Universal Credit health element explained

Universal Credit is a payment to help with living costs if you are on a low income or out of work. If your illness or disability means you cannot work or prepare for work, it can include extra money called the health element.

The DWP also calls it the LCWRA element, which stands for limited capability for work and work-related activity.

Two rates from April 2026

Since 6 April 2026, the health element has two monthly rates:

The lower rate is frozen until 2029 to 2030. These changes come from the Universal Credit Act 2025.

The severe conditions criteria

New claimants get the higher rate if their condition is so severe that they are never expected to be able to work. Broadly, this means:

• you meet the rules for the health element (LCWRA)
• your condition is lifelong, or expected to be
• it has a severe effect on what you can do
• there is no realistic chance of it getting better enough for you to work

People who meet these criteria will not usually be asked to have another assessment.

Who can get the health element?

You need to:

• be getting, or claiming, Universal Credit
• have a health condition or disability that means you cannot work or prepare for work
• be assessed as having LCWRA in a Work Capability Assessment, or be treated as having it, for example because you are terminally ill

There is usually a 3 month waiting period from when you give the DWP a fit note before the health element is paid. It is then paid back to the end of that period. If you are terminally ill, there is no wait.

Read how to get the Universal Credit health element.

How it relates to disability

• It is about work, not a diagnosis. The Work Capability Assessment looks at what you can do, not the name of your condition. Physical and mental health count equally.
• It is separate from PIP. PIP helps with the extra costs of disability, whether you work or not. You can get PIP and the Universal Credit health element at the same time, and PIP does not reduce your Universal Credit.
• Getting PIP does not give you the health element, and not getting PIP does not stop you getting it. The same medical evidence often helps both claims.
• Limited capability for work (LCW), the lower finding, does not add money for most people. But it still means fewer work search rules and a work allowance, so you can earn some money before your Universal Credit goes down.
• The benefit cap does not apply if you get the health element, or if you or your partner get PIP, DLA or Attendance Allowance.
• Carers: if you would qualify for both the health element and the carer element, you get the health element instead.

Work and the health element

If you have the health element, you do not have to look for work or prepare for work. You can still choose to work. You get a work allowance, which means you can earn a set amount each month before your Universal Credit starts to go down.

The government has said that people who try work will not be reassessed just because they have started working.

Other help that may follow

• free prescriptions and other NHS costs, if your earnings are within the limits
• money off council tax, energy and water bills
• PIP, which you can check with our free self-check

Changes coming

The government plans more changes, including ending the Work Capability Assessment. Read what is changing for health and disability benefits.