Millions of Universal Credit claimants will see an increase in their benefit payments next year.
It comes after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed in his autumn statement this week that benefits will rise by September's inflation figure of 6.7 per cent. Mr Hunt confirmed that more than five million households will receive an average increase of £470.
The increase will affect a wide range of benefits including Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, and Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Speaking to MPs, Mr Hunt said: "We will continue to support families in difficulty.”
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He added: “I know there’s been some speculation that we would increase benefits next year by the lower October figure for inflation, but cost-of-living pressures remain at their most acute for the poorest families. So instead, the Government has decided to increase Universal Credit and other benefits from next April by 6.7%, in line with September’s inflation figure."
When Universal Credit payments will increase in 2024
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that the rise will come into effect in April 2024. However, no date has been set in stone so it's not yet clear when in April this will take place.
To understand how much your specific Universal Credit could go up, we've broken it down below.
| Universal Credit (UC) benefit type | 2023/24 amount | 2024/25 amount | Increase in benefit amount |
| UC, single, aged 25+ | £368.74 | £393.45 | £24.71 |
| UC, single, aged 25+ with limited capability for work and work-related activity | £758.80 | £809.64 | £50.84 |
| UC, single, aged 25+ and one child (born on or after 6 April 2017) | £638.32 | £681.37 | £43.05 |
| UC, couple, at least one adult 25+ and two children (born on or after 6 April 2017) | £1,117.98 | £1,193.44 | £75.46 |
