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1.66 Million Children Now Affected by Two-Child Benefit Cap

Campaigners warn the cap is driving record levels of child hardship, with the government planning to revisit it in its autumn poverty strategy.

An image of a child playing with wooden blocks. Image: Pexels
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Overview

  • DWP figures show 1,665,540 children lived in households hit by the two-child benefit cap in April 2025, a 2% rise from the previous year and 37,150 more than in April 2024.
  • The Labour government has kept the cap in place under fiscal pressures and intends to review it in its forthcoming autumn child poverty strategy.
  • Charities including Save the Children UK and the Child Poverty Action Group describe the limit as a 'brutal' policy that drives about 109 children into poverty each day.
  • Parents such as Dorset single mother Jasmine report skipping meals and cutting essentials to stretch benefits across larger families.
  • Analysis shows disproportionate impact in areas such as Birmingham’s Ladywood and Hodge Hill, where nearly one in three children lose out under the cap.