Overview
- From 6 April 2026, new Universal Credit claimants with a health condition will receive roughly £50–£54 a week in the health element, compared with about £105 for existing recipients.
- The Universal Credit Act enables a sustained above‑inflation rise in the standard allowance, estimated to be worth £725 a year to a single adult by 2029/30, with nearly four million households projected to gain overall.
- People already on the health element keep the higher rate, and those meeting Severe Conditions Criteria or the Special Rules for End of Life remain on the higher payment with some exempt from reassessments.
- The DWP says the rebalancing removes perverse incentives and is intended to help those who can work enter or return to employment, referencing an updated impact assessment published in July 2025.
- The Work and Pensions Committee called for a delay and an independent assessment, arguing the policy risks a discriminatory two‑tier system that could push newly disabled people into poverty.