Universal Credit: new guidance for families with children
Universal Credit update for families and carers
The Department for Work and Pensions has updated its Universal Credit guidance for people responsible for children, confirming how extra payments and childcare support apply from November 2025.
Parents receiving Universal Credit can continue to claim an extra amount for up to two children living with them. Additional payments for a third or subsequent child remain limited to specific exceptions.
The extra child amount is paid until 31 August after a child’s 16th birthday. It may stop earlier if the child leaves full-time education, moves out, enters council care, or is taken into custody.
Families with young people aged 16 to 19 will keep receiving support if they are in full-time, non-advanced education such as GCSEs, A levels or approved unpaid training courses. Payments stop when the young person leaves education or turns 19, unless they begin a qualifying course before that date.
Support for disabled children
An additional payment, known as the disabled child addition, is available regardless of how many children a family has. The higher rate applies if the child receives the highest rate of Disability Living Allowance care or the enhanced rate of the Personal Independence Payment daily living component, or if the child is blind or severely sight impaired.
Help with childcare costs
Parents in work can claim back up to 85% of childcare costs. Those starting work or increasing their hours may be able to get help with upfront childcare payments.
Work expectations for parents
Under the new guidance, what parents are expected to do in return for Universal Credit depends on the age of their youngest child.
Parents with a child under one will not be required to look for work.
For children aged one or two, only work-preparation meetings are expected.
For children aged three to 12, parents must look for or undertake work for up to 30 hours a week.
When the youngest child is 13 or over, the requirement rises to 35 hours.
A claimant commitment sets out these responsibilities, and payments may be reduced or stopped if they are not met.
Foster and kinship carers
Foster carers will not receive the child or disabled child elements for fostered children, though they may get childcare support for their own employment. Those between placements for less than eight weeks only need to attend work planning meetings.
Kinship carers — those caring for children unable to live with their parents — can usually receive the extra child and disability payments if the child normally lives with them. Carers who have taken on a child within the last year do not have to work or undertake job search activities during that 12-month period.
Other benefits
Universal Credit is paid separately to Child Benefit, though both may be affected by the overall benefit cap. Child Maintenance payments received do not reduce Universal Credit, but arrears owed may reduce payments.
The new guidance applies to England, Scotland and Wales, with separate rules for Northern Ireland.
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