Glossary · UK
What is Benefits Cap?
A government limit on the total weekly welfare benefits a household can receive, applied to most working-age claimants.
Full Definition
The Benefits Cap is a government limit on the total amount of welfare benefits a working-age household can receive each week. For 2026/27, the weekly caps are: families and couples with children outside London -- GBP 442.31; families and couples with children in London -- GBP 525.98; single adults without children outside London -- GBP 296.35; single adults without children in London -- GBP 352.87. Where a household's benefits exceed the cap, their Universal Credit (or Housing Benefit for legacy claimants) is reduced by the excess. Certain benefits are exempt from the cap and their receipt also exempts the household: Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (support group), Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, and Industrial Injuries Benefit. Households where a claimant receives Working Tax Credit (or earns enough hours under UC) are exempt. The cap was introduced in 2013 and is uprated periodically.