | £114.60 | £496.60 | £5,959 |
| DLA mobility, lower rate | £30.30 a week | £30.30 | £131.30 | £1,576 |
| DLA mobility, higher rate | £80.00 a week | £80.00 | £346.67 | £4,160 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment | £86.45 a week | £86.45 | £374.62 | £4,495 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child Benefit, eldest or only child | £27.05 a week | £27.05 | £117.22 | £1,407 |
| Child Benefit, each other child | £17.90 a week | £17.90 | £77.57 | £931 |
| Guardian’s Allowance | £22.95 a week | £22.95 | £99.45 | £1,193 |
| Maternity Allowance, standard rate | £194.32 a week | £194.32 | £842.05 | £10,105 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New State Pension, full rate | £241.30 a week | £241.30 | £1,045.63 | £12,548 |
| Basic State Pension, full rate | £184.90 a week | £184.90 | £801.23 | £9,615 |
| Pension Credit guarantee, single | £238.00 a week | £238.00 | £1,031.33 | £12,376 |
| Pension Credit guarantee, couple | £363.25 a week | £363.25 | £1,574.08 | £18,889 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bereavement Support Payment, higher monthly | £350.00 a month | £80.77 | £350.00 | £4,200 |
| Bereavement Support Payment, standard monthly | £100.00 a month | £23.08 | £100.00 | £1,200 |
| Widowed Parent’s Allowance | £156.65 a week | £156.65 | £678.82 | £8,146 |
| Rate | Published | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefit cap, couple or lone parent, outside London | £423.46 a week | £423.46 | £1,834.99 | £22,020 |
| Benefit cap, single adult, outside London | £283.71 a week | £283.71 | £1,229.41 | £14,753 |
| Benefit cap, couple or lone parent, Greater London | £486.98 a week | £486.98 | £2,110.25 | £25,323 |
| Benefit cap, single adult, Greater London | £326.29 a week | £326.29 | £1,413.92 | £16,967 |
Sources: the DWP benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, HMRC’s Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance rates and GOV.UK’s benefit cap amounts.
What went up, and by how much
| Rate | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Rise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Credit, single 25 or over (month) | £400.14 | £424.90 | 6.2 % |
| Universal Credit child element (month) | £292.81 | £303.94 | 3.8 % |
| Universal Credit carer element (month) | £201.68 | £209.34 | 3.8 % |
| PIP enhanced daily living (week) | £110.40 | £114.60 | 3.8 % |
| Carer’s Allowance (week) | £83.30 | £86.45 | 3.8 % |
| Child Benefit, eldest child (week) | £26.05 | £27.05 | 3.8 % |
| New State Pension (week) | £230.25 | £241.30 | 4.8 % |
| Pension Credit guarantee, single (week) | £227.10 | £238.00 | 4.8 % |
The Universal Credit standard allowance rose by more than inflation because section 1 of the Universal Credit Act 2025 requires a further uplift on top of the 3.8 % inflation increase each year from 2026-27 to 2029-30. The Pension Credit guarantee rose by the same 4.8 % as the State Pension. The Universal Credit health element splits in two from 6 April 2026: £429.80 for existing claimants, severe conditions and end of life, £217.26 for most new claims. How benefits are uprated explains each rule.
Thresholds that sit beside the rates
Some of the figures that decide an award are limits rather than payments. Universal Credit allows £710 a month of earnings before the taper if there is no housing element, or £427 with one, for households with children or limited capability for work. Carer’s Allowance stops once earnings after allowable deductions pass £204.00 a week. The High Income Child Benefit Charge starts at £60,000 of adjusted net income and takes all of the benefit at £80,000. The benefit cap does not apply when household take-home pay reaches £881 a month. Savings start to reduce Universal Credit above £6,000, and Pension Credit above £10,000.
Reading the rates against a payment
A rate table rarely matches a bank statement line for line. PIP, Carer’s Allowance, Child Benefit and the State Pension arrive every four weeks, so a payment is four times the weekly rate: £345.80 for Carer’s Allowance. Universal Credit arrives monthly, after earnings, other benefits and deductions have been taken off, and the benefit cap may trim it again. Use the Universal Credit rates page for every element, including the disabled child and childcare amounts, and the PIP rates page for each combination of daily living and mobility.