2026/27 rates · Updated 7 April 2026

Find out which UK benefits you can claim — and how much — in 5 minutes.

Built by a MAAT-qualified accountancy practice for claimants, welfare advisers, social workers and housing officers. Covers Universal Credit, PIP, Carer's Allowance, ESA, JSA, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and 13 more — at the new 2026/27 rates.

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Complete UC reference — rates, taper, capital, conditionality, MIF
20+ benefit modules — PIP, ESA, JSA, Carer's, Pension Credit, HB, CTR & more
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Free preview Anonymous — your data stays in your browser 2026/27 rates — updated April 2026 UK-wide MAAT practice

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GW
Built & maintained by

GW Pro Advisory Services Ltd

A UK-registered accountancy and tax advisory practice, MAAT member in practice. We update the benefits database every April when DWP/HMRC publish new rates — and again at every Budget. No third-party trackers, no marketing fluff.

MAAT Member in Practice ICO [Reg No] Co. No. [Companies House No] England & Wales

"Genuinely accurate for the 2026 reforms — most calculators were still showing old LCWRA rates in May. I use this with clients before referring on."

— Housing Officer, Greater Manchester [placeholder]

"Worth ten quid easily. Showed me a client was missing the carer element — saved her £209 a month."

— Independent welfare adviser, Bristol [placeholder]
Free reference · Updated 7 April 2026

Universal Credit 2026/27 — the bits you actually need.

Standard allowances, elements, taper, capital rules and the April 2026 reforms (two-tier LCWRA, two-child limit abolition). Bookmark this — we update it every uplift.

£424.90
UC Single 25+ /mo
£666.97
UC Couple /mo
55p
Taper per £1
£16,000
Capital limit
20+
Benefits covered
Current from 7 April 2026. UC replaced all legacy working-age benefits. The two-child limit was abolished from 6 April 2026. A new two-tier LCWRA rate applies to claims from 6 April 2026 onwards.
Standard allowance — monthly
Single, under 25
£338.58
per month
Single, 25 or over
£424.90
per month
Couple, both under 25
£528.34
per month
Couple, one or both 25+
£666.97
per month
Additional elements — monthly
ElementMonthly
Children
First child born before 6 April 2017 (higher rate)£351.88
All other children — two-child limit abolished April 2026£303.94
Disabled child — lower rate (DLA mid/low or PIP standard)£164.79
Disabled child — higher rate (DLA highest care / PIP enhanced)£514.71
Health / Disability
LCWRA — protected (pre-April 2026 / SCC / terminally ill)£429.80
LCWRA — new claimants from 6 April 2026 (frozen to 2029/30)£217.26
LCW — legacy pre-April 2017 only£156.11
Caring
Carer element (35+ hrs/week for someone on PIP/DLA/AA)£209.34
Childcare
Childcare element — 85% of eligible costs, 1 child£1,071.09
Childcare element — 85% of eligible costs, 2+ children£1,836.16
£427 / £710
Work allowance — with / without housing element (per month before taper kicks in).
55p per £1
Taper rate above the work allowance. No upper earnings cut-off.
£4.35 / £250
Tariff income deduction for capital between £6,000 and £16,000.
Benefit cap — monthly (2026/27)
Household typeGreater LondonRest of GB
Couple or single parent with children£2,110.25£1,835.00
Single adult, no children£1,413.92£1,229.42

Exempt if any apply: LCWRA element · Carer element · Earnings ≥ ~£881/mo (16 × NLW) · Attendance Allowance · Industrial Injuries benefit.

Free eligibility calculator

Personalised result in about 3 minutes.

Anonymous and runs entirely in your browser — your answers never leave your device. See an indicative monthly Universal Credit estimate for free; unlock the full breakdown across 20+ benefits and a PDF report for £10.

Step 1 of 6
17%

About you

You must be 16 or over to claim most benefits.
Affects benefit cap and devolved benefits (e.g. ADP in Scotland).
Combined savings, ISAs, second properties. Exclude your main home.

Your household

Two-child limit abolished from April 2026 — every child counts.

Work & income

Health & disability

Housing

After any existing discounts. Enter 0 if fully exempt.

Your indicative result

Based on 2026/27 rates. This is an estimate, not a legal determination.

Estimated Universal Credit
£0
per month
Standard allowance£0.00
Estimated monthly UC£0.00
PIP / DLA / Attendance Allowance entitlementLocked
Council Tax Reduction (by local authority)Locked
Better-Off — if you worked X more hoursLocked
Carer's Allowance vs Carer element comparisonLocked
Pension Credit / SMI / devolved benefitsLocked
Step-by-step application guide & PDF reportLocked

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UK Benefits Adviser · 30-day access

Full access

£1030 days · one-off, no subscription
A paid welfare adviser typically charges £80–£150 per hour.
  • Complete UC reference (rates, taper, capital, conditionality, MIF)
  • Interactive calculator for 20+ UK benefits
  • Step-by-step application guides with direct GOV.UK links
  • PIP, ESA, JSA, Carer's Allowance, Pension Credit, HB, CTR & more
  • Better-Off Calculator — model what more hours mean
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  • 2026/27 rates — kept current to April 2027
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Common questions

Questions claimants and
advisers ask us most.

The standard allowance for a single claimant aged 25+ is £424.90/month (£338.58 if under 25). Couples receive £666.97/month. On top of that, additional elements apply for children, disability (LCWRA), caring and housing. Earnings above the work allowance reduce UC by 55p per £1.

Three big things: (1) The two-child limit was abolished from 6 April 2026. (2) A new two-tier LCWRA rate applies — protected claimants keep £429.80/month; new claimants from April 2026 get £217.26/month, frozen to 2029/30. (3) UC, Carer's Allowance, PIP and others were CPI-uprated by 2.3% under the Universal Credit Act 2025.

Capital under £6,000 is fully ignored. Between £6,000 and £16,000, your UC is reduced by £4.35/month per £250 (or part thereof) above £6,000. Over £16,000 you cannot claim UC at all. Your main home, personal possessions and active business assets are excluded.

If you're in the full work-search group and self-employed, after a 12-month start-up period UC is calculated as if you earn at least the MIF — roughly £1,681/month net in 2026/27 (35 hours × NLW × 52 ÷ 12, less notional tax & NI). The MIF doesn't apply if you're in LCW/LCWRA, caring for a child under 3, providing 35+ hrs/week care, or your real earnings exceed the MIF.

No. This is an independent indicative tool built by GW Pro Advisory Services Ltd, a UK-registered MAAT practice. It is not regulated welfare advice and not a substitute for free face-to-face help from Citizens Advice, Turn2Us, your local welfare rights officer or DWP. Use it to get a quick estimate and then verify before making a claim.

£10 via Stripe gives you 30 days of full access from the moment you pay. Access is tied to your email (we send you a magic-link to restore on any device — no passwords). Because it's digital content delivered instantly, the statutory right of cancellation under CCR 2013 doesn't apply, but if anything goes wrong email us within 24 hours and we'll sort it.

The free calculator runs entirely in your browser — your answers never leave your device. We don't use Google Analytics or third-party trackers. If you pay, Stripe processes your card directly (we never see or store it) and we keep only your email address and a 30-day access token.

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