Millions of people claiming benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will not receive their increased payments in April, despite new official rates coming into force.
Why the April increase won't appear until May
The DWP will implement the new, higher benefit rates from Monday, 6 April 2026. However, the majority of claimants will not see this uplift in their bank accounts until the following month.
This delay is due to the standard operating procedure where most benefit payments are made four weeks in arrears. Therefore, the first payments calculated at the new rates will not be issued until May 2026.
How much are benefits increasing by?
The annual uprating sees significant increases across several key benefits. Inflation-linked benefits and tax credits administered by both DWP and HMRC will rise by 3.8%. This increase is in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation recorded in September 2025.
Universal Credit claimants will see an additional boost. Universal Credit standard allowances will receive an extra uplift of 2.3%, as mandated by the Universal Credit Act 2025.
Pensioners are set for the largest percentage increase. The basic and new State Pension will be uprated by 4.8% from April 2026. This rise is linked to the increase in the Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) index for the period May to July 2025.
Long-term impact of uprating decisions
Official parliamentary documents outlining the changes note that while annual uprating decisions may seem incremental, their effect compounds significantly over time. These decisions have substantially altered the real-terms value of benefits and their relationship to average earnings.
The documents highlight a telling comparison: the basic State Pension and basic levels of unemployment support tracked closely from their introduction until the 1970s. Since then, the values have diverged dramatically.
Pensions have been increased by greater amounts following the introduction of earnings links in the 1970s and the more recent triple lock policy. In contrast, support for unemployed people has followed a decades-long downward trend in real value.
The government briefing confirms the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is legally required to conduct an annual review of benefit and State Pension levels. The announced rates will apply for the entire 2026/27 financial year.
