Step 2: work out your maximum amount
This is an amount for basic needs. It is worked out on a monthly basis and includes a ‘standard allowance’, plus additional amounts (‘elements’) if you have dependent children, certain housing costs or some other additional expenses.
Standard allowance
Your standard allowance is paid at either a single or couple rate.
| Monthly rate |
|---|
Single | |
Under 25 | £311.68 |
25 or over | £393.45 |
Couple | |
Both under 25 | £489.23 |
One or both over 25 | £617.60 |
Additional elements
You get one ‘child element’ for each dependent child who normally lives with you (subject to a ‘two-child limit’ – see below).1Reg 24 UC Regs You get £333.33 a month for your only or oldest child if that child was born before 6 April 2017, and £287.92 a month each for any other child. You get an additional amount for a child who gets child disability payment (CDP), adult disability payment (ADP), personal independence payment (PIP) or has a visual impairment.2Reg 24(2) UC Regs This is paid at £156.11 a month or £487.58 a month if your child gets CDP highest rate care component, ADP or PIP enhanced daily living component or is severely sight impaired or blind. A ‘two-child limit’ was introduced on 6 April 2017.3Reg 24A UC Regs In general, this means that a child element is not payable for a child born on or after 6 April 2017 if you already have two or more children included in your UC award, unless they are covered by an exception – eg, in some adoption and kinship care situations. See the relevant chapter of this Handbook for more information on the exceptions to the two-child limit. There are special rules about when the child element is paid where a child is absent from home. Whether it continues to be paid depends on the circumstances. See the relevant chapter of this Handbook for information on what happens to the child element when a child is away from home. There are also special rules which mean that some people cannot get the child element for a child even though the child is living with them.
You may get an amount for rent or certain service charges if you own your home. This is called the ‘housing costs element’. The amounts are limited and may, for example, not cover all your rent. The restrictions are similar to those in HB (see here). You may be able to get some help from a discretionary housing payment if your housing costs element does not cover all of your rent (see here). See also CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook. For claims that started before 3 April 2017, or are linked to a claim which existed before that date, if you have limited capability for work you get the ‘limited capabilty for work element’ of £156.11 a month. New claims made from 3 April 2017 do not include the limited capability for work element. For more details about these rules, see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook. Alternatively, if you have limited capability for work-related activity, you get a ‘limited capability for work-related activity element’ of £416.19 a month. The ‘work capability assessment’, which is the test used in ESA, is used to decide whether you should get either of these elements.
You get a ‘carer element’ of £198.31 a month if you satisfy the rules for carer’s allowance (CA) or carer support payment (CSP) or would satisfy them except that your earnings are too high.4Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs You must be caring for someone who is in receipt of certain disability benefits. Your caring responsibilities must be for at least 35 hours a week. You do not have to have claimed CA/CSP to get the carer element. You cannot get an element for being a carer and an element for your own illness. If you are entitled to both, you only get the one which is higher. You get a ‘childcare element’ if you are working and have childcare costs in respect of a dependent child.5Regs 31-33 UC Regs You can get help with up to 85 per cent of these costs, up to a maximum limit. You must be in paid work and the childcare costs must be necessary to allow you to work. If you have a partner, you must both be in paid work unless your partner is ill, disabled or a carer. You may also be entitled to a ‘transitional SDP element’ if you were entitled to the severe disability premium in your income support, income-related employment and support allowance or income-based jobseeker’s allowance in the month before you claimed UC, and certain other rules apply. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for more information.
‘Managed migration’ is the process of moving people who are still on legacy benefits (see here) to UC. If you move to UC from legacy benefits as part of managed migration you may be entitled to a ‘transitional element’ to protect your level of benefit income at the point of transfer. This may apply if your total amount of legacy benefits, immediately before transfer to UC, is more than your UC entitlement is calculated to be. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for more information. Both the transitional SDP element and the transitional element are eroded as other parts of your maximum UC entitlement increase or are added for the first time.