UK Benefit Rates 2026/27

UK benefit rates 2026/27 — the complete table

UK benefit rates for 2026/27 rose by 3.8% from 6 April 2026, in line with the September 2025 CPI figure. The full New State Pension is now £241.30 a week (up from £230.25), Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25, statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay are all £194.32, and Child Benefit is £27.05 for the eldest child. Every figure below is the rate published by the Department for Work and Pensions for the 2026/27 tax year — weekly unless stated.

Click any payment for a calculator that works out what you would actually receive, including eligibility, tapering and how long it is paid for.

How and when the rates change

Most working-age benefits and statutory payments are uprated each April by the Consumer Prices Index for the previous September. For 2026/27 that was 3.8%, which is why almost every figure in the table above rose by exactly that. The new rates take effect from 6 April 2026 and run to 5 April 2027 — although in practice most people see the increase in the first full payment period after that date, not on the day itself.

The State Pension is different. It is protected by the triple lock, which raises it by whichever is highest of average earnings growth, September CPI, or 2.5%. That is why the New State Pension rose by more than the standard uprating in several recent years, and why it has pulled steadily ahead of working-age benefits.

What did not change

Not everything moves. The benefit cap is frozen at £25,323 a year in Greater London and £22,020 elsewhere for a couple or a single parent with children. The capital limits that decide means-tested entitlement are unchanged: £16,000 upper limit, £6,000 disregarded. The Bereavement Support Payment lump sums stay at £2,500 and £3,500. And the income tax thresholds that determine how much of your income is taxed before benefits are even considered remain frozen at £12,570 and £50,270 — see the UK tax thresholds for 2026/27. That freeze is why a 3.8% rise in your payment does not always mean 3.8% more in your pocket.

Statutory pay — the earnings threshold nobody mentions

SMP, SPP, SAP, shared parental pay and neonatal pay all rose to £194.32 a week — but they are only payable if your average weekly earnings are at least the lower earnings limit, which rose from £125 to £129 a week for 2026/27. Earn below that and you get nothing, no matter how long you have worked. For maternity specifically, if you fall below the SMP threshold you may still qualify for Maternity Allowance at the same £194.32 rate, paid by the DWP rather than your employer — a route a lot of low-paid and self-employed parents never find out about. Note too that SMP, SAP and Maternity Allowance run for 39 weeks; SSP for a maximum of 28 weeks; statutory paternity pay for just 2 weeks.

The rise in cash, not percentages

A 3.8% increase sounds abstract. In money: the full New State Pension is £574.60 a year better off. A household on both PIP components at the enhanced rate gains £371.80 a year. Someone on Carer's Allowance gains £163.80. A parent with two children gains £85.80 from Child Benefit. Someone signed off sick for the full 28 weeks of SSP receives £126 more than they would have last year. Whether that keeps pace with your own costs is a different question — but those are the actual numbers.

How to check what you are entitled to

Knowing the headline rate is not the same as knowing your entitlement. Means-tested payments taper as your income and capital rise; PIP and Attendance Allowance depend on a points-based assessment, not your income at all; and Pension Credit is famously under-claimed, with hundreds of thousands of eligible pensioners never applying. Use the individual calculators linked in the table to model your own position, then check the official position on GOV.UK. If you are close to a threshold, it is worth being precise: a few pounds of extra income can cost more in withdrawn benefit than it adds in pay.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the State Pension in 2026/27?

The full New State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27, up from £230.25 — an increase of £11.05 a week, or £574.60 over a full year. The old basic State Pension (Category A or B) is £184.90 a week, up from £176.45.

How much did benefits go up in April 2026?

Most working-age benefits and statutory payments rose by 3.8% from 6 April 2026, in line with September 2025 CPI. The State Pension is uprated separately under the triple lock — the highest of earnings growth, CPI or 2.5%.

What is the Statutory Sick Pay rate for 2026/27?

Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25 a week for 2026/27, up from £118.75. It is paid for a maximum of 28 weeks, and only if your average weekly earnings are at least the lower earnings limit of £129.

How much is Child Benefit in 2026/27?

Child Benefit is £27.05 a week for the eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child. That is £1,406.60 a year for one child, rising to £2,337.40 for two.

What are the PIP rates for 2026/27?

PIP daily living is £114.60 a week at the enhanced rate and £76.70 at the standard rate. PIP mobility is £80.00 enhanced and £30.30 standard. Someone on both enhanced components receives £194.60 a week.

Did the benefit cap go up in 2026/27?

No. The benefit cap is frozen at £25,323 a year in Greater London and £22,020 in the rest of Great Britain for couples and single parents with children. The capital limits — £16,000 upper, £6,000 disregarded — are also unchanged.

Source: all rates from GOV.UK – Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (Department for Work and Pensions). Child Benefit rates from GOV.UK – Child Benefit: what you'll get. Income tax thresholds from GOV.UK – Income Tax rates and allowances. Rates apply from 6 April 2026.