2026-27 benefit uprating confirmed: what changes in April

What changed

Parliament has approved the 2026-27 Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order. The Order gives legal effect to the headline figures announced by the Secretary of State in November 2025 and applies from Monday 7 April 2026 (the first Monday of the 2026-27 tax year).

The main figures:

• Universal Credit standard allowance — up 3.8% (September 2025 CPI). Single, 25+ rate: £408.82 a month.
• Personal Independence Payment — daily living enhanced £110.40/wk; mobility enhanced £77.05/wk.
• State Pension — triple lock uplift of 4.1%. New State Pension full rate becomes £238.30/wk (£12,391.60/yr).
• Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee — £235.20/wk single, £358.40 couple.
• Housing Benefit personal allowances — up 3.8% in line with CPI; non-dependant deductions rise on the same basis.
• Benefit cap — held at 2023-24 levels (£22,020 outside London, £25,323 inside London; £14,753 single outside). The cap remains unindexed.

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 7 April 2026. Claimants on legacy benefits (income-based JSA/ESA, Income Support) are uprated on the same day.

The triple lock uplift for the State Pension (4.1%) is significantly higher than CPI (3.8%) this year because July 2025 earnings growth came in above inflation. The gap between the working-age CPI uplift and the pensioner earnings uplift has been the headline policy debate of the uprating round.

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

7 April 2026. Specifically, the new rates apply from the start of the first assessment period that begins on or after that date. For Universal Credit, this means your next assessment period starting after 7 April will use the new rates for the full period — so your first payment at the new rate typically lands around 5-6 weeks later. For weekly benefits (State Pension, legacy ESA, Housing Benefit), the uplift applies from the start of the benefit week containing or following 7 April.

What to do

1. Check your award statement from the first assessment period starting on or after 7 April. 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 is updated for 2026-27.
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.