How much Universal Credit you could get a month, and how your wages change it
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 17 Oct 2026.Universal Credit starts from a standard allowance, £424.90 a month for a single person aged 25 or over, plus £303.94 for each child and other extra amounts. Take-home pay above the work allowance of £427 or £710 reduces it by 55p a pound. A single parent with one child, £600 rent and £1,000 pay gets about £1,013.69.
2026-27 · Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 17 Oct 2026); they may have changed since.
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This calculator estimates one month of Universal Credit from the amounts DWP publishes on GOV.UK and in force on 17 October 2026. It follows the steps GOV.UK describes, so you can see why the award is what it is.
2. Pay. Universal Credit is based on take-home pay. With a child or a health condition you keep a work allowance (£427 with housing help, £710 without); above it the award falls by 55p for every £1.
Not included. The benefit cap, the rules on how much rent counts, self-employment, transitional protection and deductions for debts or advances. For take-home pay, see the UK Income Tax Calculator.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about Universal Credit Calculator 2026-27 (UK), are on the Universal Credit Calculator 2026-27 (UK) page.
GOV.UK lists £338.58 a month for a single person under 25 and £424.90 for a single person aged 25 or over. A couple gets £528.34 if both are under 25 and £666.97 if either is 25 or over. Extra amounts for children, disability, caring, childcare and housing are added on top.
For every £1 of take-home pay, Universal Credit goes down by 55p. Households with a child, or with a health condition that limits work, first keep a work allowance: £427 a month if they get help with housing costs, £710 if they do not. Pay below the allowance does not reduce the award.
Each child adds £303.94 a month, and GOV.UK lists the amount for each child that lives with you. If your first child was born before 6 April 2017 that child adds another £47.94. A disabled child adds £164.79 or £514.71 depending on the disability benefit they get.
Up to 85% of registered childcare costs while you work, and for a couple both partners must normally be working. The most you can get is £1,071.09 a month for one child and £1,836.16 for two or more. You pay the provider first and claim the money back.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
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