Rules and rates change through the year, and a plan is not the same as a change in the law. We checked every entry below against the official source linked under it before publishing, and we aim to refresh this page every month. It is general guidance only: check your own letters and the official source before you act.
January 2026 6 changes
8 January 2026Announced
Scotland's planned two-child limit payment dropped
Where: Scotland
The First Minister announced that the £10m set aside in 2025/26 for a Scottish two-child limit mitigation payment would go to other anti-poverty measures instead. The payment is no longer needed because the two-child limit in Universal Credit ended UK-wide for assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026. The draft 2026/27 Scottish Budget moved the rest of the planned funding to child poverty measures, including £14m for extra demand for devolved benefits.
Official source: gov.scot news: £10m emergency support for families · gov.scot news: a Budget to tackle child poverty
13 January 2026Announced
Scottish Budget sets the 2026/27 uprating at 3.8%
Where: Scotland
At the Scottish Budget on 13 January 2026, ministers said all assistance under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 would rise by 3.8%. That is the CPI rate for the 12 months to September 2025, the measure Scotland has used since 2019, with amounts rounded to the nearest 5p. Best Start Foods and Job Start Payment also rise by 3.8% at ministers' discretion. The Carer Support Payment earnings limit goes up to £204 a week, in line with 16 hours at the National Living Wage. The uprating report required by section 86A of the 2018 Act was published on 2 February 2026.
Official source: gov.scot: uprating for inflation 2026/27
13 January 2026Proposal
Proposed £40 a week Scottish Child Payment for babies under one
Where: Scotland
The Scottish Budget announced a planned premium that would raise Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week for each eligible child under one. Around 12,000 children would benefit. It is not yet law: it is subject to consultation and approval by the Scottish Parliament and is meant to start in 2027/28, with the first payment date still to be announced. On 26 May 2026 the Social Justice Secretary said the government would go ahead with it.
Official source: gov.scot news: a Budget to tackle child poverty · gov.scot news: over 321,000 children getting support
29 January 2026In force
Migration notice deadlines aligned with legacy benefit closure dates
Where: Great Britain
The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/6) let the claim deadline in a migration notice fall on the day the old benefit is abolished, so people notified shortly before closure can still keep transitional protection. They also protect people whose UC claim failed on identity checks while their legacy benefits were wrongly left running. Made 6 January 2026, in force 29 January 2026.
Official source: SI 2026/6 on legislation.gov.uk
Related guide: ESAexpert: managed migration from ESA to UC
29 January 2026In force
Managed migration deadline and transitional protection fixes in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 (SR 2026/4) came into operation on 29 January 2026. The deadline in a migration notice can now match the date the claimant's legacy benefit is abolished, so they can still get transitional protection. Some people who lost transitional protection are also treated as if their legacy benefits continued. This covers people whose UC claim was refused for failed identity checks while their legacy benefits were wrongly kept in payment.
Official source: SR 2026/4 on legislation.gov.uk
30 January 2026In force
Local Housing Allowance frozen in Northern Ireland for 2026
Where: Northern Ireland
SR 2026/2 (made 8 January 2026) sets every Local Housing Allowance rate for 2026 at the level determined on 31 January 2024, in every broad rental market area. In effect, LHA stays frozen for both Housing Benefit and the Universal Credit housing element.
Official source: SR 2026/2 on legislation.gov.uk
April 2026 23 changes
1 April 2026In force
Crisis and Resilience Fund replaces the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments in England
Where: England (Discretionary Housing Payments continue in Wales)
From 1 April 2026 councils in England give crisis help through a single Crisis and Resilience Fund of £842m a year, or £1bn including the funding that follows to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under the Barnett formula. It replaces the Household Support Fund and takes in Discretionary Housing Payments, which both ended in England on 31 March 2026. It is meant for sudden, unexpected costs that put people at risk of hardship, including help with housing costs. An extra £27m for 2026/27 goes to areas that rely more on oil heating. Discretionary Housing Payments continue in Wales.
Official source: Minister's written statement HCWS1446 · SI 2026/271 on legislation.gov.uk
1 April 2026In force
Income Support and income-based JSA abolished in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (Commencement No. 18) (Abolition of Benefits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 (SR 2025/176) set 1 April 2026 as the date to end future entitlement to Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. Claimants move to Universal Credit.
Official source: SR 2025/176 on legislation.gov.uk · DfC decision making memos 2026
1 April 2026In force
Uprated Scottish family, carer and winter payments take effect
Where: Scotland
Most of the Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/170, made 24 March 2026) came into force on 1 April 2026. Scottish Child Payment rose from £27.15 to £28.20 per child per week. Other new rates: Young Carer Grant £405.10; Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby £796.65 (first child) or £398.35 (later child); Early Learning and School Age payments £331.95 each; Best Start Foods £11.20 or £5.60; Child Winter Heating Payment £265.50; Winter Heating Payment £62.00; Pension Age Winter Heating Payment £105.55 to £316.70; Funeral Support Payment higher rate £1,327.75. The same regulations let a pensioner count as getting a qualifying benefit for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment when their partner gets one. Carer's Allowance Supplement, still paid to the few carers left on Carer's Allowance, is £304.65 per payment in June and December; ministers set that amount by statement under section 81 of the 2018 Act, not in these regulations.
Official source: SSI 2026/170 on legislation.gov.uk · gov.scot: uprating for inflation 2026/27
1 April 2026In force
New £2,000 Care Leaver Payment
Where: Scotland
The Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/142, made 11 March 2026) create a one-off £2,000 payment for young people who were looked after by a local authority on or after their 16th birthday and leave care (or continuing care) on or after 1 April 2026. It is paid by the local authority that last looked after them, not Social Security Scotland. A person can only get it once.
Official source: SSI 2026/142 on legislation.gov.uk
5 April 2026In force
Carer Support rates and earnings limit uprated
Where: Scotland
Regulation 12(2) and (3) of SSI 2026/170 came into force on 5 April 2026. Carer Support Payment rose from £83.30 to £86.45 a week and Scottish Carer Supplement from £11.29 to £11.70. Carer Additional Person Payment rose from £10.00 to £10.40. The earnings limit rose from £196 to £204 a week.
Official source: SSI 2026/170, regulation 12 · mygov.scot: Carer Support Payment
Related guide: ADPexpert: ADP and Carer Support Payment
6 April 2026In force
April 2026 uprating: disability, carer and most working-age benefits up 3.8%
Where: England and Wales for PIP, DLA, AA and Carer's Allowance; Great Britain for ESA and other working-age benefits
Most benefits went up 3.8%, which was CPI inflation in the year to September 2025. Weekly rates: PIP daily living £76.70 standard or £114.60 enhanced; PIP mobility £30.30 or £80.00; Attendance Allowance £76.70 or £114.60; DLA care £30.30, £76.70 or £114.60; DLA mobility £30.30 or £80.00; Carer's Allowance £86.45 (was £83.30); New Style ESA 25 or over £95.55, work-related activity component £37.95, support component £50.35. The Statutory Sick Pay flat rate rose to £123.25. The new rates took effect from 6 April 2026, or from the first benefit week starting on or after that date. Scotland and Northern Ireland uprated their own disability and carer benefits by the same 3.8% (see below).
Official source: DWP benefit and pension rates 2026/27 · Up-rating Order 2026 (SI 2026/148)
Related guide: Benefits Expert: disability benefit rates 2026/27 · PIPexpert: PIP rates 2026/27 · AttendanceExpert: AA rates 2026/27
6 April 2026In force
State Pension up 4.8% under the triple lock
Where: Great Britain (Northern Ireland sets its own rates)
The basic and new State Pensions rose 4.8%, in line with average weekly earnings growth for May to July 2025 (the triple lock). Full new State Pension: £230.25 to £241.30 a week. Basic State Pension: £176.45 to £184.90 a week. The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee also rose 4.8%, to £238.00 (single) and £363.25 (couple). Additional State Pension rose 3.8% (CPI).
Official source: Written statement HCWS1101 (uprating 2026) · DWP benefit and pension rates 2026/27 (PDF)
6 April 2026In force
UC standard allowance: CPI rise plus an extra 2.3%
Where: Great Britain
For assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026, the UC standard allowance went up by CPI (3.8%) and then by a further 2.3% under the Universal Credit Act 2025. Monthly rates: single under 25 £338.58; single 25 or over £424.90 (was £400.14); couple both under 25 £528.34; couple with one or both 25 or over £666.97. The income-related ESA personal allowance got the same uplift (25 or over £97.75 a week). For later years the Act sets a minimum: the standard allowance must be at least the 2025/26 rate uprated by CPI each year, plus a cumulative 3.1% in 2027/28, 4.0% in 2028/29 and 4.8% in 2029/30. These are running totals rather than extra rises each year, so the minimum rise above inflation from one year to the next is only about 0.8% to 0.9%. Other UC rates: carer element £209.34 a month (was £201.68); child element £303.94, or £351.88 for a first child born before 6 April 2017.
Official source: Universal Credit Act 2025 · SI 2026/113 on legislation.gov.uk
6 April 2026In force
UC health element (LCWRA) cut for new claims, higher rate protected
Where: Great Britain (Northern Ireland: see below)
From 6 April 2026 the LCWRA element is paid at 2 rates: £429.80 a month (the protected rate, up from £423.27) or £217.26 a month (the new lower rate). You keep or get the higher rate if any of these apply: you had LCWRA before 6 April 2026 and have kept it continuously (a gap in UC caused by earnings is ignored if it ends within 6 months); you told DWP about your health condition before 6 April 2026 and have had LCWRA continuously since it was first included, whenever that decision is made (this covers people who were waiting for an assessment or in the waiting period); you were on ESA with the support component and moved straight to UC; you meet the severe conditions criteria; or you are terminally ill. The severe conditions criteria mean LCWRA plus a Schedule 7 descriptor that applies all the time and for life, from a lifelong condition diagnosed through the NHS. In a couple, the higher amount is paid if either partner qualifies. The lower rate goes to people who declare a condition on or after 6 April 2026, do not meet the severe conditions criteria and are not terminally ill. The £217.26 rate and the pre-2017 LCW amount (£158.76) are fixed in cash until 2029/30. The protected rate is not frozen: it must be raised when needed so that the standard allowance plus the protected rate still rises at least in line with CPI each year.
Official source: Universal Credit Act 2025 · gov.uk: UC if you have a health condition or disability
Related guide: ESAexpert: LCWRA rate 2026 and the new £217.26 element
6 April 2026In force
Two-child limit removed
Where: UK (Great Britain under section 1 of the Act; Northern Ireland under section 2, with its own entry below)
The Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 (Royal Assent 18 March 2026) scraps the two-child limit on the UC child element for assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026. It also revokes the exceptions rules, including the 'non-consensual conception' exception, which are no longer needed. SI 2026/316 removed the matching limit from Housing Benefit in Great Britain from the same date.
Official source: Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 · SI 2026/316 on legislation.gov.uk
6 April 2026In force
Carer's Allowance earnings limit rises from £196 to £204 a week
Where: England and Wales (Scotland uses Carer Support Payment)
You can now earn up to £204 a week (after tax, National Insurance and allowable expenses) and still get Carer's Allowance, up from £196. DWP says the new limit was set to align with 16 hours at the National Living Wage.
Official source: SI 2026/218 on legislation.gov.uk · gov.uk: Carer's Allowance eligibility
Related guide: PIPexpert: PIP and Carer's Allowance together
6 April 2026In force
Benefit cap and Local Housing Allowance frozen for 2026/27
Where: Great Britain
The benefit cap and Local Housing Allowance rates were not increased for 2026/27. The cap stays at £22,020 a year (£14,753 for single adults without children) outside London and £25,323 (£16,967) in Greater London.
Official source: Written statement HCWS1101 (uprating 2026) · DWP benefit and pension rates 2026/27 (PDF)
6 April 2026In force
State Pension age starts rising from 66 to 67
Where: Great Britain
People born on or after 6 April 1960 no longer reach State Pension age at 66. The age rises in monthly steps: 66 years and 1 month for those born 6 April to 5 May 1960, so the first new State Pension dates fall from 6 May 2026, up to 67 for those born from 6 March 1961.
Official source: Pensions Act 2014, section 26
Related guide: Benefits Expert: disability benefits at State Pension age
6 April 2026In force
Statutory Sick Pay paid from the first day of sickness
Where: UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
Statutory Sick Pay is now paid from the first day of sickness: the 3 waiting days have gone. The lower earnings limit has also been removed, so people who earn below it can now qualify. The weekly rate is £123.25 or 80% of your normal weekly earnings, whichever is lower. The changes are in sections 10 and 11 (Great Britain) and 12 and 13 (Northern Ireland) of the Employment Rights Act 2025, all brought into force on 6 April 2026 by SI 2026/373.
Official source: Employment Rights Act 2025, section 10 · gov.uk: Statutory Sick Pay
6 April 2026In force
Scottish disability payments uprated by 3.8%
Where: Scotland
The disability payment amendments in SSI 2026/170 came into force on 6 April 2026. Adult Disability Payment is now: daily living £114.60 (enhanced) or £76.70 (standard); mobility £80.00 (enhanced) or £30.30 (standard). Child Disability Payment care component is £114.60, £76.70 or £30.30, and its mobility component £80.00 or £30.30. Pension Age Disability Payment is £114.60 (higher) or £76.70 (lower). Scottish Adult DLA uses the same amounts as Child Disability Payment.
Official source: SSI 2026/170 on legislation.gov.uk
Related guide: ADPexpert: ADP rates 2026/27
6 April 2026In force
Northern Ireland benefits uprated in line with Great Britain
Where: Northern Ireland
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2026 (SR 2026/59, made 24 March 2026) matches the GB uprating order, SI 2026/148. Most provisions came into operation on 6 April 2026. PIP in Northern Ireland for 2026/27 is £76.70 or £114.60 for daily living and £30.30 or £80.00 for mobility. Carer's Allowance is £86.45 a week, with an earnings limit of £204 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses.
Official source: SR 2026/59 on legislation.gov.uk · nidirect: Personal Independence Payment
Related guide: PIPexpert: PIP in Northern Ireland
6 April 2026In force
UC standard allowance uplift and lower UC health element for new claims in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
Schedule 2 of the Universal Credit Act 2025 makes the same changes for Northern Ireland, and SR 2026/54 sets the uprated amounts. The UC standard allowance and the income-related ESA personal allowance rose by CPI (3.8%) plus a further 2.3%, so a single person aged 25 or over now gets £424.90 a month. For new claims from 6 April 2026, the LCWRA health element is £217.26 a month. People who already had it before that date (and, under SR 2026/54, some who were waiting for an assessment or in the waiting period then), those meeting the severe conditions criteria and terminally ill claimants get the protected rate, which rose from £423.27 to £429.80. The £217.26 rate is fixed in cash until 2029/30; the protected rate is uprated only as needed to keep the standard allowance plus LCWRA rising with CPI.
Official source: SR 2026/54 on legislation.gov.uk · nidirect: how much Universal Credit you get
6 April 2026In force
Two-child limit removed in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
Section 2 of the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 removed the two-child limit in Northern Ireland for assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026. Existing claims were reassessed automatically, with increases paid by June 2026. The extra child element still counts towards the benefit cap. SR 2026/68 removed the same limit from Northern Ireland Housing Benefit from the same date.
Official source: nidirect: Universal Credit two-child limit · SR 2026/68 on legislation.gov.uk
13 April 2026In force
Carer's Allowance overpayment reassessment exercise begins
Where: England and Wales, plus Scottish cases DWP ran between September 2018 and September 2025
DWP started reassessing Carer's Allowance cases that may have been hit by faulty guidance on averaging fluctuating earnings between April 2015 and September 2025. It expects to review over 200,000 cases and to reduce, cancel or refund debts for around 25,000 carers. Most people do not need to do anything. An online form for older cases is planned for late 2026, with no date set.
Official source: Written statement HCWS1488
29 April 2026Legislated
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: EHC plan duties not yet in force
Where: England
The Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Sections 37 to 39 touch on SEND. They require local authority involvement before a child placed at a special school by the authority is withdrawn from school. 'Children not in school' registers must record whether a child has an EHC plan. A school attendance order must name the school in the child's EHC plan, and the plan must be amended to name one if it does not. These sections came into force on Royal Assent only so far as they give powers to make regulations. The duties themselves start on a date still to be set, and none of the commencement regulations made up to the end of August 2026 brought them in.
Official source: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026
Related guide: EHCPhelp: the 2026 SEND White Paper explained
30 April 2026In force
'Right to Try': work or volunteering alone will not trigger a reassessment
Where: Great Britain (the PIP part applies in England and Wales; Scotland uses Adult Disability Payment)
SI 2026/395 states in law that doing paid work or volunteering is not, on its own, a reason for a fresh PIP decision or for a new Work Capability Assessment for UC and New Style ESA claimants who already have LCW or LCWRA. Planned reviews still go ahead. A reassessment can still happen if your condition changes, your function clearly improves or fraud is suspected. Information about the work may still be taken into account in a later assessment if it is relevant to how your condition affects you. It does not cover people still waiting for their first assessment, and you must still report changes of circumstances, such as starting work, in the usual way.
Official source: SI 2026/395 on legislation.gov.uk · gov.uk: Right to Try summary
Related guide: ESAexpert: ESA and WCA changes in 2026
30 April 2026In force
Child maintenance deductions get priority among benefit deductions
Where: Great Britain
SI 2026/322 changes the order of priority for third-party deductions from Universal Credit, New Style JSA and New Style ESA, so child support maintenance deductions now come ahead of the other deductions listed in Schedule 6 to the Claims and Payments Regulations 2013.
Official source: SI 2026/322 on legislation.gov.uk
30 April 2026In force
Child maintenance deductions move up the UC deduction order in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
Under SR 2026/65, from 30 April 2026 deductions from Universal Credit for child support maintenance come before the other deductions listed in Schedule 5, paragraph 5(2), of the 2016 Claims and Payments Regulations. This matches the change in Great Britain.
Official source: SR 2026/65 on legislation.gov.uk
June 2026 4 changes
2 June 2026In force
New power for DWP to extend fixed-term PIP awards
Where: England and Wales
SI 2026/457 lets DWP extend a fixed-term PIP award where needed to keep PIP running efficiently. The explanatory memorandum says the aim is fewer reviews: the first review generally after 3 years and later reviews after 5 years, and this power lets DWP apply that to existing awards. The power cannot shorten an award or change its rate. Decision makers and tribunals can still set shorter or longer awards.
Official source: SI 2026/457 on legislation.gov.uk
Related guide: PIPexpert: PIP award extended, what the letter means
2 June 2026In force
Department for Communities can extend fixed-term PIP awards
Where: Northern Ireland
SR 2026/88 adds regulation 22A, in operation from 2 June 2026. It lets the Department for Communities extend a fixed-term PIP award where needed to keep PIP running efficiently, for example during emergencies, system outages or serious backlogs. According to DfC decision maker guidance, the extension cannot change the amount of the award. Claimants can ask for one but have to show evidence that it is needed.
Official source: SR 2026/88 on legislation.gov.uk
Related guide: PIPexpert: PIP in Northern Ireland
24 June 2026In force
New powers to recover benefit debts from bank accounts and through driving bans
Where: Great Britain (DWP benefit debts)
SI 2026/601 brought in new ways for DWP to recover overpaid benefit from people who are not repaying it, aimed mainly at people who no longer get benefits and are not paid through PAYE. DWP can now take money directly from a bank account under a direct deduction order, without needing a court order. It can also ask a court to disqualify someone from driving, but only where at least £1,000 is still owed, and a ban is suspended at first while the person keeps to agreed repayments. A court cannot do this if the person needs a licence to earn a living or has another essential need for one. A code of practice sets out the safeguards. DWP says enforcement will be rolled out gradually from October 2026, and that people who get in touch to agree an affordable repayment plan can avoid these powers. The power to recover DWP's own recovery costs starts on 26 October 2026.
Official source: SI 2026/601 on legislation.gov.uk · gov.uk news: new DWP debt recovery powers
29 June 2026Announced
Health assessments to be audio recorded as standard
Where: Great Britain (DWP health assessments)
DWP announced that assessments for PIP, the Work Capability Assessment (for Universal Credit and ESA) and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit will be audio recorded automatically unless you opt out. This replaces the current system, where you have to ask for a recording, which fewer than 3% of claimants did. Recordings will be available to claimants who want to appeal. No start date has been given. The same announcement restates the aim to raise face-to-face assessments from 12% to 30%.
Official source: gov.uk news: health assessments to be recorded as standard
Related guide: PIPexpert: are PIP assessments recorded?
July 2026 6 changes
1 July 2026In force
Income-related ESA and most working-age Housing Benefit abolished
Where: Great Britain
The Minister announced the closure date as 30 June 2026. SI 2026/409 sets 1 July 2026 as the day remaining income-related ESA awards end (contribution-based ESA converts to New Style ESA) and working-age Housing Benefit is generally abolished. There are exceptions: cases where DWP is still finding an appointee close later, on a date not yet published; Housing Benefit for someone barred from UC as a prisoner on 1 July 2026 ends the day after release; and Housing Benefit continues for pension-age claimants and people in supported or temporary accommodation. As of 23 September 2026 DWP had not published a statement confirming the closure was complete.
Official source: SI 2026/409 on legislation.gov.uk · Minister's written statement HCWS1524
Related guide: ESAexpert: managed migration from ESA to UC
1 July 2026In force
Motability: VAT on advance payments and Insurance Premium Tax on new leases
Where: UK-wide tax change (Motability scheme)
From 1 July 2026 VAT applies to advance payments (the optional one-off top-up for a more expensive vehicle) and Insurance Premium Tax applies to new Motability leases. Existing leases and wheelchair accessible vehicles are not affected. Vehicles that need no advance payment are still available, and there is no change to who can get PIP or join the scheme.
Official source: gov.uk news: Motability changes come into force
Related guide: PIPexpert: Motability with PIP
7 July 2026Proposal
Call for evidence on Carer's Allowance reform (earnings taper)
Where: England and Wales (Carer's Allowance)
DWP asked for views on modernising Carer's Allowance, including an earnings taper to replace the cliff edge, a more predictable way of averaging earnings and possible use of HMRC earnings data. The call for evidence ran from 7 July to 18 August 2026. Nothing has been decided and no dates are set.
Official source: gov.uk: Carer's Allowance call for evidence
9 July 2026Published
Timms Review of PIP: interim report published
Where: UK-wide review (PIP applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
The interim report found PIP is widely valued but 'no longer fit for purpose'. The claims process is often described as stressful and dehumanising. The report contains no recommendations and no government policy, and PIP rules have not changed as a result of it.
Official source: gov.uk: Timms Review interim report
Related guide: PIPexpert: Timms PIP Review 2026
16 July 2026In force
Carer's Allowance reassessment refunds ignored as capital
Where: Great Britain
Lump sums paid after the Carer's Allowance reassessment exercise are not counted as capital for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit (SI 2026/681).
Official source: SI 2026/681 on legislation.gov.uk
16 July 2026In force
Carer's Allowance reassessment lump sums ignored as capital in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
Under SR 2026/146, from 16 July 2026 lump sums of Carer's Allowance paid after recalculations are ignored as capital for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA and Pension Credit. The recalculations follow the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance Overpayments (21 July 2025).
Official source: SR 2026/146 on legislation.gov.uk
September 2026 8 changes
September 2026Announced
Experts at Hand specialist support begins
Where: England
DfE guidance published on 5 June 2026 says local areas start delivering the Experts at Hand offer from September 2026. It gives mainstream settings access to specialists such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. Funding is around £1.8bn over 3 years. For 2026/27, £429m is paid as a combined Experts at Hand and Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund grant, with at least 80% for Experts at Hand delivery. It runs within the current legal framework, not under new law.
Official source: gov.uk: developing the Experts at Hand offer
9 September 2026Proposal
Timms Review publishes emerging recommendations (not final)
Where: UK-wide review (PIP applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
The Review published draft ideas for testing, not final recommendations. They include fewer award reviews for lifelong or degenerative conditions, a simpler PIP2 form that better captures fluctuating conditions, an advocacy service, more face-to-face assessments where evidence is unclear, a review of the 28-day hospital rule and principles for a reformed benefit (non-means-tested cash, a light-touch first assessment and a fast track for serious conditions). Fifteen workshops run in September and October 2026 from 15 September. The final report is due 'later this autumn' with no fixed date and must stay within OBR spending projections for PIP.
Official source: gov.uk: Timms Review co-chair update, September 2026 · gov.uk: the Timms Review collection
Related guide: PIPexpert: Timms PIP Review 2026
9 September 2026In force
£100 Home Heating Oil Support Scheme opens
Where: Northern Ireland
The Home Heating Oil (Temporary Financial Assistance) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 (SR 2026/149) came into operation on 14 August 2026 and expire on 31 March 2027. The scheme gives one £100 digital prepaid card per address where oil is the main heating, and one per claimant or couple. Applicants must get a qualifying benefit (for example UC, Pension Credit, PIP, DLA or AA) or have a net household income under £30,000, on at least one day in 1 to 30 April 2026 or 1 to 30 November 2026. Applications opened on 9 September 2026 and close on 31 March 2027. There is no automatic payment. The card has to be spent by the last day of the month after it is activated, and unused credit is lost.
Official source: SR 2026/149 on legislation.gov.uk · nidirect: apply for Home Heating Oil Support
15 September 2026Published
PIP statistics to July 2026 published
Where: England and Wales (PIP statistics)
DWP published its quarterly PIP statistics (caseloads, awards, reviews, mandatory reconsiderations and clearance times) for data up to 31 July 2026. The other 2026 editions came out on 17 March (to January 2026) and 16 June (to April 2026).
Official source: gov.uk: PIP statistics to July 2026
Related guide: PIPexpert: latest PIP statistics 2026
21 September 2026In force
Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27: qualifying week 21 to 27 September
Where: England and Wales (Northern Ireland has its own entry below; Scotland has Pension Age Winter Heating Payment)
People born on or before 27 June 1960 can get £100 to £300. Your circumstances in the week of 21 to 27 September 2026 set the amount. Most people are paid automatically in November or December 2026. If your total income is over £35,000, HMRC takes the payment back. If you do need to claim, you can do so by post from 21 September 2026 or by phone from 19 October 2026, up to 31 March 2027. Opting out for 2027/28 opens on 21 December 2026.
Official source: gov.uk: Winter Fuel Payment · Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2025
21 September 2026In force
Northern Ireland Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026/27
Where: Northern Ireland
The qualifying week is 21 to 27 September 2026, and people must be born on or before 27 June 1960. Payments are £100 to £300 and made automatically. HMRC recovers the payment where income is over £35,000. Opting out for 2026/27 has closed, and opting out for 2027/28 opens on 21 December 2026.
Official source: nidirect: Winter Fuel Payment
21 September 2026In force
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment for winter 2026/27
Where: Scotland
The qualifying week is 21 to 27 September 2026, and people must have reached State Pension age by the end of it (Social Security Scotland says this means born before 27 June 1960). Payments are £105.55 to £316.70 depending on the household, and most are made automatically. People with personal income over £35,000 have the payment clawed back through HMRC. They can opt out instead, before midday on 19 October 2026. For PAYE taxpayers, both the 2026 and 2027 winter payments will be collected in the 2027/28 tax year.
Official source: Social Security Scotland news, July 2026
22 September 2026In force
Easier UC reclaim for people on funded employment schemes
Where: Great Britain
SI 2026/946 extends the 5-month period in which you can be treated as reclaiming UC after your earnings end it, while you or your partner take part in a funded employment scheme. You can then be re-awarded UC automatically when the scheme earnings stop.
Official source: SI 2026/946 on legislation.gov.uk
October 2026 5 changes
1 October 2026Legislated
Remaining income-related ESA and working-age Housing Benefit to be abolished in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
SR 2026/115, made 17 June 2026, sets 1 October 2026 as the date to abolish all remaining income-related ESA awards and working-age Housing Benefit. Awards are saved where the claimant has an appointee, or where DfC decided in the previous 6 months that one was likely to be needed. Pensioners and people in temporary or specified accommodation are exempt from the Housing Benefit abolition. For people in prison or serving a sentence in hospital on 1 October 2026, Housing Benefit ends the day after they are released.
Official source: SR 2026/115 on legislation.gov.uk · DfC decision making memo 7/26 (PDF)
5 October 2026Legislated
New earnings disregards for Housing Benefit in supported or temporary accommodation
Where: Great Britain
Working-age Housing Benefit claimants in supported or temporary accommodation get extra earnings disregards, with amounts that depend on age and on whether you are single, a lone parent or in a couple. SI 2026/753 takes effect on 5 October 2026. SI 2026/978, in force 2 October 2026, replaces the provision before it starts: it extends it to lone parents, removes the minimum-hours requirement and shares the disregard between partners.
Official source: SI 2026/753 on legislation.gov.uk · SI 2026/978 on legislation.gov.uk
5 October 2026Legislated
Housing Benefit earnings disregards in supported or temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland
Where: Northern Ireland
SR 2026/157 (made 14 September 2026) adds extra earnings disregards for working-age Housing Benefit claimants in specified (supported) or temporary accommodation from 5 October 2026. The amounts depend on age and on whether you are single, a lone parent or in a couple.
Official source: SR 2026/157 on legislation.gov.uk
21 October 2026Scheduled
ONS publishes September 2026 CPI inflation (7am)
Where: UK
The Office for National Statistics publishes CPI inflation for the year to September 2026 at 7am on 21 October. That figure feeds the autumn 2026 uprating review, which sets most benefit rates for April 2027. Under the Universal Credit Act 2025 it also sets the minimum April 2027 UC standard allowance: compared with the April 2026 rate, which already includes the extra 2.3%, the minimum rise is about CPI plus 0.8%. It also sets the minimum rise for the standard allowance plus the protected LCWRA rate. The April 2027 rates have not been announced.
Official source: ONS release calendar: CPI, September 2026 · Universal Credit Act 2025
28 October 2026Announced
Budget 2026 and OBR forecast
Where: UK
The Chancellor has confirmed the Budget, with an Office for Budget Responsibility economic and fiscal forecast, for Wednesday 28 October 2026. No benefit measures have been announced in advance.
Official source: gov.uk: letter confirming the Budget date