Upcoming changes to Universal Credit could leave many disabled people worse off, despite the government making some last-minute tweaks.
From April 2026, new benefit claimants who don’t meet strict criteria could miss out on £47 a week.
Under the proposed changes in the new Welfare Bill, only those in the “Severe Conditions Criteria Group” will continue to receive the full £97 weekly health element.
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Everyone else will see this drop to £50 a week, and that figure will be frozen.
These changes won’t affect current claimants, but anyone applying from April 2026 onwards could see a huge chunk of support vanish unless they meet the tough new requirements.
Who gets the full amount — and who misses out?
To get the higher £97 payment, a person must meet very specific physical and mental health criteria, consistently.
That includes things like not being able to lift a half-litre of liquid or struggling to carry out basic day-to-day activities.
The problem? Many long-term health conditions don’t stay the same every day.
Campaigners are warning that people with conditions like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or severe mental illness may be unfairly excluded.
These illnesses often come with good days and bad days, so they may not meet the “always severely affected” rule, even if they genuinely can’t work.
Juliet Tizzard from Parkinson’s UK called the plans “appalling”, saying: “Until we can be certain that people with fluctuating conditions will not be penalised, we’ll continue campaigning for a fair system.”
Young disabled people face even tougher rules
Another worrying change is the increase in the minimum age to qualify for the health element of Universal Credit. It’s going up from 18 to 22.
That means young disabled adults may be left without extra financial support during a critical time in their lives.
James Watson-O’Neill from disability charity Sense said the changes are causing “deep fear and distress” among disabled young people and their families. “Almost half of disabled people with complex needs are already in debt because their benefits don’t cover the essentials,” he added.
A two-tier system, based on when you apply
One of the biggest criticisms is that the reforms could split people into two groups:
- those who applied before 2026 and get get more support, and
- those who apply after and don’t.
This doesn’t just feel unfair.
It risks pushing even more disabled people into poverty.
While the government argues these changes will make the system fairer and prevent people being wrongly assessed as unable to work, many believe the plans will simply cut support for those who need it most.
Final thoughts
Disability campaigners are still urging MPs to block these cuts and rethink how the benefits system supports people with complex health conditions.
Whether these proposals will be adjusted again before becoming law remains to be seen.
But if they go ahead as planned, thousands of disabled people could face tighter budgets, more stress, and a system that feels stacked against them, just because they became ill at the “wrong” time.
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