Adopted Children Exempt from the Two-Child Universal Credit, Tax Credit Limit

Child Poverty Action Group welcomes today’s announcement from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions that all children who are adopted will not be taken into account for the purposes of the two-child limit in tax credits and universal credit.  But the charity urged the Secretary of State to go further and ensure that all children born as a result of non-consensual sex are also not taken into account for the purposes of the two-child limit. 

Today’s announcement  follows the charity’s legal case which led to  last week’s High Court finding which held that all kinship care children should be exempt from the limit.   Before the ruling only third or subsequent kinship care children were exempted from the limit.     

 Today’s announcement means families claiming tax credits or universal credit who adopt children or take in children on a kinship care basis will be able to claim the child elements of those benefits for adopted  children and kinship care children as well as two of their biological children.  

Commenting on today’s announcement Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham said:

“This is a welcome move which follows on from our legal case on kinship care.  It is the right thing to do for families who take on care of some very vulnerable children.   We hope it will be followed by a decision to exempt all children conceived as a result of non-consensual sex.  We argue that the overall two-child limit breaches fundamental human rights and we will continue to  challenge its lawfulness.”