Minimum Income Floor Calculator
Estimate your Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor (MIF) as a self-employed claimant, based on your expected hours, age, and the National Living Wage — and see how it compares to your actual profit.
Minimum Income Floor Calculation
Enter your details to estimate your MIF and compare it to your actual profit
Your age determines the minimum wage rate used in your MIF calculation.
Usually 35 hours, but can be reduced for carers, parents of children under 13, or health conditions.
Your net profit after expenses for the assessment period, before tax and National Insurance deductions.
Your Minimum Income Floor
Net MIF, comparison to actual profit, and full calculation breakdown
Enter your details above and click Calculate My MIF to see your estimated Minimum Income Floor.
MIF by Expected Hours (Age 21+)
Estimated net monthly Minimum Income Floor at the National Living Wage of £12.71/hour, after notional Income Tax and National Insurance, for a range of expected weekly hours.
| Expected Weekly Hours | Gross Monthly Equivalent | Net Monthly MIF | Typical Circumstance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 hours | £550.77 | £550.77 | Reduced hours — health condition |
| 16 hours | £881.23 | £881.23 | Reduced hours — caring responsibilities |
| 20 hours | £1,101.87 | £1,086.40 | Part-time conditionality |
| 25 hours | £1,377.33 | £1,284.68 | Reduced full-time requirement |
| 30 hours | £1,652.30 | £1,482.96 | Near full-time conditionality |
| 35 hours | £1,927.68 | £1,681.23 | Standard full work-related requirements |
Minimum Income Floor Calculator FAQ
Everything you need to know about the Minimum Income Floor and how it affects self-employed Universal Credit claims.
The Minimum Income Floor (MIF) is an assumed earnings level that the DWP uses to calculate Universal Credit for gainfully self-employed claimants who have been trading for more than 12 months. If your actual profit is below the MIF, your Universal Credit is calculated as though you earned the MIF instead.
The MIF is calculated by multiplying your expected weekly hours by the National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage for your age, converting this to a monthly figure, and then deducting notional Income Tax and National Insurance, as if you were an employee earning that amount.
No. New self-employed claimants get a 12-month start-up period during which the MIF does not apply, and Universal Credit is based on actual reported profit each month, however low. The MIF applies from the first day of the 13th assessment period.
Yes. The standard assumption is 35 hours a week, but this can be reduced if you are a carer, a foster parent, responsible for a child under 13, or have a physical or mental health condition affecting your capacity to work. A lower expected hours figure results in a lower MIF.
For couples, individual thresholds are added together to create a couple threshold. If the couple’s combined earnings are below this threshold, the MIF is applied to the self-employed partner’s income for that assessment period.
You can ask the DWP to explain how your MIF was calculated and whether it has been applied correctly. If you believe your self-employment does not meet the criteria for being gainfully self-employed, or your circumstances have changed, you can raise this with your work coach or seek advice from an organisation such as Citizens Advice.