Benefit cap checker
For 2026/27 the benefit cap is about £22,020 a year for couples and lone parents outside London, rising to £25,323 in Greater London, per gov.uk. Single people without children face a lower cap. Earning enough, or getting a qualifying disability or carer benefit, removes the cap entirely; only the Department for Work and Pensions applies it to a real award.
How does the benefit cap work?
The benefit cap sets a ceiling on the total of most working-age benefits, as described on gov.uk. The ceiling depends on household type, couple or lone parent against a single person without children, and on area, since the cap is higher in Greater London. For 2026/27 it is £22,020 a year for a couple or lone parent outside London and £25,323 in London, per gov.uk. A single person without children faces £14,753 outside London or £16,967 in London. If capped benefits add up to more than the ceiling, the excess is usually taken off Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.
How do I avoid the cap by working?
Two routes lift the cap completely under gov.uk rules. The first is earnings: a household earning at or above the monthly threshold, about £881 a month in 2026/27, is exempt from the cap entirely. The second is a qualifying disability or carer benefit, which exempts the household outright regardless of earnings. Because both routes are all-or-nothing, they are worth checking carefully before assuming a household is capped.
| Household | Greater London | Outside London |
|---|---|---|
| Couple or lone parent | £25,323 | £22,020 |
| Single, no children | £16,967 | £14,753 |
What does the worked example show?
A couple outside London getting £2,000 a month in capped benefits, with no earnings and no exempt benefit, is compared with the £1,835 monthly cap. Their benefits are about £165 over it, so that amount is estimated to be taken off, leaving roughly £1,835. Earning at least £881 a month would remove the cap, though only the Department for Work and Pensions applies the cap to a real award.
Common questions
What is the benefit cap?
The benefit cap is a limit on the total amount of certain working-age benefits a household can get. For 2026/27 it is about £25,323 a year for couples and lone parents in Greater London, £22,020 outside London, and lower for single people without children at £16,967 in London and £14,753 outside.
How do I avoid the cap by working?
If your household earns at or above the monthly earnings threshold, about £881 a month in 2026/27, the cap does not apply at all. This is the main way working households escape it. It is a cliff edge on exemption, so earning just over the line lifts the cap on your whole award.
Which benefits are exempt?
Getting certain benefits exempts your whole household from the cap. These include Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, the Universal Credit health element for limited capability for work and work-related activity, Carer's Allowance and the UC carer element, and some others. If any apply, tick the exemption box.
How is the cap actually applied?
The cap is applied by reducing your Universal Credit, or your Housing Benefit if you get that instead. Your other benefits are paid in full and the reduction is taken from the housing or UC part. There is also a nine-month grace period if you have recently left work after a spell of steady earnings.
Does the cap count Council Tax and disability benefits?
No. The cap counts benefits like Universal Credit, Child Benefit and Housing Benefit, but not Council Tax Reduction, and not the disability and carer benefits that exempt a household. The total of the capped benefits a household gets should be entered, not every payment received.
How does the benefit cap work?
The benefit cap limits most working-age benefits to a ceiling that depends on household type and area, per gov.uk. For 2026/27 it is £22,020 a year for a couple or lone parent outside London and £25,323 in London, with lower single-person amounts. Amounts above the ceiling are usually taken off Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, not off every benefit in the award.
What does the worked example show?
In the worked example, a couple outside London with £2,000 a month of capped benefits and no earnings or exempt benefit is compared with the monthly cap for their household. The estimated excess is taken off, leaving a reduced monthly total. Earning above the gov.uk monthly threshold, about £881, would remove the cap, though only the Department for Work and Pensions decides the actual award.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.