If you have a health condition and this means you can’t work or limits what work or hours you are able to do, then this needs to be taken into account.
The DWP will want to conduct their own assessment of you – called the Work Capability Assessment.
This can involve completing a form and having a medical, although some people are treated as having a Limited Capability for Work without having to have a medical (see below for more information).
To kick start the Work Capability Assessment process you will need to report your health condition to the DWP – either on your claim form when you first claim Universal Credit, or report it as a change in your health if you are already on Universal Credit.
You will also need to provide the DWP with a ‘fit note’ from your GP (some other health professionals are able to provide these).
Who is treated as having Limited Capability for Work?
If you can be treated as having a Limited Capability for Work (LCW) or a Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) then you will not need to have a medical.
You will be treated as having LCWRA if:
- You receive New-Style ESA and your award includes a Support Component, or
- You are terminally ill and your death can be reasonable expected within 12 months (these are often referred to as the ‘special rules’ or ‘end of life’ rules), or
- You are currently receiving treatment for cancer (or have done so in the past 6 months) and it is reasonable to treat you as having a limited capability for work, or
- You’re pregnant and working or getting ready for work could be a risk to your health or your baby’s health, or
- You are the older member of a mixed aged couple and you are getting Attendance Allowance/Pension Age Disability Payment, or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment/Adult Disability Payment, or the high rate care component of Disability Living Allowance.
You will be treated as having LCW if:
- You receive New-Style ESA and you’ve been found to have (or treated as having) a LCW as part of that award, or
- You are undergoing hospital treatment as an inpatient;
- You are recovering from inpatient treatment and the DWP are satisfied that the claimant should be treated as having LCW;
- You are in residential rehabilitation for drug or alcohol dependency;
- You have certain illnesses or having certain treatments (speak to a Benefits Adviser to find out more)
- You are the older member of a mixed aged couple and you are getting Attendance Allowance/Pension Age Disability Payment, Personal Independence Payment/Adult Disability Payment or Disability Living Allowance.
Example:
Iona made a claim for Universal Credit after finishing work for health reasons in 2025. She provided a fit note showing that he was undergoing treatment for cancer. Due to the impact this was having on her physical health the DWP decided that she should be treated as having LCWRA.
Example:
Fiona and Ben made a claim for Universal Credit in 2025 after receiving a Migration Notice. They are a mixed age couple. Ben is 68, he gets Attendance Allowance, and so he should be treated as having a Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity and their UC award should include a LCWRA Element.
IMPORTANT: Where someone transferred from ESA to Universal Credit, any decision on their Limited Capability for Work should have transferred too – but this was often missed. If you think you’ve been affected, contact a Benefits Adviser as soon as possible.
The Work Capability Assessment Process
If you are not treated as having a Limited Capability for Work or a Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activities, then you will have to have a Work Capability Assessment.
You will be sent a medical questionnaire, called a WCA50, to complete and return, and will usually have to attend a medical too.
This process can take several months and throughout that time you will need to be providing the DWP with continuous fit notes.
Example:
Evan has been on UC for 2 years. He has recently become unwell and his health has been deteriorating fast. He reported this change in health on his UC account and has started providing fit notes. He has been referred him for a Work Capability Assessment. He will be sent a WCA 50 and following that will have to have a medical too.
NOTE: Not everyone can have a Work Capability Assessment. Certain workers and those previously found fit and whose health condition hasn’t changed. If you are refused one, check with a Benefits Adviser that this is the right decision.
The Outcome
There are 3 possible outcomes from a Work Capability Assessment. You will be assessed as one of the following:
1. Fit for work
This means that the DWP do not feel that your health condition or disability affects your ability to work enough to prevent you from working. You will be expected to look for work or to increase your earnings. You will not receive any additional amounts of Universal Credit due to sickness or disability.
If you disagree with this decision you can challenge it – seek advice from a Benefits Adviser.
2. Having a Limited Capability for Work
This means that your health condition or disability affects your ability to work. It may be that although you may be not be able to look for work now, the DWP feel that you can prepare for work with the aim of working at some time in the future. Or that if you are working you are only work part-time or in certain jobs.
You don’t automatically receive any extra Universal Credit. However, if you were assessed as having a Limited Capability for Work, and have been continuously receiving a benefit because of that condition since before 3rd April 2017, your award will include the Limited Capability for Work Element. And if you or your partner are working you may become entitled to a ‘work allowance’ which means some of your earnings are ignored when your Universal Credit is assessed.
3. Having a Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity
This means you will not be asked to look for work, or to prepare for work.
You will get paid more Universal Credit due to your sickness or disability. Your Universal Credit award will include the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity Element.
See If you have a health issues for more information.
If you are working
You may have a health condition or disability and be in work.
You can still have a Work Capability Assessment in certain circumstances:
- If you earn less than the equivalent of 16 hours work per week paid at the National Minimum Wage then you can have a Work Capability Assessment.
- If you earn more than the equivalent of 16 hours work per week paid at the National Minimum Wage, you will only be able to have a Work Capability Assessment if you are also getting Personal Independence Payment/Adult Disability Paument or Disability Living Allowance/Child Disability Payment.
If you are found to have a Limited Capability for Work you will become entitled to a work allowance (if you do not already have one included in your Universal Credit award) this may mean you are entitled to more Universal Credit as some of your earnings are ignored.
See How does Universal Credit work for workers? for more information.