Universal Credit Calculator 2026/27 – How Much Will I Get?

This gives you a rough idea of how much Universal Credit you might get each month in 2026/27. Enter your age, whether you claim alone or as a couple, your children, rent, take-home earnings, childcare costs, savings, and whether you’re a carer or have a health condition. It adds up the elements you qualify for, takes off deductions for earnings and savings, and shows the result per month and per year.

It uses the 2026/27 rates from GOV.UK, the 55% taper, the work allowances and the end of the two-child limit. The DWP makes the actual decision, and it looks at more than this calculator can, so treat the figure as a guide.

What to enter

Earnings should be take-home pay after tax, National Insurance and pension, because Universal Credit is based on net earnings; the Take Home Pay Calculator will work it out. If you claim as a couple, include your partner’s take-home pay too.

For rent, use your eligible rent. If you rent privately and your Local Housing Allowance rate is lower than your rent, use the LHA figure, because that’s the most UC will cover. Service charges and some other costs may not count. Childcare should be what you pay a registered provider so that you can work. Savings means everything: cash, ISAs, shares and other investments.

Universal Credit rates 2026/27

Element	Monthly amount
Standard allowance, single under 25	£338.58
Standard allowance, single 25 or over	£424.90
Standard allowance, couple both under 25	£528.34
Standard allowance, couple one or both 25 or over	£666.97
Child element (each child)	£303.94
Extra for first child born before 6 April 2017	£47.94
Disabled child addition, lower / higher	£164.79 / £514.71
Health element, severe condition or claimed before 6 April 2026	£429.80
Health element, new claims, less severe	£217.26
Carer element	£209.34
Childcare, up to 85% of costs (max for 1 child / 2 or more)	£1,071.09 / £1,836.16

Source: GOV.UK – Universal Credit: what you’ll get.

How your payment is worked out

Start with your maximum award: the standard allowance plus any child, housing, childcare, carer and health elements. Then take off a deduction for earnings and anything for savings or other income.

Earnings: if you’re responsible for a child, or have a health condition that limits your work, you can earn a work allowance first without losing anything: £427 a month if you get help with housing costs, or £710 if you don’t. Above that, your payment drops by 55p for every £1 of take-home pay. If you don’t get a work allowance, the 55% applies from the first pound.

Savings: up to £6,000 doesn’t affect your payment. Between £6,000 and £16,000, £4.35 a month is deducted for every £250 or part of £250. Above £16,000 you usually can’t get Universal Credit at all.

Two-child limit: this was scrapped from 6 April 2026, so the child element is paid for every child. People already claiming didn’t need to do anything.

Examples

Single parent working part-time

Age 30, one child, rent of £200 a month, £1,000 take-home pay, £500 childcare and £100 in savings.

	Monthly
Standard allowance	£424.90
Child element	£303.94
Housing costs	£200.00
Childcare (85% of £500)	£425.00
Earnings deduction: 55% × (£1,000 − £427)	−£315.15
Estimated Universal Credit	£1,038.69

The same parent with no childcare costs but a severe health condition would get the £429.80 health element instead, giving about £1,043.49 a month. The carer element can’t be paid on top of the health element for the same person.

Single, no children, earning £1,000 a month

Someone aged 25 or over with no children, no health condition and no housing costs doesn’t get a work allowance, so the deduction is 55% of £1,000, which is £550. That’s more than the £424.90 standard allowance, so nothing would be paid. Add rent and the answer can change, so put in your own figures.

If you’re self-employed

You report your actual profit each month. After any start-up period, the DWP may use a “minimum income floor”, an assumed level of earnings, if what you actually earn is lower. This calculator doesn’t apply it, so if you’re self-employed your real award could be lower than the estimate.

Before you rely on the figure

Some benefits, such as New Style JSA or ESA, are deducted from Universal Credit, and this calculator doesn’t account for them. For a fuller check, use one of the independent benefits calculators listed on GOV.UK, or speak to Citizens Advice or Turn2us; both offer free, confidential help. Rates for 2027/28 will be added once they’re published, usually ahead of the April uprating.

Questions people ask

What is the Universal Credit standard allowance for a single person over 25?

£424.90 a month in 2026/27. For a single person under 25 it’s £338.58.

What is the Universal Credit taper rate?

55%. Your payment goes down by 55p for every £1 of take-home pay above your work allowance, or from the first pound if you don’t have one.

What is the work allowance for 2026/27?

£427 a month if you get help with housing costs, or £710 if you don’t. You only get one if you’re responsible for a child or have a health condition that limits your work.

Has the two-child limit been abolished?

Yes, from 6 April 2026. The child element of £303.94 a month is now paid for each child.

What is the Universal Credit savings limit?

Savings over £6,000 reduce your payment by £4.35 a month for each £250. Above £16,000 you usually can’t claim.

Can I get Universal Credit if I earn £1,000 a month?

Possibly. A single parent on £1,000 a month with £200 rent could get around £614 before any childcare help. A single person with no children and no housing costs would usually get nothing.

Related: Take Home Pay Calculator · Budget Planner · Debt Repayment Calculator

This calculator gives estimates only and isn’t official advice. Last reviewed: 3 November 2026.