Administrative Earnings Threshold rises to £743 and £1,189 per month

The Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) in Universal Credit increased to £743 per month for single people and £1,189 per month for couples in April 2024, according to a benefits changes timetable published by the charity Turn2us¹. The same timetable records a further increase to £892 per month for single people and £1,437 per month for couples in May 2024¹.

The AET is the amount a claimant is allowed to earn before work-related conditions apply. Turn2us lists both increases as separate monthly entries in its 2024 timetable, which was last reviewed on 25 February 2025¹.

A separate guide from One Parent Families Scotland, last updated on 17 February 2026, describes a later change to the same threshold, saying it "has increased from £892 per month to £952 per month for individual claimants"². That page does not give a date for the change, and the two organisations are describing different points in time rather than disagreeing about a single figure¹.

The same Turn2us timetable sets out other changes during 2024. Working parents of two year olds became able to access 15 hours of free childcare from April 2024, and from September 2024 that entitlement was extended to all children from the age of nine months¹. From September 2024, people above State Pension age who get Tax Credits began to receive migration notices to apply for Universal Credit or Pension Credit, and people on income-related ESA, ESA with Housing Benefit, income-based JSA, or JSA with Housing Benefit began to receive Universal Credit migration notices from October 2024¹.

In Scotland, Carer's Allowance claimants were transferred to Carer Support Payment from February 2024, with the new benefit available nationally from November 2024¹. Attendance Allowance in Scotland is being replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, available in five council areas from 21 October 2024 and across Scotland in April 2025¹. The government extended the £2,500 surplus earnings threshold within Universal Credit until March 2024¹.

Source: Turn2us, Benefits Changes Timetable 2024¹

Why it matters for households

The AET determines when a Universal Credit claimant is placed in a higher or lower conditionality group, which affects how much contact they have with the jobcentre and what work-related requirements they must meet. One Parent Families Scotland states that a claimant earning below the threshold "will be expected to look for more work"². Its guide says single parents whose youngest child is three and who are not in paid employment are now required to seek employment or face potential sanctions, and that single parents in paid employment with children aged between 3 and 12 are expected to work at least 30 hours per week to receive Universal Credit².

Anyone claiming Universal Credit must complete a claimant commitment with their work coach before receiving payments, and the guide lists activities such as attending job interviews, actively seeking employment, participating in training programmes and taking part in work experience². It states that failing to meet these requirements without a valid reason can mean Universal Credit payments are reduced or stopped temporarily, which is called a sanction². The guide also notes that as earnings rise, Universal Credit gradually decreases².

What happens next

The Turn2us timetable records the April and May 2024 AET increases as dated steps, with the May figure of £892 for single people and £1,437 for couples following the April figures¹. One Parent Families Scotland reports a later figure of £952 per month for individual claimants but does not state when it took effect². Further changes to the AET beyond those reported have not been reported in these sources.