Universal Credit rates 2025/26 and 2026/27: standard allowance, elements, work allowance and taper

DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table), which sets out the 2026/27 rates, lists the monthly standard allowance as £338.58 for a single claimant under 25, £424.90 for a single claimant aged 25 or over, £528.34 for joint claimants who are both under 25 and £666.97 for joint claimants where either is aged 25 or over. regulation 36 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013, as retrieved on 5 November 2026, shows the same amounts, and its notes say the amounts have effect for assessment periods commencing on or after 6 April 2026. These are Great Britain rates; GOV.UK’s Universal Credit overview page says: “If you live in Northern Ireland, go to Universal Credit in Northern Ireland.” The amount paid depends on a claimant’s circumstances.

DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) lists the standard allowance for a single claimant aged 25 or over as £400.14 for 2025/26 and £424.90 for 2026/27; for a single claimant under 25, £316.98 and £338.58; for joint claimants both under 25, £497.55 and £528.34; and where either joint claimant is 25 or over, £628.10 and £666.97. the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2025 has effect for the first assessment period commencing on or after 7 April 2025, and the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2026 for the first assessment period commencing on or after 6 April 2026. The LCWRA element changed differently, as DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) shows.

For 2025/26, DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) lists £339.00 a month for a first child born before 6 April 2017 and £292.81 a month for the row it words as “First child (born on or after 6 April 2017 / second child and subsequent child (where an exception or transitional provision applies))”. the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 has effect only for assessment periods commencing on or after 6 April 2026, so it does not change the 2025/26 column (our reading of the Act, not a sentence in it). DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 publication page shows the DWP table was last updated on 16 February 2026, before the Act’s date of 18 March 2026. 2026/27: DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) lists £351.88 and £303.94 a month for the same two rows, with the same row wording. GOV.UK’s Universal Credit page (what you’ll get), as retrieved on 5 November 2026, says: “You’ll get £303.94 a month for each child that lives with you. If your first child was born before 6 April 2017, you’ll get an extra £47.94 a month for that child.” It also says: “You get money for each child until the 31 August after their:” then, as separate lines, “16th birthday”; “19th birthday, if they’re in eligible education or training – for example, they’re studying for GCSEs, A levels, BTECs, Scottish Highers and SVQs or NVQs up to level 3” For a disabled child it lists the additions of £164.79 (lower) and £514.71 (higher) for 2026/27 and says: “You might get an extra monthly amount if any of your children are disabled. You’ll either get:” then, as separate lines, “£164.79 - the lower amount”; “£514.71 - the higher amount” “The higher amount is for a child who:” then, as separate lines, “gets the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children”; “gets the higher rate of the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)”; “is blind or severely sight impaired” “The lower amount is for a child who gets any other rate of either DLA for children, or PIP.” the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026, as enacted and retrieved on 5 November 2026, is introduced as: “An Act to make provision to remove the two child limit on the child element of universal credit.” It amends: “In section 10 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 (responsibility for children and young persons)—” then, as separate lines, “(a)omit subsection (1A) (the two child limit), and”; “(b)in subsection (4) omit “or (1A)”.” It says: “The amendments made by this section have effect in relation to assessment periods commencing on or after 6 April 2026, and for this purpose “assessment period” has the same meaning as in Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.” On where it applies it says: “Section 1 extends to England and Wales and Scotland only.” And: “Section 2 extends to Northern Ireland only.” It also says: “Sections 1 and 2 come into force on 6 April 2026.”

DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) lists a higher work allowance (no housing amount) of £710 a month and a lower work allowance of £427 a month for 2026/27 (£684 and £411 for 2025/26), for claimants with one or more dependent children or limited capability for work. GOV.UK’s Universal Credit page (how your wages affect your payments), as retrieved on 5 November 2026, says: “For every £1 you earn from working, your Universal Credit payment goes down by 55p.” It also says: “You can earn a certain amount before your Universal Credit starts to be reduced if you or your partner are either:” then, as separate lines, “responsible for a child or young person”; “living with a disability or health condition that affects your ability to work” And: “You can earn up to £427 a month before your payment starts to reduce if either:” then, as separate lines, “you get help with housing costs through Universal Credit”; “you live in temporary accommodation arranged by your council because you’re homeless” regulation 22 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 applies 55% to earned income, and where no work allowance applies it says: “in a case where no work allowance is specified in the table below (that is where a single claimant does not have, or neither of joint claimants has, responsibility for a child or qualifying young person or limited capability for work),” […]

DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) lists two LCWRA amounts for 2026/27: £217.26 for claimants who are not pre-2026 claimants, severe conditions criteria claimants or claimants who are terminally ill, and £429.80 for those groups; the 2025/26 amount was £423.27. GOV.UK’s Universal Credit page (what you’ll get), as retrieved on 5 November 2026, says: “There are different rules if you reported a health condition before 6 April 2026.” It also says: “If you live with your partner and you both have limited capability for work and work-related activity, you’ll only get one extra monthly amount. You’ll get the higher amount if one of you is eligible for it.” On the carer element it says: “You could get an extra amount known as a ‘carer’s element’. This is added to your Universal Credit if you care for someone who gets one of the following benefits:” then, as separate lines, “Adult Disability Payment – standard or enhanced award”; “Armed Forces Independence Payment”; “Attendance Allowance”; “Child Disability Payment – middle or highest care award”; “Constant Attendance Allowance - full day rate, intermediate rate or exceptional rate with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit”; “Constant Attendance Allowance - full day rate with a War Disablement Pension”; “Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest care rate”; “Personal Independence Payment – either rate of the daily living part” and then “You need to provide care for them for at least 35 hours a week.” It also says: “If you are getting an extra amount because you have limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA), you cannot also get the carer’s element.”

DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (rates table) lists maximum childcare costs of £1,071.09 a month for one child and £1,836.16 for two or more children for 2026/27 (£1,031.88 and £1,768.94 for 2025/26). GOV.UK’s Universal Credit page (what you’ll get), as retrieved on 5 November 2026, says: “You can claim back up to 85% of your childcare costs if you’re working. If you live with your partner both of you need to be working, unless one of you is unable to work due to a disability or health condition.” It adds: “The childcare needs to be from a registered provider.”

When we checked on 5 November 2026, each of the three addresses in the check of the three 2027 to 2028 benefit rates addresses on GOV.UK, where a 2027 to 2028 publication would sit by the pattern of the 2026 to 2027 publication, returned “Page not found” (HTTP 404). That is not a statement about whether or when 2027/28 rates will be published. DWP’s Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 publication page shows it was first published on 27 November 2025 and last updated on 16 February 2026.