Overview
- Ministers confirmed the reduced Universal Credit health element for new claimants will start on 6 April 2026, cutting typical weekly support from about £97 to about £47.
- The lower rate will apply to new awards until around 2029/30, with the government saying it removes perverse incentives and supports a return to work.
- The cross-party Work and Pensions Committee, led by Debbie Abrahams, condemned the plan as discriminatory and warned it risks pushing disabled people into poverty.
- The government is still considering a proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the health element to 22, affecting roughly 66,000 current recipients aged 18 to 21, with no set implementation date.
- DWP says terminally ill claimants and those meeting new ‘severe conditions’ criteria would be exempt from the reduction and spared reassessment.