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Universal Credit

Universal Credit calculator: your monthly award, line by line

Six questions give a figure; “More circumstances” adds health, caring, childcare and other income.

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate

Universal Credit for 2026/27 starts from a standard allowance of £424.90 a month for a single person aged 25 or over, £338.58 under 25 and £666.97 for a couple where either partner is 25 or over. Each child adds £303.94 a month, every child counting since the two-child limit ended on 6 April 2026, and rent is added up to the Local Housing Allowance of your area if you rent privately. Earnings then reduce the total by 55p for every pound above the work allowance, which is £427 a month when the award includes housing costs and £710 when it does not, available only to households with children or a health condition that limits work. Savings over £6,000 reduce the award and above £16,000 stop it. The calculator shows each of these lines so that you can set the result beside your own statement.

Who is claiming

25 or over raises the standard allowance

Every child counts since 6 April 2026

After tax, National Insurance and pension

Eligible service charges included

Over £6,000 reduces UC; over £16,000 stops it

More circumstances (health, caring, childcare, other income)
Caring 35 hours a week

Carer’s Allowance, New Style JSA or ESA, State Pension

Eldest child born before 6 April 2017

Each reduces housing by £96.55 unless exempt

Living in Greater London
Someone gets PIP, DLA, AA or Carer’s Allowance

Universal Credit a month (estimate)

£425

Maximum before deductions £425

Standard allowance (single, 25 or over)
£425
Take-home pay at which UC stops£773

Monthly rates from April 2026 (DWP). An estimate: your statement can differ if earnings vary between assessment periods, if an advance or debt is being repaid, or if transitional protection applies.

How this is calculated

A worked month

A lone parent aged 31 with two children, renting from a housing association for £550 a month and taking home £1,200, has a maximum award of £1,582.78: the standard allowance, two child elements and the rent. Because the award includes housing costs, the lower work allowance of £427 applies, and 55% of the remaining £773 is £425.15. Universal Credit for the month is £1,157.63, on top of wages. The same household with no rent to pay would have the higher work allowance of £710, which is why the two work allowances matter as much as the rent itself.

What to have to hand

Your last payslip or the earnings figure on your Universal Credit statement, your tenancy agreement for the monthly rent and any service charges, and a rough total of savings. If you have a fit note or are waiting for a Work Capability Assessment, choose the health option that matches when you reported the condition: £429.80 applies to those who reported it before 6 April 2026, people meeting the severe conditions criteria and anyone nearing the end of life; £217.26 applies to most new health claims since then. The health element page explains the split.

What the result leaves out

The minimum income floor for self-employed claimants, transitional protection for people moved from older benefits, student income, the surplus earnings rule and mixed-age couples are not modelled. Treat the figure as a careful estimate of an ordinary month. For a full check GOV.UK lists independent calculators, and the official guide to what you’ll get sets out each element. Our method page gives the regulation behind every line.

Questions claimants ask

Why is my Universal Credit statement lower than this calculator?

The calculator works out one ordinary month. A statement can be lower because an advance is being repaid, a deduction for rent arrears, Council Tax or an overpayment is being taken (up to 15% of the standard allowance), you were paid twice by your employer in one assessment period, or a sanction applies. Each deduction is listed on the statement under “what we take off”.

What do I enter as take-home pay if my wages change every month?

Enter the net pay that landed in the assessment period you want to check: gross pay less income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions. Universal Credit uses the pay your employer reports for that period, not an average, so a four-weekly or weekly payroll can put two paydays into one month and none into the next.

How does the calculator know my rent limit?

If you rent privately, choose your Broad Rental Market Area and it applies the 2026/27 Local Housing Allowance for the bedrooms your household is allowed, from the DWP file covering all 192 areas of England, Scotland and Wales. Your council’s housing pages name your area. Social tenants are not capped by area, but lose 14% or 25% of eligible rent for spare bedrooms.

Does the calculator include the benefit cap?

Yes. Without an exemption, a household outside London cannot receive more than £1,835.00 a month in total if it is a couple or has children, or £1,229.42 for a single adult, with higher London levels. The cap does not apply if household take-home pay is £881 a month or more, or if anyone gets PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance or Carer’s Allowance.

Can I use it in Northern Ireland?

For the amount, yes: Universal Credit in Northern Ireland uses the same standard allowance, elements and taper. Housing costs differ, because Northern Ireland has its own Local Housing Allowance areas set by the Housing Executive, which the area list here does not include, and the housing element is normally paid straight to the landlord.

Related calculators and guides

Universal Credit rates

Every monthly Universal Credit amount for 2026/27, set against last year.

Work allowance and taper

How wages reduce Universal Credit: the £427 or £710 work allowance, then 55 % of each pound above it.

LHA rates by area

The Local Housing Allowance of all 192 rental areas, from the shared room rate to four bedrooms.

Two-child limit

The limit ended on 6 April 2026: what a third or fourth child now adds, and where the cap still bites.

Benefits calculator

One short form for every benefit your household could get, with a link to the full calculator for each.

Official sources

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Radif Partners

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Rates for the year from April 2026, rates read at source on