In a significant welfare expansion, the Department for Work and Pensions has increased Universal Credit eligibility, extending a benefit worth £1,310 a month to an additional one million claimants.
This milestone highlights growing reliance on state support amid economic challenges.
Key Facts & Figures
| Statistic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Monthly payment for couples with children | Approximately £1,310 per month |
| Average Universal Credit monthly payment | Around £1,030 in May 2026 |
| Average for single individuals (no children) | About £760 per month |
| Increase in Universal Credit claimants | +1 million in one year |
| Total Universal Credit recipients | Around 8 million currently claiming |
Explaining the Expansion
1. Who Benefits and How Much?
The £1,310 monthly figure applies to couples with children, highlighting a high support level for families. In contrast, single claimants without kids receive around £760 a month, while the overall average Universal Credit payment stands at £1,030 as of May 2025. These adjustments underline how claim amounts differ significantly depending on household composition.
2. Surge in Claimants
Universal Credit households have grown from 6.9 million to approximately 8 million within a year—reflecting an increase of over one million claimants. This sharp rise underscores widening economic pressures and the increasing role of social support.
3. Economic Underpinnings
Financial analysts point to the rise in claimants not as inertia, but as a stark indicator of hardworking individuals and families struggling to make ends meet—with 34% of claimants reportedly in work yet unable to earn enough to stay afloat.
4. Implications for Policy and Public Finances
The surge places extra strain on government welfare budgets and raises policy challenges—especially in supporting growing numbers of needful claimants while encouraging employment.
The DWP’s expansion of Universal Credit to include an extra million families, especially those receiving £1,310 a month, spotlights both the scale of economic strain facing families and the government’s response in widening social support.
With claimants rising to approximately 8 million, this policy move is a clear indicator of shifting welfare needs and raises urgent questions about long-term economic and social sustainability.
FAQs
The £1,310 monthly rate applies to couples with children who are eligible under DWP rules, now numbering an additional one million claimants in the last year.
As of May 2026, the average monthly payment across all Universal Credit recipients is approximately £1,030.
More than one million additional people have claimed Universal Credit in just one year—often because even employed individuals and families are invalidly under-earning and rely on the benefit to survive.
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