How UC adds up
Everyone gets a standard allowance. Extra amounts are added for children, health, caring, childcare and rent. Then money is taken off for earnings and savings over certain limits. What's left is what you're paid.
Standard allowance
The basic amount everyone on UC gets.
| Who | A month |
|---|---|
| Single, under 25 | £338.58 |
| Single, 25 or over | £424.90 |
| Couple, both under 25 | £528.34 |
| Couple, one or both 25 or over | £666.97 |
Children
The two-child limit was removed on 6 April 2026, so you can now get an amount for every child.
| What | A month |
|---|---|
| Each child | £303.94 |
| First child, if your eldest was born before 6 April 2017 | £351.88 |
| Disabled child, lower rate (a child getting PIP or DLA) | £164.79 |
| Disabled child, higher rate (enhanced PIP daily living, highest rate DLA care, or registered blind) | £514.71 |
Health and caring
| What | A month |
|---|---|
| LCWRA (health condition stops you working), if you had it or reported your condition before 6 April 2026, are terminally ill, or meet the severe conditions criteria | £429.80 |
| LCWRA, most people found to have it after reporting their condition from 6 April 2026 | £217.26 |
| LCW (limited capability for work), older claims only | £158.76 |
| Carer element (caring for a disabled person for 35 hours or more a week) | £209.34 |
LCWRA also exempts your household from the benefit cap, and gives you a work allowance.
Childcare
If you're working, UC pays up to 85% of your childcare costs, up to these limits.
| Most UC can pay | A month |
|---|---|
| One child | £1,071.09 |
| Two or more children | £1,863.16 |
Help with rent
There's no set amount. UC pays towards your rent, but not always all of it.
- Private landlord: UC pays up to the Local Housing Allowance for your area and the number of bedrooms UC says you need. These limits were frozen again in April 2026, so they're still at April 2024 levels. Find yours: England, Wales, Scotland.
- Single, under 35 and no children: usually only the rate for a room in a shared house. Some people are exempt, including anyone getting PIP daily living.
- Council or housing association: your rent and some service charges, but 14% less if you have one spare bedroom, or 25% less for two or more.
- Another adult aged 21 or over living with you, who isn't your partner: £96.55 a month may be taken off, unless one of you gets certain disability or carer benefits.
If you already get UC, the housing amount on your Universal Credit statement shows what UC allows for your rent.
Earnings
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Work allowance, if UC helps with your rent. You can earn this much before your UC goes down, if you have children or a health condition that limits your work. | £427 a month |
| Work allowance, if UC doesn't help with your rent | £710 a month |
| After that, for every £1 you earn, UC goes down by | 55p |
| Minimum income floor, self-employed, 35 hours, aged 21 or over | about £1,681 a month |
Money you put into a pension is taken off your earnings before this is worked out. See the short guide.
Savings
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Savings that don't affect your UC | up to £6,000 |
| Taken off your UC for every £250 over £6,000, or part of £250 | £4.35 a month |
| No UC if your savings are over | £16,000 |
Money in a pension you haven't touched doesn't count. Check yours with the savings calculator.
Benefit cap
The most some households can get in benefits. It doesn't apply if you or someone in your household gets LCWRA, PIP, a carer benefit or certain other benefits, or if you earn £881 a month or more.
| Who | Outside Greater London | Greater London |
|---|---|---|
| Single adult, no children living with you | £1,229.42 | £1,413.92 |
| Couple, or single parent with children | £1,835.00 | £2,110.25 |
Check whether it applies to you with the benefit cap check.
Pension figures worth knowing
- Tax relief: for every £80 you put into a personal pension, the government adds £20.
- Earliest age to take money out: 55, rising to 57 on 6 April 2028.
- Lower limit if you've already taken money out flexibly: £10,000 a year.