Support for Health Costs in Northern Ireland now coming into line with rest of the UK.

From 1 December 2025, people in Northern Ireland who receive Universal Credit and meet certain conditions will automatically qualify for free sight tests, dental treatment, and help with travel costs for health service appointments.

In December 2024 we reported that, because the local legislation had not been updated, Northern Ireland households transferring from some of the old benefits onto Universal Credit were no longer automatically eligible for financial support for health costs, such as dental treatment and sight tests. This resulted in Northern Ireland being out of step with England, Scotland and Wales where this help was available to their residents.

That’s now changing. The Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 have been amended to include eligible Universal Credit recipients. This update, which comes into effect on 1 December 2025, means around 195,000 people in Northern Ireland will benefit.

Who will be eligible for this support?

It’s important to note that not everyone on Universal Credit will automatically qualify for help under the scheme.

The Help with Health Costs (HwHC) scheme, which is designed to support people on lower incomes, will help cover the cost of things like dental care, eye tests, glasses or contact lenses, and travel to health or social care appointments when referred by a doctor or dentist.

As in the rest of the UK, eligibility will depend on your earnings during your most recent Universal Credit assessment period:

• If you had no earnings or take-home pay of £435 or less, you’ll qualify automatically.
• If you have children or limited capability for work, you’ll qualify automatically if your take-home pay was £935 or less.

If your earnings are above these thresholds, you can still apply for help through the Low-Income Scheme (LIS), which assesses your income before deciding on support.

Further information

To make sure your family is claiming all the financial support you are entitled to, contact the Family Benefits Advice Service for a free, personalised ‘better off’ calculation on  hello@employersforchildcare.org.