Ongoing benefit changes

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This advice applies across the UK.

The welfare benefits system is often subject to reform. We keep this page up-to-date with the changes that may affect the financial situation of families with disabled children.

What changes are planned and when?

In 2025, the government announced a number of changes to the benefits system planned over the next few years. Below we explain what the main changes are and when these are likely to happen.

The Government had also originally proposed changes to the qualifying criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). These changes are not now going ahead. Instead, Sir Stephen Timms is carrying out a review of PIP and will report to the Government by autumn 2026.

Cutting the Universal Credit health element – April 2026

From 6 April 2026, the Universal Credit health element (also known as the limited capability for work and work-related activity element or LCWRA element) has been reduced for many new claimants.

Most new claimants will see this payment cut from £429.80 to £217.26 per month. This lower payment is also being frozen and will not increase with inflation for a four-year period.

Existing claimants and those who are terminally ill will continue to receive the higher payment.

New claimants can also receive the protected higher payment of the health element if they meet new severe conditions criteria. To meet the severe conditions criteria all of the following must apply:

You have a life-long condition that a practitioner acting on behalf of the NHS has diagnosed (government ministers have said that a private diagnosis also counts if accepted by the NHS);
At least one of the descriptors used in deciding that you have LWCRA will apply to you “constantly” and for the rest of your life.
The specific condition, which led to you meeting at least one of the LCWRA descriptors, must be one you will have for the rest of your life.

Who will be protected as an existing “pre-2026 claimant”?

A note on how this has changed over time

The information on pre-2026 claimants was amended on 12 February 2026 in response to new regulations published on 9 February. The new regulations widen the groups of people who can be treated as a pre-2026 claimant.

Before 9 February, it was thought that only those who had claimed Universal Credit before early January would be protected as a pre-2026 claimant. Similarly, it was thought that those already on Universal Credit, but who had not previously submitted fit-notes, had to do so by early January.

These new regulations give claimants in both groups a longer deadline of 5 April.

You will be protected as an existing claimant – a “pre-2026 claimant” – if you either:

Have an entitlement to Universal Credit that started on or before 5 April 2026 and on that date had either:
- Already established LCWRA.
- Were awaiting the outcome of a work capability assessment.
Move from Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to Universal Credit at some point on or after 6 April and:
- You were entitled to the ESA support component before 6 April.
- You continue to receive the support component until you get Universal Credit instead.

You have health problems, but you are not getting Universal Credit yet

For most people, the deadline for making a claim for Universal Credit and being protected as a pre-2026 claimant was 5 April 2026.

You will be treated as a pre-2026 claimant so long as before 6 April you have both:

Claimed Universal Credit.
Asked Universal Credit to assess your capability for work (e.g. submitted fit notes).

If you subsequently get a decision that you have LCWRA, you will get the higher rate of the health element. It doesn’t matter that you don’t get that decision until after 5 April.

If you did not get a fit note in time

You need to provide a fit note from your GP to support your claim. However, if you could not get a fit note before then – for example because your GP was unavailable – you should still be protected so long as you:

Claimed Universal Credit on or before 5 April.
Stated in your online journal that you are unfit for work and asked for a work capability assessment and did this on or before 5 April.
Submitted a fit note within 7 days from the date you declared you were unfit to work.

What if I missed these deadlines?

If you missed these deadlines and don’t claim Universal Credit until a later date, you will not normally be treated as a pre-2026 claimant. Your chances of getting the higher existing rate of the health element, rather than the new lower rate, will depend on you meeting the severe conditions criteria.

The only exception to this is some people who move onto Universal Credit from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). To be exempt, you must:

Be entitled to a support component as part of your ESA award on 5 April 2026.
Continue to receive this support component until the date you eventually claim Universal Credit.

If this applies, you will be protected to the higher rate of the health element as a pre-2026 claimant. It doesn’t matter that that you move from ESA to Universal Credit after 5 April.

My child will claim Universal Credit after 5 April. But he had previously established LCWRA via a credits-only claim for ESA. Will he be protected as a pre-2026 claimant?

Unfortunately it appears not. What follows in the paragraphs below is our interpretation of how new regulations published on 9 February will apply to those who established LCWRA via a ‘credits only’ claim for new style ESA.

The rules that allow someone to be protected as a pre-2026 claimant, even though they claimed Universal Credit after 5 April, only seem to claimants who have an actual award of ESA. It doesn’t appear to apply to those who don’t get ESA, but who instead established LCWRA via a ‘credits only’ claim. Our expectation is that a young person who has established LCWRA via a ‘credits-only’ claim for ESA will only be protected as a pre-2026 claimant if they manage to successfully claim Universal Credit on or before 5 April.

If your young person is still in education, they may not have the option of claiming Universal Credit before 5 April. They may be caught by the rules preventing many students from getting Universal Credit. If, because of their studies, your child does not get Universal credit until some date after 5 April 2026, they will not be classed as a pre-2026 claimant.

This remains the case despite already establishing LCWRA via a credits-only claim for ESA. In this scenario, a young person will only receive the higher rate of the health element as part of their later Universal Credit claim if they meet the severe conditions criteria or if they are terminally ill.

Proposal to cut the Universal Credit health element for under 22s

The government has proposed scrapping the Universal Credit health element of Universal Credit for under 22s. This would see young adults with LCWRA only receive the standard health element, with no additional amounts for their disability. They would not receive the extra health element of Universal Credit until they reached the age of 22.

The government carried out a consultation on this proposal in summer 2025. It has yet to set out its final plans, although the Minister for Work and Pensions has suggested there would be exceptions for some groups of young people.

To find out more, see our webpage on our Universal Credit campaign against this cut.

Raising the age at which you claim PIP to 18 – unconfirmed

The government has proposed raising the minimum age at which young people in England and Wales can claim PIP from 16 to 18. This would include raising the age at which young people on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are invited to claim PIP.

The government consulted on this proposal during the summer of 2025. It has yet to set out its final plans, including any date for this change to come into effect.

Other changes

Above-inflation increase in the standard Universal Credit allowance – from April 2026

As well as cutting the health element for most new claimants, the standard allowance of Universal Credit will see above-inflation increases in each year between April 2026 and 2030 for all claimants.

The standard allowance is a basic amount paid at one of two rates – depending on whether you are single or part of a couple – to all Universal Credit claimants.

Scrapping of the two-child limit – from April 2026

If you claim Universal Credit, you normally get an additional amount – a “child element” – for each dependent child in your household. However, families don’t currently get the element for a third or subsequent child who was born after 6 April 2017. This is the two-child limit, and it is being scrapped.

Once this rule is scrapped, many larger families will start to get higher Universal Credit payments from April onwards. However, we are worried that some families who currently receive a transitional element in their Universal Credit award will not see any increase in their overall income. This is because the extra child payments they get are likely to be deducted from the transitional protection they currently receive.

Increase in Carer’s Allowance earnings limit – from April 2026

The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit will increase from £196 per week to £204 per week

Changes to DWP health assessments – from April 2026

From April 2026, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)’s intends to carry out more Work Capability Assessment re-assessments. Alongside this, more PIP and Work Capability Assessments will take place via a face-to-face meeting with a health professional.

On a more positive note, there will be fewer people called for PIP reassessments where there has been no change in their need.

Cutting tax breaks under the Motability Scheme – from July 2026

From July 2026, vehicles leased through the Motability Scheme, or equivalent qualifying schemes, will be subject to VAT on any top-up “advance payment” for a more expensive vehicle. Insurance Premium Tax will also apply to vehicles leased through the scheme for the first time.

These changes are likely to make it more expensive for some to lease most Motability vehicles. However, these insurance changes won’t apply to vehicles designed for, or substantially and permanently adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users.

Some “premium” car brands are also being removed from the scheme

Extension of free school meals to all Universal Credit claimants in England – from September 2026

Whether a family on Universal Credit qualifies for free school meals currently depends on household income.

From September 2026, all Universal Credit claimants in England will be eligible for free school meals regardless of their household income.

More generous earnings disregards in Housing Benefit – from Autumn 2026

For most people Housing Benefit has been scrapped and replaced by Universal Credit help with housing costs. However special rules mean that some tenants, such as those in temporary accommodation or some types of supported accommodation, continue to get Housing Benefit.

The earnings rules for Housing Benefit claimants are being changed from autumm 2026. This will allow working tenants still on Housing Benefit to have more of their earnings ignored.

Extra help with childcare costs for larger families on Universal Credit – at some point in 2026

Currently the maximum amount of help a working family on Universal Credit can get with registered childcare costs is capped at £1836.16 per month for two or more children.

At some point in 2026, the government is increasing the maximum amount of help by £736.06 for each third or additional child in childcare. This was originally planned for April 2026 but will be delayed to some point later in the year.

Right to try work – at some point in 2026/27

The government plans to introduce legislation ensuring that disabled people will have a right to try out employment, with any work they do not being seen as a change of circumstances.

This should ensure that working does not lead to either their disability benefits or their status as someone with a LCWRA for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowancec (ESA) being reassessed.

Scrapping the Work Capability Assessment – from 2028

The government still has plans to scrap the Work Capability Assessment altogether. This means that in the future, Universal Credit claimants’ right to a health element will be dependent on whether they qualify for PIP or Adult Disability Payment rather than whether they have established LCWRA.

We are waiting for more details about this planned change to the benefit rules.

Scrapping ESA and JSA – from 2028

The government intends to introduce a new contributory benefit to replace both contributory ESA and contribution-based Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA). This new benefit will:

Be time-limited.
Not involve a health assessment.
Require the claimant to have sufficient national insurance contributions/credits.
Be available to claimants who have been self-employed as well as those who have been employed.

Current reviews

As well as the specific benefit changes mentioned above there are also two major reviews being carried out by government.

These may eventually lead to further changes in benefits for young disabled people.

Timms review of PIP

is a wide raging review of PIP being chaired by Sir Stephen Timms Minister for Social Security and Disability. The review will look at:

The role of PIP in enabling disabled people to live independently and fully participate in society.
Whether the current PIP assessment criteria effectively capture the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world.
What any other evidence should be considered alongside the PIP functional assessment.
How the PIP assessment provides access to other help in the benefits system and wider supports.

The Timms review is expected to report its findings in Autumn 2026.

The Milburn review

This is an independent review into rising youth inactivity being chaired by ex-health secretary Alan Milburn. It is intended to shape reforms that are already underway in relation to skills, health, employment support and benefits for young people.

It is expected to report its findings in Summer 2026.

Related information

Parent guides and factsheets

Factsheet: Forthcoming benefit changes

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Changes in circumstances

Certain changes in circumstances can mean that the benefits you receive for your disabled child or for your family might change.

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