DWP £304 enhance alert for UK households

DWP stated those that are eligible don’t want to use

Common Credit score claimants to see change in Could and June

Households are being instructed they may obtain a £304-a-month enhance below a serious shake-up to advantages – however the actuality behind the headline determine is extra advanced.

The alert from the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) highlights a key change to Common Credit score that’s now being rolled out throughout Britain.

The £303.94 month-to-month sum will not be a brand new one-off cost or bonus. As an alternative, it’s the usual “little one component” of Common Credit score – a daily cost added to a family’s profit for every little one they’re accountable for.

Get private finance information, cash saving ideas and recommendation plus selcted gives and competitions Subscribe Invalid electronic mail

We use your sign-up to supply content material in methods you’ve got consented to and to enhance our understanding of you. This may increasingly embody adverts from us and third events based mostly on our understanding. You possibly can unsubscribe at any time. Learn our Privateness Coverage

Family saving money at home with a piggy bank

Round 483,000 households had been affected by the two-child restrict earlier than it was scrapped (Picture: Getty)

Why households at the moment are seeing a ‘enhance’

The rationale households are being instructed they may “now obtain” this cash is because of a serious coverage reversal.

From April 2026, the Authorities scrapped the controversial two-child restrict on Common Credit score.

That rule, launched in 2017, meant:

Dad and mom may solely declare the kid component for his or her first two youngsters
Any third or subsequent little one born after April 2017 obtained no further assist

Now, that restriction has been eliminated.

Consequently, households can declare £303.94 for each little one, no matter what number of they’ve.

Households with three or extra youngsters may even see funds rise by lots of of kilos a month

Officers say the rise will seem robotically in claimants’ accounts from Could or June, relying on their evaluation interval.

In case your family is eligible, you would now obtain as much as £303.94 extra every month for each little one that didn’t get Common Credit score assist earlier than
No want to use – funds are computerized pic.twitter.com/dsF4DpCcAw
— Division for Work and Pensions (@DWPgovuk) Could 14, 2026

Who advantages most

Round 483,000 households had been affected by the two-child restrict earlier than it was scrapped. That equates to roughly 1.6 million to 1.7 million youngsters residing in these households

These are the households now eligible to realize from the additional Common Credit score “little one component” funds of about £303.94 per little one.

The largest winners are:

Bigger households beforehand hit by the two-child restrict
Dad and mom who had youngsters after 2017 and had been excluded from assist
Working households on low incomes – a gaggle that makes up a big share of these affected

Some estimates recommend lots of of hundreds of households may achieve, with funds rising considerably as soon as all eligible youngsters are included.

Nonetheless, not everybody will see the total improve:

The profit cap nonetheless applies in some instances the place, for instance, revenue and financial savings can scale back Common Credit score funds
Month-to-month awards fluctuate relying on earnings, housing prices and different components