Universal Credit extra amounts

If you claim Universal Credit, you might receive extra amounts depending on your family circumstances.

In this article

Standard allowance & extra amounts

The calculation how much Universal Credit you’ll get starts with a standard allowance. This is paid to you either as a single person or as part of a couple. It’s paid at a reduced rate if you (and your partner if you have one) are under 25.

Then, depending on your family circumstances, you might be eligible for extra amounts. We explain these below.

Disabled child addition

You’ll receive a disabled child addition for each dependent child in your family who gets either:

The disabled child addition is paid at one of two rates. You’ll receive the higher rate of £514.71 per month for a child who either:

All other children on one of the disability benefits mentioned above will qualify for the lower rate of the addition. This will only be £164.79 per month.

Tell the Universal Credit as quickly as you can if either:

Getting the disabled child addition backdated

Unlike tax credits, the disabled child addition in Universal Credit can usually be backdated in full. This remains the case even if there was a delay in telling Universal Credit about your child’s disability benefit award.

Arrears should be automatically backdated to whichever is the most recent of either:

If the Universal Credit office tries to argue that they can’t backdate this payment in full, see our page below.

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Backdating of the disabled child addition and carer element of Universal Credit

What you can do when the Universal Credit service refuses to backdate payments to the correct date.

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Child element

You get a child element for each dependent child in your family. This may be paid at a higher rate for your eldest child.

A two child limit previously meant you could not receive a child element for a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017. This has now been abolished. All families can now receive the main child element for each child they are responsible for. If you are a Universal Credit claimant who was affected by the two child limit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will now add the additional child element for each child included in your claim.

If you haven’t told Universal Credit about all the children you are responsible for (perhaps because it didn’t seem worthwhile if no additional payments would be made), notify the DWP straight away. You can use the notify of changes section in your online Universal Credit account to add your child’s details. Read more about the abolition of the two child limit and how it might impact you in our news article on this issue.

You can continue to receive child elements (and a disabled child addition) for your son or daughter until the 31 August after their 19th birthday, so long as they remain in full-time non advanced education. Universal Credit payments for a 19 year old cannot continue beyond the 31 August in any circumstances. Payments will end sooner if they leave full-time non-advanced education or if they start claiming Universal Credit in their own right as a young adult.

Carer element

You’ll receive this if you are eligible for Carer’s Allowance or if the only thing that stops you from qualifying for Carer’s Allowance is that your earnings are too high. You do not actually need to have claimed Carer’s Allowance. It is sufficient that you meet the normal Carer’s Allowance rules, other than the earnings limit.

What this means in practice is that you should qualify for a carer element if you meet all of the following rules:

You are also eligible for a carer element if you get the Scottish Carer Support Payment.

If you think you may be eligible for a carer element, inform the DWP via your online Universal Credit account. Where you and your partner care for different people, you may be able to get two carer elements.

If the person you look after lives independently, getting a carer element could affect their benefits. Seek further advice from our helpline.

Getting the carer element backdated

It’s possible to get the carer element backdated to the date that your child was awarded a qualifying disability benefit.

This should happen so long as you met all the above rules during the period since the qualifying disability award started AND your child’s award started after your Universal Credit. In these circumstances, the carer element should be backdated, even if there was a delay in telling Universal Credit about the fact that you were a carer.

If the Universal Credit office tries to argue that they can’t backdate the carer element in full, read our advice page on this issue.

A child sitting outside at the seaside smiling.

Backdating of the disabled child addition and carer element of Universal Credit

What you can do when the Universal Credit service refuses to backdate payments to the correct date.

Read more

LCWRA work element

If, because of health problems, you or a partner are not only unfit to work but also unfit to undertake any work-related activity, you can receive an extra element. This is known as the health element or limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) element.

The same person cannot qualify for both a limited capability for work and work-related activity element and a carer element at the same time. If this applies to you, you will only get the higher of the two amounts.

Since 6 April 2026, the LCWRA or health element is paid at two rates. Many new claimants will receive only the lower payment of £217 per month. This lower payment is also being frozen. It 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 of £429.80, and this will continue to increase in line with the standard element.

New claimants can also receive the higher payment of the health element if they meet new severe conditions criteria. To meet the severe conditions criteria you must both:

You can read more aboutthe cut to the health element and how it might impact you in our ongoing benefits changes page on this issue.

Childcare element

If you work and pay for registered childcare costs, you could receive an extra allowance covering 85 per cent of your childcare costs.

To qualify, you (and your partner if you have one) must normally work. Any number of hours of work will do. You may also qualify if you work and your partner is unable to provide childcare, either because they are incapable of work, or because they provide regular and substantial care to a disabled person (and they are eligible for Carer’s Allowance).

The childcare element can cover 85% of childcare costs. This is up to a maximum of £1071.09 per month for one child and £1836.16 for two or more children.

Housing element

This includes help towards rent and some service charges. Universal Credit may not meet the full amount of your rent costs.

If you are in social housing, the amount of help you get with rent may be cut under the bedroom tax rules. If you are in a private tenancy, the amount of help that you get with your rent may be capped under local housing allowance rules. See our webpage on the bedroom tax for more information.

Transitional element

The transitional element is usually only paid where someone moved onto Universal Credit under managed migration rules and their Universal Credit award is lower than they were previously getting under legacy benefits. It is designed to ensure you are no worse off on Universal Credit at the point of transfer.

There is a special type of transitional protection paid to some disabled adults even if they didn’t move onto Universal Credit under managed migration rules. This is known as the transitional severe disability premium (SDP) element. This is paid where a disabled adult was previously getting a “severe disability premium” as part of their legacy benefits, but who does not qualify for a transitional element under the normal managed migration rules explained above.

Transitional protection payments don’t rise annually with inflation. Certain changes in circumstances can reduce them or even end them altogether.

Any increase in your other Universal Credit payments (apart from an increase in childcare costs) that takes place after your first Universal Credit monthly assessment period, will be deducted from your transitional element amount. For example: your child starts to become entitled to DLA at some point after you have moved onto Universal Credit. The amount of the new disabled child addition you start to receive will be deducted from any transitional element you receive.

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