Benefit rates 2027/28: what ESA, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance could be
The 2027/28 rates for ESA, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance will be set by the CPI inflation figure for September 2026, which ONS publishes at 7am on 21 October 2026. If it matches August 2026's 3.1%, full PIP would be £200.65 a week, up from £194.60, and the ESA support group £150.40, up from £145.90.
| Weekly rate | 2026/27 | If CPI is 2.6% | If CPI is 3.1% | If CPI is 3.6% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESA personal allowance, 25 or over | £95.55 | £98.05 | £98.50 | £99.00 |
| ESA personal allowance, under 25 | £75.65 | £77.60 | £78.00 | £78.35 |
| ESA support component | £50.35 | £51.65 | £51.90 | £52.15 |
| ESA work-related activity component | £37.95 | £38.95 | £39.15 | £39.30 |
| PIP daily living, standard | £76.70 | £78.70 | £79.10 | £79.45 |
| PIP daily living, enhanced | £114.60 | £117.60 | £118.15 | £118.75 |
| PIP mobility, standard | £30.30 | £31.10 | £31.25 | £31.40 |
| PIP mobility, enhanced | £80.00 | £82.10 | £82.50 | £82.90 |
| DLA care, lowest | £30.30 | £31.10 | £31.25 | £31.40 |
| DLA care, middle | £76.70 | £78.70 | £79.10 | £79.45 |
| DLA care, highest | £114.60 | £117.60 | £118.15 | £118.75 |
| DLA mobility, lower | £30.30 | £31.10 | £31.25 | £31.40 |
| DLA mobility, higher | £80.00 | £82.10 | £82.50 | £82.90 |
| Attendance Allowance, lower | £76.70 | £78.70 | £79.10 | £79.45 |
| Attendance Allowance, higher | £114.60 | £117.60 | £118.15 | £118.75 |
| Carer's Allowance | £86.45 | £88.70 | £89.15 | £89.55 |
The middle column uses August 2026's CPI, the latest ONS figure when this was checked. The others are half a point either side. These are scenarios until ONS publishes on 21 October 2026.
How the forecast works
Take each 2026/27 weekly rate, multiply by one plus the September CPI inflation figure, and round to the nearest 5p. That rule reproduces 48 of 48 ESA, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance rates published since 2024/25 exactly, to the penny, using the ONS CPI series and DWP's own rates papers. Each rate in the table links to its page, which shows every year since 2023/24.
The pattern is measured, and the government still decides the uprating each year. It could choose a different figure. If it does, this page is wrong until DWP's paper is out, and it will say so.
When the official rates are confirmed
ONS publishes September 2026 CPI at 7am on 21 October 2026. DWP then confirms the 2027/28 rates in its benefit and pension rates paper, normally later in the autumn. The new rates start from the first full benefit week of April 2027, so the exact day differs from one claimant to the next.
What this page does not cover
Universal Credit, the State Pension and Pension Credit are uprated under rules that have differed from plain CPI in some years, so they are not forecast here. Income-related ESA premiums are left out for the same reason.
Questions
What will PIP be in 2027/28?
It depends on September 2026 CPI, published on 21 October 2026. At 2.6% full PIP would be £199.70 a week, at 3.1% £200.65 and at 3.6% £201.65, against £194.60 now. This page switches to a single forecast on the day.
When will the 2027/28 benefit rates be announced?
The figure that decides them, September 2026 CPI, is published by ONS on 21 October 2026. DWP then confirms the rates in its benefit and pension rates paper, normally later in the autumn, and they apply from the first full benefit week of April 2027. The exact day depends on each claimant's payment cycle.
How are ESA, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance uprated?
Each April, by the previous September's CPI inflation figure. Applying that rule, last year's rate times one plus September CPI, rounded to the nearest 5p, reproduces 48 of the 48 ESA, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance rates DWP has published since 2024/25. The government can choose a different rise, which is why this stays a forecast.
Is this forecast official?
No. Wagepage works it out from a rule that has matched every published rate since 2024/25, and DWP has not confirmed it. The official figures are the ones in DWP's benefit and pension rates paper. Until that is published, treat these as the most likely numbers, with a small chance the government picks a different rise.
Provenance
How this is worked out
Current rates come from DWP's 2026/27 benefit and pension rates paper, via the ESA, PIP and DLA pages. August 2026 CPI of 3.1% is from ONS series D7G7, checked on 11 October 2026. The backtest runs in the site's test suite on every build, so the 48 of 48 figure above is recomputed on every build.
Forecast for 2027/28CPI due 21 October 2026