Following the recent government announcements about proposed changes to the welfare benefits system, including Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), you may be wondering how you are going to be affected.

When are the UC and PIP changes happening?

The first thing to know is that none of these changes are happening immediately and won’t affect any UC or PIP you are getting now. The earliest changes won’t happen until 2026, and some are not proposed to come in until 2029 to 2030. Our guide below shows you what could happen and when.

Some of the changes are only proposals, not set in stone

There’s a long way to go before many of the proposals will be adopted.  So, what you are hearing or seeing now in the news may look different in time. The government will be consulting with the charities and organisations that work with people who are impacted before final decisions are made.

The changes depend on where you live in the UK

In England and Wales, the changes could affect you if you are claiming Universal Credit, PIP, Employment and Support Allowance or Disability Living Allowance.

In Scotland, the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has replaced PIP, and the Scottish Parliament sets the rules and payments for this benefit, so any changes proposed for PIP won’t affect ADP. However, the rules for Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance do sit under UK government law, so you could be affected if you’re claiming these benefits.

The Northern Ireland Executive is responsible for setting welfare benefit legislation and can choose to implement its own policies, so you will need to look out for information from the Executive on what it plans to do.

What should I do if I’m worried about my UC or PIP claim?

• You should carry on claiming as before and make sure you respond promptly to any communications you get from DWP regarding your claim.
• If you’re worried about your claim, the impact on your family or you need more help understanding the changes, you should seek specialist Benefits advice.
• You can get local Benefits advice using the Advice Now portal.

What are the new Universal Credit rates / changes?

The new Universal Credit rates affecting health-related claims are not due to be introduced until 2026. They are going ahead for people living England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland is yet to say what it plans to do. The main changes are:

• Next year (2025/26), the standard allowance for those over 25 will go up by £7 a week and by 2029/30 it will increase by £775 per year. Equivalent increases will be applied to the standard allowances of couples and those aged under 25. So, if you’re only claiming Universal Credit without a health-related condition, you will see a small rise in your payments.
• If you’re already getting the health element of UC when the new rules are introduced, the rate will be frozen at £97 a week until 2029/30.
• If you make a new claim for Universal Credit and qualify for the health element it will be paid at £50 a week. This rate will be frozen until 2029/30.

The government also plans to consult on delaying access to the health element of Universal Credit for people aged under 22. Instead, they will be invited to take part in the Youth Guarantee, to help support them to find work or training opportunities. Young people will still be able to claim Universal Credit and other benefits or elements they’re eligible for.

Changes to PIP rules

The government is planning changes to the PIP assessment to make it harder to claim, which are proposed to start in November 2026. However, consultations need to take place before final decisions are made.

These are most likely to affect you if you live in England or Wales. Scotland has a separate Adult Disability Payment and Northern Ireland is yet to say what it plans to do. The main changes proposed are:

• Reforms to the daily living part of PIP are set to be tightened. The mobility part of PIP will not be affected by the changes.
• People making a new claim for PIP will need to score a minimum of four in at least one of the daily living activities, meaning that people with mild difficulties who are currently eligible may no longer qualify.
• There could be more frequent reassessments for people with health conditions, except for those with most severe disabilities or permanent conditions which no longer need reassessment.
• If you’re already getting PIP when the changes come in, you will continue to get the same amount of money until your award is reviewed. At that point, your health condition or disability will be reviewed against the new rules.

End to Work Capability Assessment (WCA)

Work Capability Assessments decide somebody’s capability to work or carry out work-related activity and are currently used to work out if you qualify for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance.

Changes to end the WCA are proposed for 2028 and will need to be implemented via primary legislation. More details about the proposed changes will be published soon.

Under the proposals, extra financial support for health conditions would be assessed based on a PIP assessment to decide the impact of a health-condition or disability on daily living activities, for example: washing or dressing, cooking simple meals, not on capacity to work. The mobility part of PIP will not be affected by the changes.

Before the WCA is scrapped in 2028, you may be asked to take part in a WCA reassessment which could face-to-face. Anyone who will never be able to work and those who have lifelong conditions will not have to undergo re-assessments.

The government also plans to provide much more tailored support to help people break down barriers to getting back into work to support people.

If you are worried about your claim and any WCA reassessments, you can get help from an expert benefits adviser. Find one near you on Advice Local.

What is unemployment insurance?

A new benefit that would merge the two current benefits that support people who become unemployed or who can’t work because of a health-related condition or disability.

These benefits: new style Jobseeker’s Allowance and new style Employment and Support Allowance would be merged into “unemployment insurance” which could be introduced in 2028. The main features would be:

• non-means tested for people who paid enough National Insurance Contributions
• time limited
• you would be expected to actively seek work if you are able to 
• if you’re unemployed after the time limit for claiming ends, you would be able to make a claim for Universal Credit.

For now, if you become unemployed or develop a health-related condition that means you can’t work and you have been making NI contributions, you can check whether you qualify for JSA, ESA or other benefits using our Benefits calculator.

What is “right to try”?

The government wants the changes to health-related benefits to be supported by targeted support that will help people get back into work or find new work to increase their incomes and wellbeing through extending the Access to Work programme.

They plan to introduce a Right to Try guarantee, which means that trying out a job will never lead to your condition being reassessed or to a review of the benefits you’re getting.

These are just proposals for now, and the government plans to consult on the changes. The timings of when it will be introduced and which parts of the UK it will cover are still to be confirmed.