Health conditions, disability and Universal Credit

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1. Overview

Universal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income or out of work.

You might get an extra amount of Universal Credit if you have a health condition or disability that limits how much work you can do. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) refers to this as your ‘capability to work’.

Your monthly payment is based on your circumstances, for example your health condition or disability, income and housing costs.

Find out if you’re eligible for Universal Credit.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

If you live in Northern Ireland, go to Universal Credit in Northern Ireland.

Other support you can get

You may also be eligible for New Style Employment and Support Allowance.

Check if you can get other financial support.

If you might have 12 months or less to live

You may get extra money for Universal Credit if a medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live.

If you’re making a new claim, you can declare this during your application. If you’ve already made a claim, you’ll need to report this as a change of circumstances.

You will not usually need a Work Capability Assessment.

Find out more about getting benefits if you’re nearing the end of life.

2. Report your health condition or disability

When you apply for Universal Credit, you can report if you have a health condition or disability that affects your ‘capability to work’.

This could mean that you:

  • need support in work
  • need to find suitable work
  • are unable to work temporarily or long term

You can still work if you feel able to or if you find suitable work. Find out more about getting Universal Credit if you work.

How to report your health condition or disability

You’ll need to provide details about your health condition, such as:

  • medical treatments you’re receiving
  • if you’re in or expecting to go into hospital
  • if you’re pregnant

You do not need to provide these if a medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live. 

If you already claim Universal Credit, you must report any change of circumstances straight away, including:

  • changes to your health condition, for example it gets better or worse 
  • a new health condition

You can do this in your Universal Credit account.

Fit notes

You must get a fit note (also known as a ‘sick note’) if your health condition or disability affects your capability to work for longer than 7 days. 

You’ll be asked to provide details from your fit note in your account.

You can get a fit note from one of the following healthcare professionals:

  • GP or hospital doctor
  • registered nurse
  • occupational therapist
  • pharmacist
  • physiotherapist

It can be printed or digital. 

If your health condition or disability affects your capability to work for longer than 28 days, you may need to have a Work Capability Assessment. You must continue to get fit notes until you’ve been sent a decision about your assessment.

When your fit note expires

If your health still affects your capability to work you must get a new fit note when it expires. 

You’ll get a reminder before your fit note expires. The reminder will include the date you need to report a new one by.

You’ll need to update the details with your new fit note in your account. If you do not, you may need to attend an appointment with your work coach to discuss your claimant commitment.

If you do not get a new fit note you may be expected to work or look for work.

If you need a Work Capability Assessment

The Work Capability Assessment is to help decide how much your health condition or disability limits your capability to work.

If you need an assessment, you’ll get a letter telling you what you need to do. 

Before your assessment, you’ll need to complete a ‘Capability for Work’ (UC50) health questionnaire. You’ll be able to send copies of other medical information with this, such as treatment plans or test results.

The assessment can be in person, by video call or on the phone.

You can have someone else with you, for example a friend or support worker. 

Before your assessment decision

Until a decision can be made on your Work Capability Assessment, you’ll either:

  • get the standard allowance, if you’re making a new claim 

  • continue getting the same Universal Credit amount, if you’re reporting a change of circumstances

You must continue to get fit notes and provide details about them in your account until you’ve been sent a decision about your assessment. If you do not get a new fit note you may be expected to work or look for work.

3. If you have a Work Capability Assessment

After you’ve reported your health condition or disability, you may need to have a Work Capability Assessment. If you do, you’ll be sent a decision afterwards that says if you:

  • are fit for work (also known as ‘capable for work’)
  • need to prepare to work in the future, but have limited capability for work (LCW)
  • have limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA)

The decision affects whether you’ll get the extra amount of Universal Credit.

You can still work if you feel able to, even if you’re told that you have limited capability for work or need to prepare for work in the future. You can earn up to a certain amount without it affecting the amount of Universal Credit you get. This is called a ‘work allowance’.

If you’re fit for work

You’ll need to agree to look for work that is suitable for your health condition.

You’ll get the standard allowance of Universal Credit based on your circumstances.

If you need to prepare to work in the future

You need to prepare to work in the future, but have limited capability for work now. You can work if you feel able to do so.

Your work coach will discuss your situation and agree steps to help you start preparing for work. For example, by writing a CV.

You do not need to look for work or prepare for work. You can work if you feel able to do so.

You may get extra money as well as your standard allowance.

Your claimant commitment

You’ll need to agree to do certain things to keep getting Universal Credit. This is known as your ‘claimant commitment’.

Your commitment is based on your situation and may be affected by the decision after your Work Capability Assessment.

Reassessments

You’ll get a letter if you need another assessment in the future.

If you start working, you will not need to have another assessment unless your health condition changes.

4. Working and claiming Universal Credit

You may still get Universal Credit if you work. 

You must report any change of circumstances straight away, including finding or leaving a job.

You can earn up to a certain amount without it affecting the amount of Universal Credit you get. This is called a ‘work allowance’.

Speak to your work coach or use a benefits calculator to find out how working affects your Universal Credit payment.

5. If you get the severe disability premium

If you get, or are entitled to, the severe disability premium you may be able to get ‘transitional protection’ if you move to Universal Credit.

This is an extra payment to help with your move to Universal Credit. Most people will get this automatically but some will need to apply for it.

Eligibility

You’ll get this payment if all of the following apply:

  • you (or your partner) get, or are entitled to, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • you get, or are entitled to, the severe disability premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
  • you’re still eligible for the severe disability premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim
  • you’ve not joined an existing Universal Credit claim

If you’re in a couple and you get, or are entitled to, the higher severe disability premium rate, then the following also needs to apply in the first month after you claim Universal Credit:

  • no one gets Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment for caring for you or your partner
  • no one gets an extra amount on top of their Universal Credit payments for caring for your or your partner

How to claim your transitional protection payment

If you’re entitled to the transitional protection payment, you’ll get it automatically if your previous benefit was claimed as:

  • a single person

  • part of a couple and the payments were in your name

This will appear in your Universal Credit account. 

If you separate from your partner and want to claim Universal Credit

You will not automatically get the transitional protection payment if you were part of a couple and: 

  • benefit payments were only made in your partner’s name (either into their bank account or a joint account)

  • your partner got, or was entitled to, a severe disability premium as part of a claim for Income Support, income-based JSA or income-related ESA

You need to claim Universal Credit within one month of separating from your partner if you want to also claim transitional protection payment. 

You need to tell the Department for Work and Pensions that you may be eligible to claim a transitional protection payment. Tell them as soon as possible after you claim Universal Credit and within 13 months.

Tell DWP you want to claim your transitional protection payment by either:

What you’ll get

If you’re single you’ll get:

  • £132.12, if the ‘limited capability for work and work-related activity’ element is included in your Universal Credit payment
  • £313.79, if the ‘limited capability for work and work-related activity’ element is not included in your Universal Credit payment

If you’re in a couple you’ll get:

  • £445.91, if you get, or are entitled to, the higher severe disability premium rate
  • £132.12, if you get, or are entitled to, the lower severe disability premium rate and the ‘limited capability for work and work-related activity’ element is included in your or your partner’s Universal Credit payment
  • £313.79, if you get, or are entitled to, the lower severe disability premium rate and the ‘limited capability for work and work-related activity’ element is not included in your Universal Credit payment

Extra amounts

You could get more money in your transitional protection payment if you get, or are entitled to, other disability premiums or the disabled child premium.

If you get other disability premiums

You can get more money in your transitional protection payment if:

  • you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium or the disability premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
  • you’re still eligible for the enhanced disability premium or the disability premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim

If you’re single, you’ll get an extra:

  • £84, if you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium
  • £172, if you get, or are entitled to, the disability premium

If you’re in a couple you’ll get an extra:

  • £120, if you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium
  • £246, if you get, or are entitled to, the disability premium

If you get the disabled child premium

You might get the disabled child premium as part of your:

  • Income Support
  • income-based JSA
  • Child Tax Credit (called the ‘disabled child element’)

You can get more money in your transitional protection payment if:

  • you get, or are entitled to, the disabled child premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
  • you’re still eligible for the disabled child premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim
  • the lower rate of the disabled child element is included in your Universal Credit payment

You’ll get an extra £177 for each qualifying child.

Changes to the amount of transitional protection

Transitional protection reduces over time by the amount of any increase in your Universal Credit. This does not include any increase to pay for childcare costs.

It will end if any of the following apply:

  • you’re a single claimant and you start living with your partner
  • you stop living with your partner
  • your Universal Credit increases by more than the transitional protection amount
  • your earnings fall below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) for more than 3 assessment periods (the AET is £494 per month for an individual and £782 per month for a couple)
  • your Universal Credit claim ends

If your Universal Credit stops for less than 3 months because your earnings are too high, you may get transitional protection again when your claim restarts.