What changed in April 2026: benefits, wages and tax thresholds

51 rates in this archive have a published value for April 2026: 33 went up, 17 stayed the same and 1 went down compared with the value before. ONS CPI inflation for calendar year 2025 was 3.4%. Each value is from the official document linked in the last column.

Rate	Before	From April 2026	Change	Source
Basic State Pension	£176.45	£184.90	+4.8%	DWP rates 2026
New State Pension	£230.25	£241.30	+4.8%	DWP rates 2026
Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee	£227.10	£238.00	+4.8%	DWP rates 2026
Universal Credit standard allowance	£400.14	£424.90	+6.2%	DWP rates 2026
Jobseeker's Allowance (contribution-based)	£92.05	£95.55	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Employment and Support Allowance	£92.05	£95.55	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Income Support personal allowance	£92.05	£95.55	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Attendance Allowance	£110.40	£114.60	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Carer's Allowance	£83.30	£86.45	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Personal Independence Payment: daily living	£110.40	£114.60	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Personal Independence Payment: mobility	£77.05	£80.00	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Disability Living Allowance: care	£110.40	£114.60	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Disability Living Allowance: mobility	£77.05	£80.00	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Maternity Allowance	£187.18	£194.32	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Statutory Maternity Pay	£187.18	£194.32	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Statutory Sick Pay	£118.75	£123.25	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Universal Credit child element	£339.00	£351.88	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Universal Credit LCWRA element	£423.27	£217.26	-48.7%	DWP rates 2026
Universal Credit carer element	£201.68	£209.34	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Universal Credit disabled child addition	£158.76	£164.79	+3.8%	DWP rates 2026
Benefit cap	£22,020	£22,020	–	DWP rates 2026
National Living Wage (adult minimum wage)	£12.21	£12.71	+4.1%	Low Pay Commission
Minimum wage for 18 to 20 year olds	£10.00	£10.85	+8.5%	Low Pay Commission
Minimum wage for under 18s	£7.55	£8.00	+6.0%	Low Pay Commission
Apprentice minimum wage	£7.55	£8.00	+6.0%	Low Pay Commission
Minimum wage accommodation offset	£10.66	£11.10	+4.1%	Low Pay Commission
Personal Allowance	£12,570	£12,570	–	HMRC Table A.1
Blind Person's Allowance	£3,130	£3,250	+3.8%	HMRC Table A.1
Dividend Allowance	£500	£500	–	HMRC Table A.1
Personal Savings Allowance	£1,000	£1,000	–	HMRC Table A.1
Married Couple's Allowance	£11,270	£11,700	+3.8%	HMRC Table A.1
Income Tax basic rate band	£37,700	£37,700	–	HMRC Table A.2
Basic rate of Income Tax	20%	20%	–	HMRC Table A.2
Higher rate of Income Tax	40%	40%	–	HMRC Table A.2
Additional rate threshold	£125,140	£125,140	–	HMRC Table A.2
Additional rate of Income Tax	45%	45%	–	HMRC Table A.2
National Insurance Lower Earnings Limit	£125	£129	+3.2%	HMRC Table A.4
National Insurance Primary Threshold	£242	£242	–	HMRC Table A.4
National Insurance Secondary Threshold	£96	£96	–	HMRC Table A.4
National Insurance Upper Earnings Limit	£967	£967	–	HMRC Table A.4
Employee National Insurance rate	8.00%	8.00%	–	HMRC Table A.4
Employer National Insurance rate	15.00%	15.00%	–	HMRC Table A.4
Class 2 National Insurance	£3.50	£3.65	+4.3%	HMRC Table A.4
Class 3 voluntary National Insurance	£17.75	£18.40	+3.7%	HMRC Table A.4
Class 4 National Insurance	6.00%	6.00%	–	HMRC Table A.4
Pension annual allowance	£60,000	£200,000	+233.3%	HMRC pension rates
Money purchase annual allowance	£10,000	£10,000	–	HMRC pension rates
Student loan Plan 1 repayment threshold	£26,065	£26,900	+3.2%	HMRC thresholds 2026
Student loan Plan 2 repayment threshold	£28,470	£29,385	+3.2%	HMRC thresholds 2026
Student loan Plan 4 repayment threshold	£32,745	£33,795	+3.2%	HMRC thresholds 2026
Postgraduate loan repayment threshold	£21,000	£21,000	–	HMRC thresholds 2026

Benefit rates are weekly or monthly as shown on each rate's page; Income Tax and National Insurance thresholds are for the tax year starting on 6 April. Rates that HMRC or DWP had not published for April 2026 when we read the documents are left out.

Sources and receipts

Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, Department for Work and Pensions. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 c9ecaacbc351d6d9558982356f12251224815e34b4d00747f2a3b40f7a598b01
Data tables for the Low Pay Commission 2025 Report (Historic rates of the NMW/NLW), Low Pay Commission. File: 2025_Main_Report_Data.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 bd0c10dc42bc04d5af09792731464b9549f971a3ff36f9c2ddf0ee69281f08ee
Table A.1 Income Tax personal allowances and reliefs, HM Revenue and Customs. File: Table_a1_-_Income_Tax_-_personal_allowances_and_reliefs.ods. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 5b91e2bb93f0bc69c36a8dacb5605497fe169b5632dc4bdef255502daed8bde4
Table A.2 Rates of Income Tax, HM Revenue and Customs. File: Table_a2_-_Income_Tax_-_rates_and_allowances.ods. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 31281efc152adf8c0e8ab56f73dcb80282f9542ec83b0289c93cd279dbb7eba2
Table A.4 Main features of National Insurance contributions, HM Revenue and Customs. File: Table_a4_-_National_Insurance_Contributions_-_rates_and_allowances.ods. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 0928355419d32ea47fd79cc7e2774e59b3559f7cbcd0a954d4d7abc573ce744d
Pension schemes rates and allowances, HM Revenue and Customs. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 7a60a053f59ecfa10ced0de7afec46b4083bcd98ed9d1e0a6387eadc14c013ce
Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, HM Revenue and Customs. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 aaa2e36fbe3668b61363362250a4697273a7b8394bcdfa6109e1c434c0da9e70
Consumer price inflation time series (MM23), Office for National Statistics. File: mm23.csv. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256 1b78749ea634755b83064d88f4fc6f7dd177e0c41d8b573c9d8172b8d3fff641