Validation

UC estimator test scenarios

Every scenario our Universal Credit estimator is validated against — 50 fixed cases covering the standard allowance, child elements and the two-child limit, LCWRA and carer, housing, the 55% earnings taper, capital tariff income, and complex real-world combinations. Each expected value is computed to the penny from the published 2025-26 rates, and every scenario on this page is re-run live every time the page renders — if the calculator ever drifts from these numbers, our test suite fails and the page above goes red.

How these are sourced

Every scenario is a first-principles arithmetic check against the government-published Universal Credit rates for 2025-26. We do not take UC outputs on faith from any third-party calculator — we compute the expected value from the rates table and the statutory mechanics (standard allowance, child elements, two-child limit, LCWRA, carer, housing pass-through, work allowance with/without housing, 55% taper, and the capital rules), then assert it to the penny in our unit tests.

Rates source: gov.uk — benefit and pension rates 2025 to 2026 (DWP).

Scope of validation: this calculator deliberately models the headline mechanics only. It does not apply the benefit cap, transitional protection for legacy-to-UC migration, third-party deductions, advance repayments, sanctions, the Minimum Income Floor for self-employed claimants, the childcare element, or non-dependant deductions from the housing element. Scenarios that exercise those mechanics are out of scope for this estimator and not tested here.

Standard allowance

The four base rates (single under-25, single 25+, couple both under-25, couple 25+) and the household composition edges.

7 scenarios

sa-single-25plus

Single claimant, 25+, no other elements

A 30-year-old living alone with no earnings, no children, no housing costs, no health or caring elements.

What this tests: Standard allowance for a single claimant aged 25 or over is £399.29/month.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £399.29 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

sa-single-under25

Single claimant, under 25

A 22-year-old with no earnings, no children, no housing costs.

What this tests: Standard allowance for a single claimant under 25 is £316.20/month.

Max award: £316.20 / month
Final award: £316.20 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 22,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

sa-couple-25plus

Couple, both 25+

A couple aged 30 and 28, no earnings, no children, no housing.

What this tests: Standard allowance for a couple where at least one is 25+ is £627.20/month.

Max award: £627.20 / month
Final award: £627.20 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 28,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

sa-couple-both-under25

Couple, both under 25

Both partners aged 22, no earnings, no children, no housing.

What this tests: Standard allowance for a couple where both are under 25 is £496.49/month.

Max award: £496.49 / month
Final award: £496.49 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 22,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 22,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

sa-couple-mixed

Couple, mixed ages (24 and 26)

One partner 24, the other 26.

What this tests: The couple-25+ rate applies whenever at least one partner is 25 or over — mixed-age couples get £627.20/month.

Max award: £627.20 / month
Final award: £627.20 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 24,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 26,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

sa-single-age-18

Single, aged 18 — lowest eligible age

An 18-year-old care leaver with no earnings, no children, no housing.

What this tests: Eligible from age 18 in most circumstances — paid at the under-25 rate of £316.20/month.

Max award: £316.20 / month
Final award: £316.20 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 18,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

sa-under18-ineligible

Under 18 — ineligible by default

A 17-year-old not in one of the excepted categories.

What this tests: UC is limited to specific exceptions under 18 (care leavers, responsible for a child). The calculator flags age < 18 as a disqualification.

Max award: £316.20 / month
Final award: Not eligible

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 17,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

Children and the two-child limit

First-child pre-2017 rate vs the subsequent-child rate, the two-child limit, and the disabled-child element.

9 scenarios

kids-single-1-post2017

Single parent, 1 child born after April 2017

A single parent aged 30 with one child born in 2020.

What this tests: First child born after 6 April 2017 receives the subsequent-child rate of £292.81/month.

Max award: £692.10 / month
Final award: £692.10 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-single-1-pre2017

Single parent, 1 child born before April 2017

A single parent aged 30 with one child born in 2015.

What this tests: First child born before 6 April 2017 qualifies for the higher first-child rate of £339.70/month.

Max award: £738.99 / month
Final award: £738.99 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "firstChildBornBefore6April2017": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-couple-2-post2017

Couple, 2 children post-2017

A couple both aged 30 with two children born after 2017.

What this tests: Two children born after 6 April 2017: two subsequent-rate elements at £292.81 each.

Max award: £1,212.82 / month
Final award: £1,212.82 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-couple-3-two-child-limit

Couple, 3 children — two-child limit

A couple both aged 30 with three children born after 2017.

What this tests: The two-child limit: no child element for a third child born after 6 April 2017 (unless a specific exception applies).

Max award: £1,212.82 / month
Final award: £1,212.82 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 3,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-couple-4-two-child-limit

Couple, 4 children — two-child limit scales

A couple both aged 30 with four children born after 2017.

What this tests: The two-child limit caps the number of child elements at two regardless of how many children you have.

Max award: £1,212.82 / month
Final award: £1,212.82 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 4,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-single-2-mixed-cohort

Single parent, 2 children — first pre-2017, second post-2017

A single parent with one child born in 2014 and one born in 2019 — the first qualifies for the higher first-child rate, the second for the subsequent-child rate.

What this tests: First child pre-2017 (£339.70) + additional child (£292.81) = £632.51 in child elements.

Max award: £1,031.80 / month
Final award: £1,031.80 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "firstChildBornBefore6April2017": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-single-1-disabled

Single parent, 1 disabled child

A single parent with one disabled child receiving a qualifying disability benefit.

What this tests: A disabled-child element at the lower rate of £158.97/month adds to the child element.

Max award: £851.07 / month
Final award: £851.07 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "pipDailyLivingOrDisabled": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-single-2-one-disabled

Single parent, 2 children, one disabled

Two children post-2017, one of them disabled.

What this tests: Two subsequent-rate child elements plus one disabled-child element.

Max award: £1,143.88 / month
Final award: £1,143.88 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "pipDailyLivingOrDisabled": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

kids-single-5-two-child-limit

Single parent, 5 children, £600 rent

A single parent with five children, all born after April 2017, paying £600/month rent.

What this tests: Two child elements + housing pass-through; three additional children receive no element.

Max award: £1,584.91 / month
Final award: £1,584.91 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 5,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 60000
}

Disability and carer elements

The LCWRA element, the carer element, and how they stack with the standard allowance and child elements.

4 scenarios

dis-single-lcwra

Single 25+, LCWRA

A single claimant found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity.

What this tests: The LCWRA element is £449.30/month on top of the standard allowance.

Max award: £848.59 / month
Final award: £848.59 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 40,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

dis-single-carer

Single 25+, carer

A single 40-year-old caring 35+ hours a week for someone on a qualifying disability benefit.

What this tests: The carer element is £213.68/month on top of the standard allowance.

Max award: £612.97 / month
Final award: £612.97 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 40,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "isCarer": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

dis-single-lcwra-carer

Single 25+, LCWRA + carer

Both LCWRA and carer elements (unusual in a single claimant but permitted).

What this tests: LCWRA (£449.30) and carer (£213.68) elements both apply on top of the standard allowance.

Max award: £1,062.27 / month
Final award: £1,062.27 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 40,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "isCarer": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

dis-couple-lcwra-2kids

Couple, LCWRA + 2 children

A couple where one partner has the LCWRA element and they have two children post-2017.

What this tests: Couple standard allowance + 2 child elements + LCWRA.

Max award: £1,662.12 / month
Final award: £1,662.12 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

Housing

Rent pass-through for tenants and owner-occupier behaviour. (Real claims are capped by Local Housing Allowance — this estimator does not model LHA.)

4 scenarios

house-single-rent500

Single 25+, £500/month rent

A single tenant paying £500/month rent — calculator treats rent as payable in full (real DWP claims are capped by LHA).

What this tests: The housing element adds the monthly rent in full in this estimate.

Max award: £899.29 / month
Final award: £899.29 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 50000
}

house-couple-rent700

Couple 25+, £700/month rent

A couple paying £700/month rent.

What this tests: Couple standard allowance + £700/month housing element.

Max award: £1,327.20 / month
Final award: £1,327.20 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 70000
}

house-single-parent-rent400

Single parent, 1 child, £400 rent

Single parent, one child post-2017, £400/month rent.

What this tests: Standard allowance + child element + housing element.

Max award: £1,092.10 / month
Final award: £1,092.10 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 40000
}

house-owner-occupier

Owner-occupier, no housing element

A single owner-occupier (UC does not include support for mortgage interest in the main calculation — separate Support for Mortgage Interest loan).

What this tests: Owner-occupiers receive no housing element within the UC estimator.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £399.29 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "ownerOccupier"
}

Earnings and the 55% taper

Work allowance with and without housing, the 55% taper, and the interaction with household composition.

8 scenarios

earn-single-no-wa-500

Single, no kids, £500 earnings — no work allowance

A single claimant with no children and no LCWRA earning £500/month — every £1 of earnings cuts UC by 55p from the first pound.

What this tests: Without children or LCWRA there is no work allowance: earnings are tapered at 55% from pound one.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £124.29 / month
55% earnings taper: −£275 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 50000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

earn-single-taper-out

Single, no kids, £727 earnings — tapered out

At £727/month net earnings the taper deduction equals (and slightly exceeds) the standard allowance, so the award drops to zero.

What this tests: Award cannot go below zero; high earners taper off UC entirely.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: Not eligible
55% earnings taper: −£399.85 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 72700,
  "housingType": "none"
}

earn-single-2000

Single, no kids, £2,000 earnings — well above taper

A working single claimant earning £2,000/month — UC is zero.

What this tests: Earnings well above the taper-out point fully eliminate the award.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: Not eligible
55% earnings taper: −£1,100 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 200000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

earn-parent-1000-no-housing

Single parent, 1 child, no housing, £1,000 earnings

A working single parent earning £1,000/month with no housing costs uses the higher £684/month work allowance.

What this tests: Work allowance without housing is £684/month; earnings above this are tapered at 55%.

Max award: £692.10 / month
Final award: £518.30 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month
55% earnings taper: −£173.80 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 100000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

earn-parent-1000-rent400

Single parent, 1 child, £400 rent, £1,000 earnings

Same worker as above but now paying £400/month rent — the housing work allowance (£411) replaces the without-housing one.

What this tests: Work allowance with housing is £411/month. Earnings above it are tapered at 55%.

Max award: £1,092.10 / month
Final award: £768.15 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
55% earnings taper: −£323.95 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 100000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 40000
}

earn-parent-earnings-below-wa

Single parent, 1 child, £200 rent, £500 earnings — under work allowance

Earnings below the work allowance: no taper deduction.

What this tests: If earnings are below the work allowance, there is no earnings-based reduction at all.

Max award: £892.10 / month
Final award: £843.15 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
55% earnings taper: −£48.95 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 50000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 20000
}

earn-lcwra-under-wa

Single 25+ LCWRA, £300 earnings, no housing — LCWRA unlocks work allowance

A single LCWRA claimant earning £300/month — LCWRA alone unlocks the work allowance so all earnings fall inside it.

What this tests: LCWRA triggers the work allowance even without children. At £684/month without housing, £300 earnings are inside the allowance.

Max award: £848.59 / month
Final award: £848.59 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 40,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 30000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

earn-couple-combined-earnings

Couple, combined earnings £2,000, 2 kids, £600 rent

Claimant earns £1,800, partner earns £200 — earnings are pooled and tested against the household work allowance.

What this tests: Couple earnings are combined. Above the £411/month work allowance the combined taper at 55% applies.

Max award: £1,812.82 / month
Final award: £938.87 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
55% earnings taper: −£873.95 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 180000,
  "partnerMonthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 20000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 60000
}

Capital and tariff income

£6,000 lower limit, tariff income of £4.35/month per £250 band, and the £16,000 disqualification cliff edge.

6 scenarios

cap-6000-no-tariff

Capital exactly £6,000 — no tariff income

Capital at £6,000 is the lower limit — no tariff income.

What this tests: Capital at or below £6,000 is ignored.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £399.29 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 600000
}

cap-6001-one-band

Capital £6,001 — one tariff band

Capital just above the threshold: 1 pence of excess creates one full band of tariff income.

What this tests: Tariff bands are calculated by rounding up — any part of a £250 band counts as a full band.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £394.94 / month
Capital tariff income: −£4.35 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 600100
}

cap-7000

Capital £7,000 — four tariff bands

£1,000 of excess capital at £250/band = 4 bands × £4.35 = £17.40/month.

What this tests: Tariff income is £4.35/month per £250 band above £6,000.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £381.89 / month
Capital tariff income: −£17.40 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 700000
}

cap-10000

Capital £10,000 — sixteen tariff bands

£4,000 excess ÷ £250 = 16 bands × £4.35 = £69.60/month deduction.

What this tests: Worked example cited in most CPAG and Turn2us guidance — £10,000 capital → £69.60/month deduction.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £329.69 / month
Capital tariff income: −£69.60 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 1000000
}

cap-15999-99

Capital £15,999.99 — just under the cliff edge

A penny under the disqualification threshold: 40 bands of tariff income produce £174.00/month deduction.

What this tests: Tariff income applies strictly below £16,000. At £15,999.99 the claim is still live.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £225.29 / month
Capital tariff income: −£174 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 1599999
}

cap-16000-disqualified

Capital £16,000 — disqualified

Capital at or above £16,000 disqualifies from UC entirely.

What this tests: The £16,000 upper capital limit is an absolute cliff edge (with a 12-month transitional exception for managed-migration claimants).

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: Not eligible

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 1600000
}

Unearned income

Private pensions, maintenance, and similar income sources that reduce UC pound-for-pound.

2 scenarios

unearned-single-200

Single 25+, £200/month unearned income

Pension or maintenance income of £200/month — deducted pound-for-pound from the maximum award.

What this tests: Unearned income (private pension, maintenance, some benefits) reduces UC £-for-£.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £199.29 / month
Unearned income (£-for-£): −£200 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "monthlyUnearnedIncomeMinor": 20000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

unearned-couple-300

Couple 25+, £300/month maintenance

£300/month of maintenance as the only unearned income.

What this tests: Same £-for-£ rule applies to couple awards.

Max award: £627.20 / month
Final award: £327.20 / month
Unearned income (£-for-£): −£300 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "monthlyUnearnedIncomeMinor": 30000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

Combined real-world scenarios

Multi-element stacks that exercise several mechanics at once — working single parents, two-earner couples, disabled-child + LCWRA households, and cliff-edge capital cases.

10 scenarios

combo-parent-working-renter

Working single parent, 2 kids, £500 rent, £1,600 earnings

A typical working single-parent-renter household: two children post-2017, £500/month rent, £1,600/month net earnings.

What this tests: Combines two child elements, housing pass-through, the £411 work allowance (with housing), and the 55% taper.

Max award: £1,484.91 / month
Final award: £830.96 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
55% earnings taper: −£653.95 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 160000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 50000
}

combo-couple-both-work-lcwra

Couple, both working, 2 kids, LCWRA, £700 rent

Both partners earning £1,200/month each, two children post-2017, one partner on LCWRA, £700/month rent.

What this tests: LCWRA stacks with child elements and housing; combined earnings hit the £411 work allowance and taper at 55%.

Max award: £2,362.12 / month
Final award: £1,268.17 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
55% earnings taper: −£1,093.95 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 2,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 120000,
  "partnerMonthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 120000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 70000
}

combo-single-cap-12000

Single 25+, £12,000 capital

£12,000 capital = 24 bands of tariff income = £104.40/month deduction.

What this tests: Mid-band tariff deduction — 24 bands × £4.35.

Max award: £399.29 / month
Final award: £294.89 / month
Capital tariff income: −£104.40 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none",
  "capitalMinor": 1200000
}

combo-disabled-child-lcwra

Single parent, 1 disabled child, LCWRA, no earnings

High-entitlement household: a disabled child and the parent on LCWRA, no earnings or housing costs.

What this tests: Disabled-child element stacks with child element and LCWRA; work allowance is irrelevant with no earnings.

Max award: £1,300.37 / month
Final award: £1,300.37 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "pipDailyLivingOrDisabled": true,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

combo-couple-3kids-partial-earnings

Couple, 3 kids (first pre-2017), disabled child, LCWRA, £800 rent, partner £700 earnings

A complex real-world blend: pre-2017 first child, one disabled child, a partner on LCWRA, £800/month rent, and £700/month earnings.

What this tests: Multi-element stack plus earnings taper — first-child pre-2017 rate, two-child limit, disabled-child, LCWRA, and a work-allowance-eligible household.

Max award: £2,667.98 / month
Final award: £2,509.03 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
55% earnings taper: −£158.95 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 3,
  "firstChildBornBefore6April2017": true,
  "pipDailyLivingOrDisabled": true,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "partnerMonthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 70000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 80000
}

combo-carer-no-wa

Single 25+ carer — no earnings, no work allowance triggered

The carer element alone does not unlock the work allowance — only children or LCWRA do. With no earnings this does not matter.

What this tests: Carer element adds to max award but does not trigger a work allowance.

Max award: £612.97 / month
Final award: £612.97 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 40,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "isCarer": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

combo-couple-high-earnings-no-kids

Couple, one earns £3,000, no kids, no LCWRA

High-earning couple without children or disability: taper runs from pound one and the award is fully eliminated.

What this tests: No work allowance, full 55% taper from £1 of earnings.

Max award: £627.20 / month
Final award: Not eligible
55% earnings taper: −£1,650 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 0,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 300000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

combo-parent-small-earnings-mid-capital

Single parent, 1 child, £400 rent, £300 earnings, £8,000 capital

Small earnings (below the work allowance), mid-range capital (£8,000 = 8 tariff bands).

What this tests: Earnings below the allowance produce no taper deduction, but tariff income still applies.

Max award: £1,092.10 / month
Final award: £1,057.30 / month
Work allowance: £411 / month
Capital tariff income: −£34.80 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 30000,
  "housingType": "rent",
  "monthlyRentMinor": 40000,
  "capitalMinor": 800000
}

combo-parent-unearned-only

Single parent, 1 child, £150/month unearned income only

A single parent with only a small private pension (£150/month) and no earnings.

What this tests: Unearned income deducts £-for-£ without a work-allowance buffer.

Max award: £692.10 / month
Final award: £542.10 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month
Unearned income (£-for-£): −£150 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": false,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "monthlyUnearnedIncomeMinor": 15000,
  "housingType": "none"
}

combo-couple-lcwra-plus-child

Couple 25+, 1 child, LCWRA

A couple with one child and one LCWRA element.

What this tests: LCWRA is one element per claim regardless of which partner qualifies.

Max award: £1,369.31 / month
Final award: £1,369.31 / month
Work allowance: £684 / month

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "claimantAge": 30,
  "partner": true,
  "partnerAge": 30,
  "childrenCount": 1,
  "limitedCapabilityForWorkAndActivity": true,
  "monthlyEarnedIncomeMinor": 0,
  "housingType": "none"
}

Found a scenario we've missed — or got wrong?

If you have a DWP worked example, a Turn2us published case, or a personal calculation that should hit a different number than ours, please tell us via the corrections form. Include the scenario inputs and the expected output. We publish every correction in our corrections log — see the editorial policy for how we handle reports.