The Department of Health and Social Care has laid Statutory Instrument 2026/205, the National Health Service (Travel Expenses and Remission of Charges, Ophthalmic Services, and Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. Made on 2 March and laid on 4 March, the instrument applies in relation to England, with regulation 1 commencing on 1 April 2026 and the substantive amendments taking effect from 15 April 2026.
The amendments remove Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance as passported routes to full remission of NHS charges and to reimbursement of travel costs under the 2003 Regulations. In practical terms, those benefits will no longer automatically confer entitlement to free NHS prescriptions, dental charges remission, optical support or travel reimbursement once the changes commence on 15 April.
The Department for Work and Pensions is abolishing the affected legacy benefits from 1 April 2026. The explanatory note confirms a two-week run-on of payments after that date; aligning NHS commencement on 15 April closes any overlap between the final run-on and NHS passporting, ensuring the new eligibility rules apply immediately after the run-on ends.
Universal Credit remains the central passported benefit. Regulation 5 of the 2003 Regulations continues to provide remission for relevant Universal Credit recipients, and the revised interpretation provisions update references such as the definition of family by pegging it to how Income Support rules applied on 31 March 2026. This closes off reliance on repealed provisions while retaining clarity for means tests conducted during the transition.
A time-limited discretion is inserted into regulation 16 of the 2003 Regulations for the NHS Low Income Scheme. It allows the Secretary of State to modify how the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 are applied to resource assessments so that those assessed on an Income Support basis are treated on terms similar to relevant Universal Credit recipients. This discretion expires on 1 April 2027, providing a defined window to maintain parity.
Changes to the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013 remove definitions linked to legacy benefits and tax credits, and revoke regulation 13 on notice of entitlement. Eligibility routes in regulation 8 are narrowed accordingly, with the family definition anchored to how it applied for Income Support on 31 March 2026 to support consistent assessments during the transition.
Parallel amendments to the Primary Ophthalmic Services Regulations 2008 delete definitions tied to child tax credit and working tax credit and adjust eligibility for NHS sight tests. This reflects the end of tax credits on 5 April 2025 and removes tax-credit-based routes to support in ophthalmic services from 15 April 2026.
Operationally, this is an eligibility and verification change for providers rather than a change to the underlying services. From 15 April, pharmacies, dental practices, optical contractors and NHS bodies administering travel cost reimbursements will need to apply checks that no longer accept Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance as qualifying evidence.
For patients, entitlement will instead flow either from being a relevant Universal Credit recipient or from a successful assessment under the NHS Low Income Scheme. Individuals who previously relied on legacy benefits as passported evidence should ensure their circumstances are assessed under the Low Income Scheme before seeking remission or reimbursement after 15 April.
The instrument extends to England and Wales but applies in relation to England only. It is signed by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Zubir Ahmed, on 2 March 2026. The explanatory note states that no full impact assessment has been produced because no, or no significant, impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen and only a limited impact on the public sector is expected.