Changes to lcwra

Subject to some exceptions, from 6^th April 2026, the LCWRA element will be reduced from £423.27 to £217.26 per month.

The new amount of £217.26 will then be frozen until 6^th April 2029.

The exceptions are for:

• pre-2026 claimants
• severe conditions criteria claimants; and
• claimants who are terminally ill

These claimants are known as being in a ‘protected group’. They will not have the LCWRA element cut and it will continue to be uprated each year in the normal way.

Pre-2026 claimants

Pre 2026 claimants are those who are entitled to the LCWRA before 6^th April 2026 and have been entitled to the LCWRA element continuously from that time. [1]

For most claimants there is a three month waiting period between providing medical evidence of their having LCW. This is known as the relevant period.[2]

Some claimants are exempt from the relevant period condition.[3]

For those who are not exempt from the relevant period condition, the deadline for providing medical evidence of LCW depends on the dates of their assessment periods.

Those with assessment periods from 6^th to 5^th of each month have a deadline of 6^th December 2025.

Whereas those with assessment periods from 5^th to 4^th of each month have a deadline of 5^th January 2026.

The table below shows the deadline for each possible assessment period cycle.

Evidence of LCW

Fit notes

The most straightforward evidence of LCW is a fit note. Medical evidence must cover each day for which a limitation in capability is claimed.[4] That medical evidence must usually be in the form of a fit note, unless it would be “unreasonable” to require evidence to be in that form.[5]

This means gaps the periods covered by a fit note may affect the required period, and therefore whether the claimant counts as pre-2026 claimant.

The most straightforward advice for a claimant is therefore:

• Get a fit note and notify it on your UC journal before your deadline;
• Try to get a three-month fit note where possible;
• If not, ensure that you get a new fit note before the previous one expires;
• Failing that, ask for your fit note to be backdated so that there is no gap

Self-certification & other evidence

DWP guidance states that: “Medical evidence includes a self-certificate for the first seven days of LCW”.[6] Reporting on the Universal Credit journal that you have health problems affecting your ability to work will count as self-certification for these purposes.[7]

This is most useful when the claimant is close to the deadline and cannot obtain a fit note before the start of their next assessment period.

The claimant will still usually have to provide fit notes covering the whole period. An example of when it might be unreasonable to require fit notes covering the whole period can be found in KS v SSWP [2025] UKUT 015 (AAC) which is also a useful case for setting out the general law in this area.

Severe conditions criteria

For the severe conditions criteria to apply, the claimant must have been assessed, it must have been determined that at least one descriptor must apply constantly for the rest of their life.

Depending on the descriptor in question it must arise out of either a “specific bodily disease or disablement”, or a “specific mental illness or disablement” that:

• that the claimant will have for the rest of their life; and
• have been diagnosed by an appropriately qualified health care professional in the course of the provision of NHS services

Claimants who are terminally ill

Terminally ill claimants are those to whom the ‘special rules’ apply. Medical evidence for the special rules is provided on form SR1.

Clinicians should complete an SR1 form promptly if they have a patient who:

• has a progressive disease, and
• as a consequence of that disease, you would not be surprised if they were to live for less than 12 months

There are no negative consequences for the clinician or patient if a patient who claims under the Special Rules lives longer than expected.

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[1] Reg 27A, UC Regs 2013

[2] Reg 28, UC Regs 2013

[3] See CPAG Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025-26 pp73-74.

[4] Regulation 2(1), Social Security (Medical Evidence) Regulations 1976

[5] Regulation 2(1A), Social Security (Medical Evidence) Regulations 1976

[6] Paragraph F5031, Advice for decision making: staff guide, Chapter F5

[7] KS v SSWP [2025] UKUT 015 (AAC) at [22]