ALT https://www.jrf.org.uk/social-security/guarantee-our-essentials-reforming-universal-credit-to-ensure-we-can-all-afford-the Guarantee our Essentials: reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times Written by: Trussell & Joseph Rowntree Foundation 30 Jan 2026 Amount needed to afford essentials for the adults in a household (2026/27) 1. Single (£ per week) 2. Couple (£ per week) Food & non-alcoholic drinks 1. £42 2. £74 Electricity & gas 1. £24 2. £33 Water 1. £7 2. £11 Clothes & shoes 1. £7 2. £11 Communications, incl. phones, internet & postage 1. £8 2. £11 Travel 1. £21 2. £42 Sundries - e.g. toiletries, haircuts, cleaning materials, bank charges 1. £13 2. £20 Total (rounded based on unrounded components) 1. £120 2. £205

ALT https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/22 Universal Credit Act 2025 Standard allowance for tax years 2026-27 to 2029-30 Step 1 Where the tax year is 2027-28, 2028-29 or 2029-30, take the amounts resulting from Step 2 for the previous tax year Step 2 Increase the amounts identified in Step 1 by the relevant CPI % for the tax year Step 3 Increase the amounts resulting from Step 2 by the relevant uplift percentage for the tax year (3) The "relevant CPI %" for a tax year is the percentage by which the consumer prices index for the September before the start of the tax year is higher than it was for the Sept before that (or 0% if it is not higher) (4) The table below sets out the relevant uplift percentage for tax years 2026-27 to 2029-30- Tax year Relevant uplift % 2026-27 2.3% 2027-28 3.1% 2028-29 4.0% 2029-30 4.8%

ALT https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/consumerpriceinflation/september2026 Office for National Statistics Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2026 Release date: 21 October 2026 The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.5% in the 12 months to September 2026, up from 3.1% the previous month.