The Department for Work and Pensions has made the Social Security (Removal of Two Child Limit) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/316). The instrument gives effect to section 1 of the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 and comes into force on Monday 6 April 2026, the same date as the Act. (lordslibrary.parliament.uk)
The instrument records that it was made at 11:00 and laid before Parliament at 14:45 on 19 March 2026. It applies in England, Wales and Scotland. As the Regulations are made within six months of the Act’s commencement and are consequential, they are exempt from referral to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 173(5)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. For Housing Benefit provisions, the Secretary of State consulted organisations representative of local authorities under section 176(1) of the 1992 Act.
Regulation 2 amends the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006. In regulation 22(1)(b), the words “up to two individuals who are either children or young persons” are replaced with “children or young persons”, and paragraphs (2) to (5) are omitted. Parallel changes are made to regulation 23 (polygamous marriages), removing identical limiting words and omitting paragraphs (2) to (5). From 6 April, applicable amounts for Housing Benefit will reflect all dependent children in the household with no numerical cap.
Regulation 3 omits regulations 41 and 42 of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014. These provisions sustained exceptions to the two‑child policy and set evidence requirements for non‑consensual conception where a claimant had previously received child tax credit. With the cap removed in primary legislation, these transitional exceptions and associated evidence rules are revoked. (cpag.org.uk)
Regulation 4 removes regulations 5, 6 and 9 of the Social Security (Restrictions on Amounts for Children and Qualifying Young Persons) Amendment Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/376). The 2017 instrument had introduced a two‑child maximum in the applicable amount for Income Support and income‑based Jobseeker’s Allowance and set transitional Housing Benefit rules; these limitations are now disapplied to ensure consistent treatment across working‑age benefits. (publications.parliament.uk)
For Universal Credit operations, ministers indicated during Commons debates that the policy applies to assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026, with existing exceptions withdrawn at the same time. DWP stakeholder guidance has also signalled April 2026 as the start date. Delivery bodies should therefore expect recalculations to flow automatically in assessment cycles beginning on or after that date. (hansard.parliament.uk)
For claimants, the effect is straightforward. Households with three or more children will see the Universal Credit child element included for each child. Housing Benefit applicable amounts will include each child or qualifying young person. The Regulations set no savings or backdating rules; changes operate prospectively from 6 April 2026 unless provided for elsewhere in statute or guidance.
Local authority revenues and benefits teams should update calculation rules, award letters and quality assurance to remove the cap from Housing Benefit cases, including those within regulation 23. Internal controls should check that previously restricted child amounts are now applied, and that discretionary housing payment frameworks are adjusted where they referenced the cap.
Process notes recorded in the instrument include that it was made and laid on 19 March 2026 by the Minister of State for Work and Pensions, Stephen Timms, and that no full impact assessment has been prepared. The exemption from Social Security Advisory Committee scrutiny is confirmed on the basis that the Regulations are made within six months of the commencement of section 1 of the 2026 Act.
Territorial scope is Great Britain. The Regulations extend to England, Wales and Scotland; welfare legislation for Northern Ireland is made separately by the Department for Communities, so equivalent provision there will require separate statutory action.