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Benefits entitlement checker

Universal Credit, Child Benefit and childcare support under 2026/27 rules: what your household could claim, and which combination pays the most. Billions go unclaimed every year; it is worth two minutes.

Step 1 · Your household

Claiming as

Step 2 · Children

Child 1

Step 3 · Income, rent and savings

Estimated support per month

£895.59

About £10,747 a year across the schemes you could claim.

  • Universal Credit£778.37
  • Maximum award (all elements)£1,628.84
  • Earnings taper (55p per £1 above the allowance)−£850.47
  • Child Benefit£117.22
  • Best combination£895.59/mo

Free childcare hours (England)

  • Child aged 9 months to 230 hrs/wk term time

Hours are separate from the figures above and paid to the provider. See the childcare cost calculator for what they are worth on your bill.

Estimates for tax year 2026/27, not a decision on any claim. Net earnings of £1,973.30/month are derived from the salaries entered. Free hours apply in England only. Check gov.uk before making decisions, and claim through gov.uk or Jobcentre Plus.

How this checker works

  • Every figure comes from the published 2026/27 rates on gov.uk: Universal Credit standard allowances and elements, the 55% earnings taper, the £6,000/£16,000 capital rules, the benefit cap, Child Benefit rates with the £60,000 to £80,000 charge taper, the Tax-Free Childcare top-up caps, and the free-hours earnings tests.
  • Net earnings for the Universal Credit taper are derived from the salaries you enter, after income tax, National Insurance and your pension percentage. Student loan repayments do not reduce earnings for UC, so they are ignored here on purpose.
  • The housing element uses your rent figure unchanged. Private rents are capped at the Local Housing Allowance for your area, which this tool does not look up; social tenants may see reductions for spare bedrooms.
  • Out of scope: PIP and other disability benefits, Carer’s Allowance, Council Tax support, sanctions, advance repayments and transitional protection. If any apply to you, a full check will find more than this one.

This is guidance, not advice, and figures are estimates. The only numbers that count are the ones on an official decision, so before acting run the full calculators gov.uk points to and claim through gov.uk.

Common questions

How is Universal Credit worked out?
Your maximum award is a standard allowance (£424.90 a month for a single person 25 or over in 2026/27) plus elements for children, childcare, housing, caring and health. Earnings then reduce it by 55p per £1 above any work allowance, savings between £6,000 and £16,000 reduce it further, and £16,000 or more ends entitlement entirely. The benefit cap can trim what is left.
Can I get Universal Credit and Tax-Free Childcare at the same time?
No. Opening a Tax-Free Childcare account ends a Universal Credit claim, so it is an either/or choice. UC covers up to 85% of registered childcare (capped at £1,071.09 a month for one child, £1,836.16 for two or more), while TFC adds 20% up to £500 per child per quarter. This checker works out both routes and shows which pays more for your household.
How much is Child Benefit, and when do I have to pay it back?
In 2026/27 it is £27.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.90 for each other child. If either partner's adjusted net income is over £60,000, the High Income Child Benefit Charge claws back 1% of the benefit per £200 over, reaching 100% at £80,000. Even at full clawback it is worth claiming and opting out of payments, to protect National Insurance credits.
Do savings stop me claiming Universal Credit?
Savings and capital of £16,000 or more end entitlement outright (combined for couples). Below £6,000 they are ignored. In between, every £250 (or part of one) above £6,000 is treated as £4.35 a month of income and comes off the award. The value of the home you live in and your pension pots do not count.
Who gets free childcare hours?
In England, working families get 30 funded hours a week (term time) for children from 9 months until school, if each parent earns the equivalent of 16 hours a week at minimum wage and neither has adjusted net income over £100,000. Every 3 and 4 year old gets 15 universal hours regardless of income. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own schemes.
How accurate is this checker?
It is an estimate built from the published 2026/27 rates, not a decision. It uses banded child ages, does not look up your Local Housing Allowance, and leaves out sanctions, deductions, transitional protection and disability benefits like PIP. Before acting, run a full check on gov.uk or a charity calculator such as entitledto or Turn2us, and claim through gov.uk.

Digging into one scheme? The guides on how Universal Credit is worked out, Child Benefit over £60,000 and benefits people commonly miss go deeper. The childcare cost calculator turns free hours into pounds on your nursery bill, and the budget planner fits the award into your month.