Benefit rates uprated for 2026

Universal Credit, Pension Credit and the majority of other benefits are uprated on 13 April 2026, according to the independent benefits calculator service Entitledto¹. The date is the first Monday after 6 April, the start of the tax year, which is when Universal Credit and Pension Credit rates normally increase¹.

Not every benefit changes on the same day. Entitledto sets out separate dates for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, which are timed to the new Council Tax year and the week in which many rents change¹.

Entitledto states the general rule behind the April dates:

The same page notes that "Benefit and tax rates change every April"¹. The uprating applies to the 2026/27 tax and benefit year, which Entitledto's year selector covers alongside 2025/26¹.

The sources do not give the percentage increase applied for 2026/27, nor the new cash amounts for individual elements such as the standard allowance or the housing element. Those figures have not been reported here. The guide to how rates rise each April covers uprating, the Consumer Prices Index and past freezes.

Why it matters for households

Anyone receiving Universal Credit or Pension Credit sees the new amounts applied from 13 April 2026, so the first payment at the higher rate depends on when in the assessment period that date falls. Claimants whose assessment period straddles 13 April will have part of that period paid at the old rate and part at the new one, because Universal Credit is assessed over a monthly period rather than by calendar month. The guide to choosing a claim date when working explains how assessment periods are set.

For Housing Benefit claimants, the date depends on how rent is paid: 1 April 2026 where rent is monthly, and 6 April 2026 where it is weekly or a multiple of a week¹. Council Tax Reduction changes on 1 April 2026¹, which is when the new Council Tax year begins, so the reduction shown on a Council Tax bill for 2026/27 reflects the new rates from the start of that bill.

Mixed age couples, students and people moving across from legacy benefits each have their own rules about which benefit applies and when rates change. The benefits guide sets out the main working age and pension age benefits, and the benefits hub lists the individual guides.

What happens next

Entitledto's page does not state any further change dates beyond April 2026¹. The percentage uprating and the resulting cash amounts for 2026/27 have not been reported in the sources.