Universal Credit is the main working-age means-tested benefit in the UK, combining housing support, child elements, childcare support, health elements and basic living costs into a single monthly payment. This hub brings together the main calculators and guides so you can move from a quick estimate to a detailed understanding.
Use the main estimator first, then move into the worked examples and explainers that match the change you are trying to understand.
Estimate monthly Universal Credit using household type, children, housing costs, childcare, earnings and savings. Independent UK estimator.
Check whether your monthly benefits appear to be above the current cap inside or outside Greater London.
See how savings between £6,000 and £16,000 reduce your Universal Credit through the tariff income rule.
See how working more hours affects your Universal Credit award — work allowance, 55% taper and net change per £100 earned.
Estimate possible council tax support using local-bill size, income, benefits and savings. Independent UK checker.
A plain-English guide to how Universal Credit works in 2026/27 — what drives the award, how earnings and savings affect it, and what else to check alongside it.
A practical guide to exactly how savings and capital reduce or stop means-tested support including Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit — with the 2026/27 thresholds explained.
A guide to the kinds of income that commonly affect means-tested benefits and where the rules vary between schemes.
Use these follow-up pages to move from the main estimate into worked examples, explanations and the questions that change awards most often.
A practical guide to the main benefits and support routes available to single parents in the UK — Universal Credit, Child Benefit, childcare help and more.
A guide to UK support for families on a low income — Universal Credit, Child Benefit, childcare help, Free School Meals, Healthy Start and more.
A guide to rent and housing support in the UK — Universal Credit housing costs, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and related help for private and social renters.
Understand the £6,000 and £16,000 UC savings thresholds, how tariff income reduces your award, and what happens at the upper limit.
Understand the work allowance and 55% earnings taper — and see a real example of how earnings of £1,200 versus £1,400 affect the UC award.
Understand how a partner moving in changes Universal Credit, Child Benefit, council tax and other means-tested support — and what to report and when.
Understand how a rent increase affects UC housing costs, the LHA cap, and when the benefit cap becomes relevant.