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Chapter 4
Standard allowance
[ch 4: page 30]The standard allowance is the starting point for Universal Credit. It varies depending on your age – with a lower rate for those aged under 25 – and whether you are living on your own or as a couple. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the government announced a £1,000 per year increase in the standard allowance for the duration of the outbreak. For example, the standard allowance for a single Universal Credit claimant (aged 25 and over) increased on 6 April 2020 from £317.82 to £409.89 a month.
The TUC says that is not enough and called for an urgent increase in the basic level of Universal Credit for the duration of the outbreak to 80% of the real living wage – or £260 a week.
The current monthly allowances are set out below:
| Single and under 25 | £342.72 | ||
| Single and 25 or over | £409.89 | ||
| In a couple both under 25 | £489.59 | (per couple) | |
| In a couple and one is 25 or over | £594.04 | (per couple) |