Universal Credit for Kinship Carers: Two-Child Limit Abolished April 2026

Until April 2026, kinship carers claiming Universal Credit for three or more children ran into the two-child limit. Unless you could prove the child was placed with you under a non-parental caring arrangement — which meant gathering evidence and submitting exception forms — UC would only pay the child element for the first two children.

That limit is gone. The Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 repealed it for assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026. UC now pays the full child element of £303.94 per month for every eligible child you care for, regardless of how many children are in the household.

What This Means for Kinship Carers

If you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle or other relative raising one or more children in England, you can claim the UC child element for every child who normally lives with you and for whom you have main responsibility. The 2026/27 rates are:

• First child born before 6 April 2017: £351.88 per month
• All other children: £303.94 per month each

You no longer need to prove a "non-parental caring arrangement" exception. The exception paperwork that kinship carers used to submit — confirming the child was not your biological child and was placed with you by a parent or local authority — is obsolete for any assessment period from April 2026 onward.

How to Add a Child to Your UC Claim

Log in to your Universal Credit online account and go to "Report a Change," then "People who live with you." Add the child's details. DWP will need evidence that the child normally lives with you and that you have main responsibility — typically one of:

• A Child Benefit award notice in your name for that child
• A copy of the Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order
• A letter from children's services confirming placement

You do not need a court order. Informal carers with evidence of day-to-day care (school enrolment records, GP registration, a social worker's letter) can qualify.

The Benefit Cap Still Applies

The abolition of the two-child limit does not remove the Benefit Cap. If your total UC award (plus any other benefits) exceeds the cap — £1,835 per month outside London, £2,110.25 inside London for couples and lone parents — the excess is still deducted.

However, the cap is lifted entirely if your household earns at least £881 per month from employment, or if you or the child receives DLA, PIP, or you receive the UC Carer Element.

Kinship Foster Carers Cannot Claim

One important exception: if the child is formally looked after by the local authority and you are approved as a kinship foster carer, you cannot claim the UC child element or Child Benefit for that child. The council's fostering allowance replaces those national benefits. This applies when the child is accommodated under Section 20 or subject to a Section 31 care order and you are approved as a foster carer — if you hold an SGO or CAO, you claim UC normally.

What to Do Now

If you were previously denied the child element for a third or subsequent child, check your latest UC statement. DWP should have automatically added the child element from April 2026. If it has not appeared, report the child again through your journal and reference the removal of the two-child limit.

Our kinship financial help guide walks through the full UC claim process for kinship carers, including how each element interacts with local authority allowances, how the means test works, and what happens when the child's arrangement type changes.

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