Universal Credit Calculator

Universal Credit adds up a standard allowance and several elements, then takes money off as earnings rise, so it's hard to guess an award in your head. This calculator walks through it on one page. You choose single or couple, then answer about rent, children you're responsible for, what a Work Capability Assessment has decided, caring, take-home pay and savings. The estimate updates as you go and shows a monthly, weekly, fortnightly and yearly figure, with the maximum award and how much was taken off. A single person aged 25 or over with no rent and no earnings comes out at £424.90 a month, which matches the standard allowance the site lists.

The site says it builds in every element, threshold and deduction that changes the answer. It carries the 2026/27 Local Housing Allowance rates for 200 areas, the 14% and 25% under-occupancy reductions, the work allowance and 55% taper, the capital rules, the benefit cap and a 15% cap on deductions. It also says the two-child limit ended on 6 April 2026, so it pays a child element for every child, and it links the GOV.UK pages it relied on.

There are 26 calculators in all, including separate ones for the health element, the child element, housing and the benefit cap, plus 66 guides on topics such as how the taper works, bedroom allowances, payment dates and deductions. The home page gives the rate year, the date the figures were last checked (September 7, 2026) and the name of the researcher who maintains them, which makes it easy to see whether the numbers are current.

The result is an estimate. The terms say the site isn't the Department for Work and Pensions and isn't affiliated with DWP, GOV.UK or any government body, and that its figures aren't financial or legal advice. Sanctions, deductions and unreported changes can all change what reaches your account, and DWP decides the actual award. It's a good way to prepare for a claim or a change in circumstances, but check anything important with DWP or an adviser such as Citizens Advice, which the site links in its footer.

The privacy policy, updated October 10, 2026, says every calculator runs in your browser and that your income, rent, savings, health condition and household details aren't sent to a server or kept after you close the tab. There's no account, so a calculation can't be recovered later. The site uses Google Analytics 4 and shows ads through Mediavine, whose partners may use cookies and device details for interest-based advertising, and there's a consent notice for that. No company is named as the operator. The footer gives a postal address in London.