Five major DWP benefit changes coming in April 2026
Need to know
The DWP is making five key changes to benefits from April 2026, including rate increases for Universal Credit, PIP and State Pension, as well as Easter payment date changes
People under the age of 22 could be barred from claiming the health element of Universal Credit in the proposed change(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Everything you need to know about DWP changes from April 2026:
- From April onwards, millions of people nationwide will see an increase in their bank balances. This is due to the DWP raising benefit rates. Payments set to rise include PIP, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and State Pension.
- A major alteration to Universal Credit has been implemented by the Government, effective from April 6 this year. Historic legislation to abolish the two-child benefit limit has now become law. This change eliminates the existing restriction in Universal Credit that limited support to a family’s first two children. The DWP states that families already claiming the benefit will see the update applied automatically with no action required.
- Modifications to the health-related component of Universal Credit are scheduled to come into effect from April 6, changing how some claimants qualify for additional payments associated with illness or disability. The DWP stated that the reforms will address “perverse incentives” by introducing a lower Universal Credit health element rate of £217.26 per month for new claimants, compared to the higher rate of £429.80 for existing claimants. This extra support is known as the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element.
- Benefit claimants are being urged to check when they will receive their April payments. This is because some benefits will be impacted by the two bank holidays over Easter. If you are due to receive a payment on Friday April 3 (Good Friday) or Monday April 6 (Easter Monday), you should instead receive it on Thursday, April 2. This will be for most benefits, including Universal Credit, State Pension, Pension Credit, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and others, reports Chronicle Live.
- Those making a claim for Personal Independence Payments are being warned about a rule change coming in April. Under the new rules, there will be three years between reviews, once the benefit has been granted. The DWP says the aim of the move is to free up healthcare professionals who can conduct additional face-to-face assessments and complete more Working Capability Assessments (WCA). The current interval between PIP reviews can be as short as nine months. But this interval will be lengthened for most claimants 25 and over, to a minimum of three years for new applications, increasing to five years at review should they continue to qualify.