Benefits API Reference
UK statutory payments, child benefit, and universal credit rates.
Base URL: https://api.govdata.dev/v1
Statutory Payments
GET
/v1/benefits/statutory-payments/rates
response
Waiting for request...
Weekly rates for SSP, SMP, SPP, SAP, ShPP, SPBP, and SNCP.
From 6 April 2026, SSP has no lower earnings floor. It is payable from the first full day of sickness absence at the lower of 80% of average weekly earnings or £123.25 per week.
Query parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tax_year |
string | No | Tax year in YYYY-YY format. Defaults to current year. |
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/statutory-payments/rates
uri = URI("https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/statutory-payments/rates") req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri) req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
response = requests.get( "https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/statutory-payments/rates", headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"} )
const response = await fetch("https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/statutory-payments/rates", { headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } });
Response
{ "data": { "tax_year": "2026-27", "payments": [ { "payment_type": "sap", "weekly_rate": 194.32, "initial_weeks": 6, "initial_rate": 0.9, "remaining_weeks": 33, "total_weeks": 39, "lower_earnings_limit": 129.0, "calculation_basis": null, "notes": null }, { "payment_type": "shpp", "weekly_rate": 194.32, "initial_weeks": null, "initial_rate": null, "remaining_weeks": null, "total_weeks": 37, "lower_earnings_limit": 129.0, "calculation_basis": null, "notes": null }, { "payment_type": "smp", "weekly_rate": 194.32, "initial_weeks": 6, "initial_rate": 0.9, "remaining_weeks": 33, "total_weeks": 39, "lower_earnings_limit": 129.0, "calculation_basis": null, "notes": null }, { "payment_type": "sncp", "weekly_rate": 194.32, "initial_weeks": null, "initial_rate": null, "remaining_weeks": null, "total_weeks": 12, "lower_earnings_limit": 129.0, "calculation_basis": "lower_of_90_percent_awe_or_weekly_rate", "notes": null }, { "payment_type": "spbp", "weekly_rate": 194.32, "initial_weeks": null, "initial_rate": null, "remaining_weeks": null, "total_weeks": 2, "lower_earnings_limit": 129.0, "calculation_basis": null, "notes": null }, { "payment_type": "spp", "weekly_rate": 194.32, "initial_weeks": null, "initial_rate": null, "remaining_weeks": null, "total_weeks": 2, "lower_earnings_limit": 129.0, "calculation_basis": null, "notes": null }, { "payment_type": "ssp", "weekly_rate": 123.25, "initial_weeks": null, "initial_rate": null, "remaining_weeks": null, "total_weeks": 28, "lower_earnings_limit": null, "calculation_basis": "lower_of_80_percent_awe_or_weekly_rate", "notes": "Payable from the first full day of sickness absence." } ] }, "meta": { "api_version": "v1", "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0", "source": "GOV.UK", "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay", "last_updated": "2026-04-06", "tax_year": "2026-27" } }
Child Benefit
GET
/v1/benefits/child-benefit/rates
response
Waiting for request...
Child benefit weekly rates and High Income Child Benefit Charge thresholds.
Query parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tax_year |
string | No | Tax year in YYYY-YY format. Defaults to current year. |
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/child-benefit/rates
uri = URI("https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/child-benefit/rates") req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri) req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
response = requests.get( "https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/child-benefit/rates", headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"} )
const response = await fetch("https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/child-benefit/rates", { headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } });
Response
{ "data": { "tax_year": "2026-27", "eldest_child_weekly": 27.05, "additional_child_weekly": 17.9, "high_income_threshold": 60000.0, "high_income_taper_end": 80000.0 }, "meta": { "api_version": "v1", "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0", "source": "GOV.UK", "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-rates", "last_updated": "2026-04-06", "tax_year": "2026-27" } }
Universal Credit
GET
/v1/benefits/universal-credit/rates
response
Waiting for request...
Universal Credit component rates: standard allowance, child elements, disability, carer, and housing.
Query parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tax_year |
string | No | Tax year in YYYY-YY format. Defaults to current year. |
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/universal-credit/rates
uri = URI("https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/universal-credit/rates") req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri) req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
response = requests.get( "https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/universal-credit/rates", headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"} )
const response = await fetch("https://api.govdata.dev/v1/benefits/universal-credit/rates", { headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } });
Response
{ "data": { "tax_year": "2026-27", "standard_allowance": { "single_under_25": 338.58, "single_25_plus": 424.9, "couple_under_25": 528.34, "couple_25_plus": 666.97 }, "child_elements": { "first_child_born_before_apr_2017": 351.88, "first_child_born_after_apr_2017": 303.94, "subsequent_children": 303.94 }, "disability": { "disabled_child_lower": 164.79, "disabled_child_higher": 514.71, "lcwra": 429.8, "lcw_pre_apr_2017": 158.76 }, "carer": 209.34, "childcare": { "max_one_child": 1071.09, "max_two_or_more_children": 1836.16 }, "work_allowances": { "higher_no_housing_costs": 710.0, "lower_with_housing_costs": 427.0 }, "taper_rate": 0.55 }, "meta": { "api_version": "v1", "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0", "source": "GOV.UK", "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/what-youll-get", "last_updated": "2026-04-06", "tax_year": "2026-27" } }
2026–27 LCWRA basis:
429.80 is the protected rate for claimants covered by the pre-April-2026 rules. The reformed rate for new claimants is £217.26. This API currently exposes the protected rate because its tax-year schema stores one LCWRA amount.
Benefits data is sourced from GOV.UK and updated at the start of each tax year. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Data Coverage
| Source | DWP / HMRC / GOV.UK |
| Date range | 2020-21 to 2026-27 tax years |
| Records | Statutory payments, child benefit, universal credit rates |
| Updated | Annually |
| Limitations | Historical rates before 2020-21 are not available. Statutory Neonatal Care Pay starts in 2025-26 only. Universal Credit stores one published rate per tax year: the temporary £20-a-week COVID uplift applied from April 2020 to October 2021 and is not folded into the April standard-allowance rows; the taper changed during 2021-22 and childcare maxima changed during 2023-24, so those years cannot express both rates in the current schema. For 2026–27, LCWRA is the £429.80 protected pre-reform rate; new claimants receive the £217.26 reformed rate. The High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold/taper was £50,000–£60,000 through 2023-24 and £60,000–£80,000 from 2024-25. |