Guardian's Allowance Rate 2026/27: How Much Do You Get?

The 2026/27 Rate

Guardian's Allowance is £22.95 per week per qualifying child for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027). That works out to roughly £1,193 per year per child.

The rate was set by the Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance Up-rating Order 2026 (SI 2026/232), which applied a 3.8% increase based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation measured from September 2024 to September 2025. The figure is rounded to the nearest 5p, as required by Section 150(1)(a)(i) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

For context, the previous two years were:

• 2025/26: £22.10 per week
• 2024/25: £21.75 per week

Not Means-Tested, Not Taxable

Two things set Guardian's Allowance apart from most UK benefits. First, it is not means-tested — your income, savings, and capital have no bearing on whether you qualify or how much you receive. A grandparent on Pension Credit and an aunt earning £70,000 receive exactly the same weekly amount.

Second, it is entirely tax-free. It does not count as taxable income and does not need to appear on a Self Assessment return.

How It Is Paid

Payments arrive every four weeks in arrears, paid into your bank, building society, or credit union account alongside your Child Benefit. If you are a single parent or receive an income-based benefit such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you can ask for weekly payments instead.

Post Office Card Accounts cannot be used — if that is where your other benefits go, you will need a separate account.

The Benefit Cap Exemption

Guardian's Allowance does not count toward the statutory Benefit Cap. This matters if your household benefits are already near the cap threshold — adding Guardian's Allowance will not push you over and trigger a reduction in your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element.

Does It Reduce Other Benefits?

No. Guardian's Allowance is fully disregarded in the calculation of Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, and Council Tax Reduction. The full £22.95 per week sits on top of everything else you receive without reducing any of those awards.

This is one of the most common sources of worry for carers on a fixed income — the fear that claiming one more benefit will reduce the ones they already depend on. With Guardian's Allowance, that does not happen.

If you are caring for more than one eligible child, you receive £22.95 per child. Two qualifying children means £45.90 per week, or roughly £2,387 per year.

Our Guardian's Allowance guide walks you through the full claim process, including how to make sure your Child Benefit entitlement is in place so HMRC can start paying you without delay.

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