2026-27 benefit uprating confirmed: what changes in April

What changed

Parliament has approved the 2026-27 Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order. The confirmed DWP rates publication applies from the April 2026 uprating cycle, with the main weekly benefit rates changing from Monday 6 April 2026.

The main figures:

• Universal Credit standard allowance — single, 25+ rate: £424.90/month; couple, one or both 25+: £666.97/month.
• Personal Independence Payment — daily living enhanced £114.60/week; mobility enhanced £80.00/week.
• State Pension — full new State Pension becomes £241.30/week.
• Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee — £238.00/week single, £363.25/week couple.
• Housing Benefit personal allowances — single 25+ £95.55/week; couple 18+ £150.15/week.
• Benefit cap — held at £22,020 outside Greater London and £25,323 inside Greater London for couples and lone parents; £14,753 / £16,967 for single adults.

The full table of rates is in the DWP publication linked below. Scotland-administered benefits (Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment, Scottish Child Payment, Carer Support Payment) use Scottish Government uprating rules — see the Scottish budget for those figures.

Who it affects

Every working-age UC household, every PIP recipient, every pensioner on State Pension or Pension Credit, and every Housing Benefit claimant sees an award change on their first assessment period starting on or after the April 2026 uprating date. Claimants on legacy benefits (income-based JSA/ESA, Income Support) are uprated on the same day.

Some UC rates do not move by a simple CPI percentage this year because the confirmed table reflects policy changes as well as annual uprating. Use the DWP table for exact amounts rather than applying a flat percentage yourself.

Council Tax Reduction schemes, which are designed and funded by individual councils in England and set nationally in Scotland and Wales, do not follow the Up-rating Order. Check your own council's scheme for 2026-27 changes.

When it takes effect

April 2026. For Universal Credit, the new rates apply from the start of the first assessment period that begins on or after the uprating date, so the first payment at the new rate can arrive several weeks later. For weekly benefits, the uplift applies from the relevant benefit week in April.

What to do

1. Check your award statement from the first assessment period starting on or after the April uprating date. It should show the new rate automatically — no claim action needed.
2. If you are approaching State Pension age, recalculate whether you qualify for Pension Credit under the new Standard Minimum Guarantee. Our Pension Credit estimator gives a worked estimate, but check the final figure against the DWP 2026/27 table until every calculator rate has been refreshed.
3. If you budget on the benefit cap, remember it has been frozen for a third consecutive year. A larger share of households will be capped in 2026-27 than in 2025-26.
4. If you are not claiming a benefit you now qualify for, run the triage tool — the uplift may push certain means-tested entitlements into range.