It’s no secret that April will be a tough month financially. Several household bills will be going up, from council tax to energy, and water to mobile and broadband bills.

But amongst the fiscal gloom, there is some good news – with a boost worth up to £2,550.26 per person from April 7. April 7 is the first Monday of the new tax year and with it come automatic increases to various benefits and income boosting top-ups. While not every benefit will necessarily apply to every one individual, there are many that will stack on top of one another to help boost the total amount you’ll be able to claim.

Universal Credit – up to £628.10 per month

Universal Credit is complicated, because it’s becoming a catch-all replacement for various other benefits. So someone who is claiming for help with childcare costs, for disabled children or as a carer can get more money on top of the standard rates.

All elements of Universal Credit will see their payments increased by 1.7% from April, thanks to automatic uprating of the benefit tied to Consumer Price Index inflation figures.

Looking just at the standard rates element, which is help for general living costs for those on low or no income, it means Universal Credit is going to rise from £311.68 per month for a single person aged under 25 to £316.90. For single people aged over 25, it will rise from £393.45 to £400.14. For a couple under 25, it’s going from £489.23 to £497.55 and for an over-25 couple, from £617.60 to £628.10.

A 50% cut to the health element of Universal Credit announced by Rachel Reeves will not take effect this tax year so will not be in place before April 2026.

State pension – up to £997 per month

Thanks to the – some would say, increasingly controversial – Triple Lock, state pensions will rise by far more than the CPI inflation rate by which Universal Credit is increased. The Triple Lock states that pensions must rise by one of three metrics: wage growth, inflation or a flat 2.5%, whichever is highest. Wage growth is highest this year, at 4.1%, so pensions will increase in line with that.

The full new state pension is going up from £221.20 per week to £230.25, or £997.75 per month on average (the yearly figure, £11,973, divided by 12 months).

The old basic state pension, for those who retired before 2016, will increase by the same percentage, but goes from £169.50 per week to £176.45.

Those on the old state pension can boost their pension payout by claiming Pension Credit, which is going up to £227.10 per week from April, which is close to the full new state pension amount anyway.

Child benefit – £112.88

Child benefit is also increasing in line with other benefits. It will go up from £25.60 per week to £26.05 per week. Because it’s paid as a weekly rate but paid once each month, it averages out to £112.88 per month, or £1,354.60 for a full year.

The amount paid for each additional child will also go up from £16.95 to £17.25 per week. There is no limit to the number of additional children, aside from the overall benefits cap.

PIP – £812 

Personal Independence Payments will also go up in April, again by 1.7% as other benefits will. The payments, sent to those who face difficulties with everyday living and mobility, are split into four categories: Standard daily living and enhanced daily living, standard mobility and enhanced mobility.

Standard daily living is going up to £73.90 per week, up from £72.65, while the enhanced daily living is up from £108.55 to £110.40 per week.

Standard mobility is going up from £28.70 per week to £29.20 per week, and enhanced mobility is up from £75.75 to £77.05.

In total, you could get £812.28 a month if you qualified for the enhanced element of both parts and the payments were averaged across 12 months.

Again, although the Chancellor has announced a consultation on changes to PIP, including stricter tests for eligibility, no such change has yet been put in place so rates and eligibility remain unaffected for April 2025.