Administrative Earnings Threshold rises to £892 and £1,437 per month

The Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) in Universal Credit rose to £892 per month for single people and £1,437 per month for couples in May 2024, according to a benefits changes timetable published by Turn2us¹. The same timetable records an earlier increase, in April 2024, to £743 per month for single people and £1,189 per month for couples¹.

The AET is the amount a claimant is allowed to earn before work-related conditions apply. Turn2us lists both the April and May 2024 figures as separate entries in its month-by-month timetable of planned changes to the benefits system¹.

A separate page on conditionality and sanctions, published by One Parent Families Scotland and last updated on 17 February 2026, states that the AET "has increased from £892 per month to £952 per month for individual claimants", so that anyone earning below that level is expected to look for more work². That page does not give a date for the change to £952, and the two sources do not cover the same period: Turn2us records the position as at May 2024, while the One Parent Families Scotland page describes a later figure for individual claimants¹.

The same page sets out other conditionality rules for single parents claiming Universal Credit. A single parent who is not in paid employment and whose youngest child is aged 3 is required to seek employment or face potential sanctions². A single parent in paid employment with children aged between 3 and 12 is expected to work at least 30 hours per week to receive Universal Credit². The page states that the earnings threshold used to test whether a job pays enough is based on the equivalent of working a 35-hour week on the National Minimum Wage when the youngest child turns 13².

Anyone receiving Universal Credit must complete a claimant commitment with their work coach before payments begin, according to the same page. Work-related requirements it lists include attending job interviews, actively seeking employment, participating in training programmes and taking part in work experience. Where those requirements are not met without a valid reason, Universal Credit payments may be reduced or stopped temporarily, which the page describes as a sanction².

Why it matters for households

The AET determines when a Universal Credit claimant earning from work is moved into a higher or lower level of work-related conditionality. For a single claimant, the threshold stood at £892 per month from May 2024¹; the later figure reported for individual claimants is £952 per month². Couples were subject to a threshold of £1,437 per month from May 2024¹. Claimants earning below the applicable threshold can be expected to look for more work, which may include asking an employer for more hours, looking for an extra job, finding a new job or attending regular job centre appointments². For single parents, the age of the youngest child determines when work-related requirements begin: age 3 for those not in paid employment, and a 30-hour week expectation for those in paid employment with children aged 3 to 12². Failure to meet requirements without a valid reason can lead to a reduction or temporary stop in Universal Credit payments².

What happens next

The Turn2us timetable lists further changes during 2024 and 2025, including the extension of 15 hours of free childcare to all children from the age of nine months from September 2024, and migration notices for people above State Pension age who receive Tax Credits from September 2024¹. It also records that people on income-related ESA, ESA with Housing Benefit, income-based JSA and JSA with Housing Benefit will begin to receive Universal Credit migration notices from October 2024¹. No date has been reported for the change to the £952 figure for individual claimants².