Severe Conditions Criteria: The 2026 Universal Credit Health Element Split
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From 6 April 2026 the Universal Credit health element (the LCWRA element) split into two rates. New claimants who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria, and people who were already getting it, keep the full rate. Other new claimants get roughly half. This guide explains the four criteria, who is protected, and how to make sure you are assessed for the full amount.
Key points
✓From 6 April 2026 the UC health (LCWRA) element splits: full rate £429.80/month, reduced rate £217.26/month.
✓People already getting the LCWRA element before April 2026, and the terminally ill, keep the full rate.
✓New LCWRA claimants get the full rate only if they meet the four Severe Conditions Criteria.
✓All four criteria must apply, including that a descriptor applies 'constantly' and for the rest of your life.
✓An award based only on 'substantial risk' does not count for the SCC, so aim to meet a functional descriptor too.
What changed in April 2026
The Universal Credit health element, paid to people found to have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA), used to be a single rate (£423.27 a month in 2025/26). Under the Universal Credit Act 2025, from 6 April 2026 it splits in two:
✓Yes: Full rate: £429.80 a month (2026/27) for protected claimants and those meeting the Severe Conditions Criteria.
✓Yes: Reduced rate: £217.26 a month for other new LCWRA claimants, frozen in cash terms to 2029/30.
The split only affects the health element. Your standard allowance and any other elements are unaffected.
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✓Yes: Anyone who was already getting the LCWRA element before 6 April 2026 (you are protected and stay on the full rate).
✓Yes: Anyone who told DWP about their health condition or disability before 6 April 2026, whatever the date of the LCWRA decision.
✓Yes: Anyone who had the support group component of income-related ESA before 6 April 2026 and continued to get it until claiming Universal Credit.
✓Yes: People who are terminally ill (treated as having LCWRA, and on the full rate).
✓Yes: New claimants from April 2026 who meet all four Severe Conditions Criteria (below).
If you are a new claimant from April 2026 and you do not meet the Severe Conditions Criteria, you will get the reduced health element even if you clearly have LCWRA. That makes meeting the criteria, and evidencing them, very important.
The four Severe Conditions Criteria
The criteria are set out in regulation 40A of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (inserted by the 2025 Act). All four must apply:
✓Yes: 1. You have been found to have LCWRA on the basis of a Work Capability Assessment using the LCWRA descriptors (not only the 'substantial risk' route).
✓Yes: 2. At least one of those LCWRA descriptors applies to you 'constantly', and will do for the rest of your life.
✓Yes: 3. The illness or disability causing that descriptor is one you will have for the rest of your life (there is no available treatment, surgery or transplant that would change it for you).
✓Yes: 4. The diagnosis was made by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional in the course of NHS treatment.
Once you are decided to meet (or not meet) the criteria, you are not routinely reassessed unless there was a mistake about a material fact, or your circumstances change.
What 'constantly' and 'for the rest of your life' mean
These two words are the heart of the test, and the most likely to be argued about:
✓Yes: 'Constantly' means a descriptor applies at all times, or on every occasion you attempt the activity, not just most of the time. This is a higher bar than LCWRA itself, which only needs a descriptor to apply for the majority of the time.
✓Yes: 'For the rest of your life' means the condition and its effect are permanent for you, with no realistic NHS treatment that would change it.
✓Yes: Because the bar is high and the wording is new, expect disagreements and be ready to evidence both the constancy of the descriptor and the permanence of the condition.
A condition that fluctuates, or one where treatment might improve things, may give you LCWRA (and the reduced element) but not necessarily the Severe Conditions Criteria. The distinction is about how constant and how permanent the limitation is.
What to do if you are claiming from April 2026
✓Yes: Aim to meet a functional LCWRA descriptor, not just the substantial-risk route, because substantial-risk-only awards do not count for the Severe Conditions Criteria.
✓Yes: Gather NHS diagnosis evidence from the consultant or specialist who diagnosed you, the criteria require an NHS-recorded diagnosis.
✓Yes: Spell out that the relevant descriptor applies constantly (every time, all the time), with examples, not just on bad days.
✓Yes: Explain that the condition is lifelong and that no treatment available to you would change it.
✓Yes: If you are refused the full rate, you can challenge it by Mandatory Reconsideration and then appeal.
The underlying assessment is still the Work Capability Assessment, see our WCA guide and LCWRA guide.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the Severe Conditions Criteria for Universal Credit?
They are four conditions, introduced from 6 April 2026, that decide whether a new claimant with Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity gets the full Universal Credit health element (£429.80/month) rather than the reduced rate (£217.26). All four must apply: you have LCWRA on the basis of the descriptors; at least one descriptor applies constantly and for the rest of your life; the condition is lifelong with no available treatment; and it was diagnosed by an NHS healthcare professional.
How much is the Universal Credit health element in 2026/27?
From April 2026 it splits in two. The full LCWRA element is £429.80 a month, paid to people who were already getting it before April 2026, the terminally ill, and new claimants who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria. Other new LCWRA claimants get the reduced element of £217.26 a month, which is frozen in cash terms to 2029/30.
I already get the LCWRA element, will my money go down?
No. If you were entitled to the LCWRA element before 6 April 2026 you are protected and keep the full rate. The reduced rate only applies to new LCWRA awards from April 2026 that do not meet the Severe Conditions Criteria.
Does an award based on substantial risk count for the Severe Conditions Criteria?
No. An LCWRA award given only through the substantial-risk route does not meet the first criterion, which requires LCWRA on the basis of the functional descriptors. If you can, aim to show you meet a functional LCWRA descriptor as well, so you can be considered for the full rate.
Know Your Rights UK. "Severe Conditions Criteria: The 2026 Universal Credit Health Element Split." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/benefits/universal-credit/severe-conditions-criteria