Estimated monthly Universal Credit: £425. Universal Credit plus earnings £425 per month.
Based on your circumstances, you'd get an estimated £425 a month in Universal Credit.
≈ £5,099 a year in Universal Credit, paid monthly.
If you earn more
With no work allowance, each additional £1 of earnings counted for Universal Credit normally reduces your UC by 55p. While this taper applies, your combined earnings and UC increase by 45p. Your UC would reach £0 at about £773 a month. Earning £100 more a month would raise your earnings plus UC by £45.00, from £425 to £470.
Other benefits, deductions and work-related costs can affect your overall household finances.
Your UC elements
How your payment is calculated
| Maximum UC | £424.90 |
| Monthly UC payment | £424.90 |
Better off in work?
Within this Universal Credit-only calculation, working more increases your total income. The total income column keeps rising at every earnings level — you just keep less of each extra pound as UC tapers away. Your wider household position can also depend on income tax, Council Tax Reduction, childcare, the benefit cap and housing support.
| Monthly earnings | UC | Total income | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 · you | £425 | £425 | — |
| £500 | £150 | £650 | +£225 |
| £1,000 | £0 | £1,000 | +£350 |
| £1,500 | £0 | £1,500 | +£500 |
| £2,000 | £0 | £2,000 | +£500 |
| £2,500 | £0 | £2,500 | +£500 |
The change column is the actual difference from the row above: 45p per extra £1 while the taper applies, and more where part of a step falls below your work allowance or beyond the point where your UC stops. Your UC stops once your earnings used for UC reach about £773/month (net earnings — your pay after tax and National Insurance).
Example households at your earnings
At your £0/mo earnings. Tap to load a household — your other details stay the same.
How much Universal Credit will I get if I earn £1,000 a month?
It depends on who is in your household, whether you get help with housing costs and whether you have a work allowance. These examples use 2026/27 rates and £1,000 of earnings counted for Universal Credit in one monthly assessment period. For an employee, that is take-home pay after Income Tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
| Household | Single, 25 or over, no children | Single parent, 25+, one child | Single parent, 25+, one child, £800 rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings used for UC | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Housing costs | None | None | £800 rent |
| Maximum UC | £424.90 | £728.84 | £1,528.84 |
| Work allowance | £0 | £710 | £427 |
| Less 55% of earnings above the allowance | −£550.00 | −£159.50 | −£315.15 |
| Estimated monthly UC | £0.00 | £569.34 | £1,213.69 |
With no children or health condition there is no work allowance, so 55% of every pound counts: £550.00 is more than the £424.90 standard allowance, which leaves no Universal Credit.
Assumptions: the child was born after 6 April 2017, and there are no savings, childcare costs, health or carer elements or other income. The £800 rent is counted in full here. Real help with housing can be lower: it is capped by the Local Housing Allowance if you rent privately, and the benefit cap and non-dependant deductions are not applied. If you are paid £1,000 a month before deductions, you normally pay no Income Tax or National Insurance at that level, so the figure UC uses is close to £1,000, less any workplace pension contribution.
Universal Credit at different monthly earnings
These examples compare five amounts of earnings counted for Universal Credit in one monthly assessment period. They use three fixed household situations and 2026/27 rates. For employed earnings, use the amount counted for UC after Income Tax, National Insurance and eligible pension deductions, rather than your salary before deductions.
| Monthly earnings used for UC | Single, 25 or over, no children | Single parent, 25+, one child | Single parent, 25+, one child, £800 rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| £500 | £149.90 | £728.84 | £1,488.69 |
| £1,000 | £0.00 | £569.34 | £1,213.69 |
| £1,500 | £0.00 | £294.34 | £938.69 |
| £2,000 | £0.00 | £19.34 | £663.69 |
| £2,500 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £388.69 |
All examples are for a single adult aged 25 or over. In the parent examples, the child was born after 6 April 2017. There are no savings, childcare costs, health or carer elements, or other income. The housing example assumes £800 of rent is included in full. Actual housing support can be lower because of Local Housing Allowance limits and other rules. This calculator does not apply the benefit cap or non-dependant deductions.
A salary of £2,500 before deductions is not the same as £2,500 of earnings counted for UC. Check the earnings figure used in your assessment period before comparing your situation.
Estimated UC for this example: £149.90 a month.
This replaces all calculator inputs with the selected example.
How much Universal Credit will I get if I earn £500 a month?
With £500 of earnings counted for UC, these examples give £149.90 for a single adult without children, £728.84 for a single parent without housing support, or £1,488.69 for that parent with £800 of rent counted. The parent without housing support keeps the full award because £500 is below the £710 work allowance.
How much Universal Credit will I get if I earn £1,500 a month?
At £1,500 of earnings counted for UC, the estimated awards are £0.00, £294.34 and £938.69 for the three households shown. A parent can still receive UC at this earnings level because their maximum award and work allowance differ from those of a single adult without children.
How much Universal Credit will I get if I earn £2,000 a month?
At £2,000 of earnings counted for UC, the single-parent example without housing support has £19.34 of UC left. The example with £800 of rent counted has £663.69. The single-adult example without children has £0.00. These figures depend on the assumptions shown above.
How much Universal Credit will I get if I earn £2,500 a month?
Earning £2,500 a month does not automatically mean that everyone gets no Universal Credit. Using £2,500 of earnings counted for UC, our first two examples give £0.00 and £0.00 respectively. The single parent with one child and £800 of rent counted has an estimated award of £388.69. Your household circumstances and housing support can change the result.
Learn which work allowance applies to you, or compare earnings and Universal Credit to explore combined income.
Examples checked against 2026/27 rates on .
Frequently asked questions
How much Universal Credit will I get?
Your award is your maximum Universal Credit — a standard allowance plus any elements for children, childcare, rent, caring or a health condition — minus 55p for every £1 you earn above your work allowance, and minus a deduction for savings over £6,000. For 2026/27 the standard allowance alone is £424.90 a month for a single person 25 or over, or £666.97 for a couple where one or both are 25+. Put your circumstances into the calculator above for a monthly figure.
How much is the Universal Credit standard allowance for 2026/27?
It is £338.58 a month if you are single and under 25, £424.90 if you are single and 25 or over, £528.34 for a couple both under 25, and £666.97 for a couple where one or both are 25 or over. Elements for children, housing, childcare, caring and health are added on top of this.
How much can I earn before Universal Credit stops?
There is no fixed cut-off — UC tapers away gradually. You keep your full award up to your work allowance (£427 a month if you get help with rent, £710 if you do not, and £0 if you have no children or health condition). Above that, every £1 of take-home pay cuts UC by 55p, so your award only reaches zero once your earnings are high enough to taper the whole amount away. The calculator’s “better off in work” table shows your own cut-off point.
How much savings can I have on Universal Credit?
Savings and capital up to £6,000 are ignored completely. Between £6,000 and £16,000, your UC is reduced by £4.35 a month for every £250 (or part of £250) above £6,000. If you have more than £16,000 you are not eligible for Universal Credit at all.
Was the two-child limit abolished?
Yes — from 6 April 2026 the two-child limit no longer applies, so you receive a child element for every dependent child, including third and subsequent children, whenever they were born. The child element is £303.94 a month, or £351.88 for a first child born before 6 April 2017.
Did Universal Credit go up in 2026?
Yes. From 6 April 2026 the standard allowances rose above inflation — a couple where one or both are 25+ went to £666.97 a month, for example — and the two-child limit was abolished. The health element (LCWRA) became two-tier: £217.26 a month for new awards and a protected £429.80 for those who qualified before April 2026. This calculator uses the 2026/27 rates.
Related calculators & guides
Sources — official UK figures
Last reviewed June 2026 against official rates · How we calculate →
This is a simplified estimate for guidance only, using 2026/27 rates. Real Universal Credit depends on a full DWP assessment including the benefit cap, non-dependant deductions, Local Housing Allowance limits on the housing element, and how earnings are reported in your assessment period. The housing figure here uses your entered rent and is not capped by your local LHA rate. For an official check, use the GOV.UK benefits calculators or contact Citizens Advice.