ESA Rates 2026/27 - How Much Is ESA Per Week?
Updated May 2026 - Based on current UK benefits rules
If you are claiming ESA or the Universal Credit health element, knowing exactly how much you are entitled to is important for financial planning. Here are the current rates for the 2026/27 tax year (from April 2026). Bear in mind that new claims usually start on the ESA assessment-phase rate (first 13 weeks) before you are placed in a group and the rates below apply in full.
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| Component | Weekly rate | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Personal allowance (single, 25+) | £95.55 | £4,969 |
| Support Group component | £50.35 | £2,618 |
| Total Support Group | £145.90 | £7,587 |
| WRAG component (pre-April 2017 claims only) | £33.70 | £1,752 |
| WRAG (post-April 2017 claims) | £0 (personal allowance only) | £4,969 |
Universal Credit Health Element Rates
| Element | Monthly rate | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| LCW element | ~£156 | ~£1,872 |
| LCWRA - existing claimants (pre-April 2025) | £429.80 | £5,158 |
| LCWRA - new claimants (from April 2025) | £217.26 | £2,607 |
What Affects Your ESA Rate?
Which group you are in
The Support Group (LCWRA) pays significantly more than the Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG/LCW). If you believe you should be in the Support Group, see our guide on how to qualify for the Support Group.
Your age
ESA personal allowance is lower if you are under 25 (£75.30/week vs £95.55/week for 25+).
Your partner
If you have a partner, your joint income and savings are considered. On Universal Credit, both partners' circumstances affect the overall award.
Other income
Occupational pensions over £85/week reduce ESA pound for pound. PIP does not affect ESA. Savings over £6,000 reduce UC (over £16,000 disqualifies you).
ESA vs Working
The value of a successful ESA claim is substantial. The Support Group pays £7,587/year in legacy ESA, or £5,158/year in UC LCWRA for existing claimants. Over 3 years, that is £15,000-£22,000. Getting the right words on your form is worth investing in.
When Are ESA Rates Changing?
ESA rates are usually uprated every April in line with inflation. The next uprating will be in April 2027. The government has also announced plans to abolish the WCA entirely from April 2028, replacing it with a PIP-based system. Until then, current rates and rules apply.
Why the Group You Are Placed In Decides Almost Everything
The figures in the tables above make one thing very clear: the gap between the two outcomes of the Work Capability Assessment is large, and it lasts for as long as your award does. The Work Capability Assessment is the test that decides which group you fall into, so understanding how that test works is really a financial decision as much as a medical one.
The assessment measures limited capability for work by scoring you across 17 activities. You need 15 points or more, added up across both the physical activities and the mental, cognitive and intellectual activities, to be found to have limited capability for work at all. Reaching that threshold gets you into the system, but on a post-April 2017 ESA claim it puts you in the Work-Related Activity Group, which on its own no longer carries an extra component - you receive only the personal allowance.
The higher amount comes from being placed in the Support Group (called LCWRA in Universal Credit). You reach it by a separate route: meeting one of the Schedule 3 descriptors, scoring 15 points on a single Support Group activity, or qualifying under the substantial-risk rule. Because the Support Group pays the support component on top and removes all work-related requirements, the difference over the life of an award can run into thousands of pounds. That is why how you describe your limitations on the ESA50 or UC50 form, and at any assessment, has such a direct effect on what you are paid.
A Worked Example of the Money Over Time
It helps to see the numbers stretched over a realistic period rather than as a single weekly figure. Take a single adult aged over 25 on legacy ESA.
- Work-Related Activity Group (post-2017 claim): personal allowance only, around £95.55 a week. Over a year that is roughly £4,969.
- Support Group: £95.55 personal allowance plus the £50.35 support component, around £145.90 a week, or roughly £7,587 a year.
The difference is about £50 a week, or close to £2,600 a year. ESA awards commonly run for two or three years before a review, so the same placement decision is worth somewhere in the region of £5,000 to £8,000 in support-component money over the life of a typical award, before any premiums. On Universal Credit the equivalent gap is the difference between the LCW element and the higher LCWRA element. None of these are one-off figures; they repeat every single week you remain in the higher group, which is exactly why it is worth getting the decision right the first time rather than relying on an appeal later.
Premiums and Extra Amounts People Forget to Claim
The headline rates are not always the whole picture, because income-related ESA can include additional premiums that increase the total. These are easy to overlook.
- Enhanced disability premium can be payable to people in the Support Group, increasing the weekly total.
- Severe disability premium can apply if you live alone (or are treated as living alone), receive a qualifying disability benefit such as the PIP daily living component, and no one is paid Carer's Allowance for looking after you.
- Carer premium can apply if you or your partner care for someone.
On top of these premiums, being on ESA can also passport you to help with your council tax bill, which is run separately by your local council and does not appear in the rates above. Our guide to ESA and Council Tax Reduction explains how to claim that reduction alongside your ESA.
This is also why getting PIP can matter even though PIP itself does not reduce your ESA. PIP is a separate, non-means-tested benefit for daily living and mobility costs, and you can receive it at the same time as ESA. Beyond the PIP money itself, being awarded the PIP daily living component can be the qualifying condition that unlocks a premium on income-related ESA. The two benefits assess different things - PIP looks at daily living and getting around, while the WCA looks at capability for work - so it is common and entirely correct to claim both. Our guide to claiming ESA and PIP together explains how the two awards interact.
What Reduces Your ESA
Just as some things add to your award, others reduce it, and knowing which is which avoids nasty surprises.
- Occupational and personal pensions over £85 a week reduce ESA by half of the excess above that threshold.
- Savings and capital affect income-related ESA and Universal Credit. On UC, capital over £6,000 reduces your award on a sliding scale, and capital over £16,000 means you cannot claim UC at all. Contribution-based or new-style ESA is not means-tested in this way, so savings do not affect it.
- A partner's income and capital are taken into account for income-related ESA and for Universal Credit, because UC is assessed on a household basis.
If your circumstances change - your pension starts, your savings rise, a partner moves in - report it promptly, because overpayments are normally recovered later. Earnings from a job are treated differently, though, because the rules on permitted work while on ESA let you do a limited amount of paid work without losing your benefit.
Contribution-Based, Income-Related and New Style: Which One Are You On?
The word "ESA" actually covers more than one thing, and which version you are on changes how the rates above apply to you.
- New-style ESA is the version still open to new claimants who have paid enough National Insurance contributions. It is not means-tested, so savings and most other income do not affect it, but the same pension rule applies. It is paid for a limited period in the Work-Related Activity Group but is not time-limited in the Support Group.
- Old contribution-based and income-related ESA are legacy benefits that are closed to most new claims, as people are moved across to Universal Credit. If you are an existing claimant you may still be on one of these, and our guide to contribution-based ESA explains how that version works in more detail.
- The Universal Credit health element is where most new health-related claims now go. The assessment is the same Work Capability Assessment, but the money is paid as the LCW or LCWRA element within your monthly UC award rather than as a separate weekly ESA payment.
If you are unsure which one you are on, your award letters will say, and it is worth checking before assuming any single weekly figure applies to you.
Reform: Why the 2026/27 Rates May Not Last
These rates sit against a backdrop of significant change. The Work Capability Assessment is under reform, with changes already coming in from 2025 and a stated government intention to abolish the WCA from around 2028 and move to a system based on the PIP assessment instead. The two-tier LCWRA rate already reflects this direction of travel: new Universal Credit claimants from April 2025 receive the lower frozen rate of £217.26 a month, while existing claimants and those with certain protected characteristics keep the higher £429.80 a month.
The practical takeaway is that the rules you claim under can depend heavily on timing, and that the current rates and structure should be treated as a snapshot rather than something fixed. Until the reforms actually take effect, the 2026/27 figures and the existing WCA rules continue to apply, and decisions made now are made under the current system. Always confirm the latest position on GOV.UK before relying on any figure, because uprating and reform announcements can move quickly.
Official sources
This guide reflects the official Work Capability Assessment rules. For the source material, see:
- GOV.UK - Employment and Support Allowance
- GOV.UK - Health conditions, disability and Universal Credit
- The Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2013 (Schedule 2 - WCA descriptors)
- Citizens Advice - Employment and Support Allowance
Guidance only, not legal advice. Rules can change - always check GOV.UK for the latest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is ESA per week in 2026/27?
For the Support Group, legacy ESA is around £145.90 a week once the £50.35 support component is added to the £95.55 personal allowance. The Work-Related Activity Group on post-April 2017 claims usually receives only the personal allowance, because the separate WRAG component no longer applies to those claims. These are the main single adult rates from April 2026.
What is the difference between ESA and the Universal Credit health element?
ESA is the older income-replacement benefit, while Universal Credit now includes a health element for people found to have limited capability for work. On Universal Credit the equivalent of the Support Group is the LCWRA element, and the assessment is the same Work Capability Assessment. Most new health-related claims are now made through Universal Credit rather than ESA.
Why is there a two-tier LCWRA rate?
The LCWRA element was split so that new claimants from April 2025 receive a lower monthly rate of £217.26, which is frozen until 2029/30. Existing claimants from before April 2025, and people with certain protected characteristics, keep the higher rate of £429.80 a month. Which rate you get depends on when your health-related claim started.
How do I get the higher Support Group rate instead of WRAG?
You reach the Support Group (LCWRA in Universal Credit) separately from the 15-point test, by meeting a Schedule 3 descriptor, scoring 15 points on a single activity, or through the substantial-risk rule where work-related activity would pose a substantial risk to your health. The Support Group pays more and has no work-related requirements. Describing your limitations clearly on the ESA50 or UC50 form is what decides which group you are placed in.
Does PIP affect how much ESA I get?
No, Personal Independence Payment does not reduce your ESA, because PIP is a separate non-means-tested benefit for daily living and mobility costs. You can receive PIP and ESA at the same time, and getting PIP may even help you qualify for extra premiums on income-related ESA. Occupational pensions over £85 a week, however, do reduce ESA pound for pound.
When will ESA rates change next?
ESA rates are usually uprated each April in line with inflation, so the next change is expected in April 2027. The government has also announced plans to abolish the Work Capability Assessment from April 2028 and move to a PIP-based system. Until those changes take effect, the 2026/27 rates and rules continue to apply.
Related Guides
- Complete WCA guide
- How to fill in the ESA50 form
- Mandatory reconsideration guide
- How to qualify for the Support Group
- Tribunal appeal guide
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