The two-child benefit limit has ended, here’s what you need to know

If you’re claiming Universal Credit with more than two children you will be able to claim an extra amount for your third or subsequent children. This change is set to come into effect in April 2026.

This means if you are currently claiming Universal Credit or make a new claim and are responsible for more than two children, you could be newly entitled to an additional amount under the ‘child element’ of Universal Credit.

Under the current system of Universal Credit, you can only get additional amounts for your first two children.

If you have more than two children you can only get an additional amount  of £292.81 for your additional children if they were born before 6 April 2017.

You cannot claim any additional payments for a third or further children born on or after 6 April 2017 unless you have a special circumstances exceptionOpens in a new window

In other words, right now if your third child is 8 years or under, you normally can’t claim an additional payment for them. This is also called the ‘Two-child limit’ and sometimes unofficially called the “Two-Child Benefit Cap” – and this is set to be removed in April 2026.

All four nations currently have similar policies of a two-child limit. The change has been announced as part of the UK budget  and will come into effect for England, Scotland and Wales. Since welfare is devolved the Northern Ireland Executive will need to accept its removal.

Scotland had previously  announced a separate ‘Two Child Limit’ paymentOpens in a new window worth £292.81 to families with more than two children claiming Universal Credit. This will not go ahead.

The ‘child element’ is an additional amount of Universal Credit you can claim if you have children who live with you.

You can currently get £339 for your first child if they were born before 6 April 2017, or £292.81 for your first child if they were born after 6 April 2017.

You can claim a further £292.81 for your second child.

You can continue to get these extra amounts as long as the children live with you and until their 16th birthday - or their 19th birthday if they are in non-advanced education or training.

The change is set to come into effect in April 2026. Since Universal Credit is paid in arrears, it is likely to expect this additional payment for your third (or further children) in your first Universal Credit payment after this date.

If you already claim Universal Credit your work coach should already be aware of how many children live with you – but you should check that your details are up to date. If you are making a new claim, you will be asked how many children you have and whether they live with you.

Yes. The benefit cap is the maximum amount your household can get in benefits. This means that if you already get the maximum amount your payment will not increase.

You can find out more about how Universal Credit amounts are calculated in our guide How much is Universal Credit?

Right now, if you are responsible for a child who has a disability you will get an additional amount for them no matter how many children other you have or when they were born. This amount is called the ‘Disabled Child Element’.

You can currently only claim the standard ‘child element’ for your first two children, unless they were all born before 6 April 2017. This means if your third or subsequent child has a disability, you can claim this ‘Disabled Child Element’ but not the standard child element. This will change in April 2026.

The two-child limit does not apply to Child Benefit, which is a different weekly payment of around £26 for your first child and £17 for subsequent children. Child Benefit is not part of Universal Credit and is not means-tested in the same way. Right now you can claim Child Benefit for any number of children under your care. MoneyHelper has detailed information on How to claim Child Benefit.