Every allowance has gone up — and anyone not yet recognised is losing more
At the start of 2026 all National Insurance allowances were updated upwards, in line with the rise in average wages — general disability, special services, disabled child and more. People already receiving an allowance need do nothing: the update goes into their account automatically.
What this means for you: as the allowances rise, anyone who is entitled but has not claimed loses more every month. If you are living with a medical or psychological condition that affects your functioning, now is the time to check.
To the general disability guide →Recognition of psychological injuries keeps widening
Since the start of the war, the system has recognised PTSD, anxiety and depression as a disability in every sense, more than ever before. People injured psychologically alone — by sirens, by evacuation, by exposure to difficult events — can be recognised and receive an allowance, with no physical injury at all.
What this means for you: if you or someone close to you has been living with anxiety, nightmares or reduced functioning since the war, there is somewhere to turn and there are rights.
To the guide on recognising psychological injury →The hostile-action casualty route has been widened — to families too
During 2026 the benefits and entitlements in the hostile-action casualty route were widened: benefits for people undergoing medical treatment, and entitlements for families, for orphans and for family members who accompany casualties and lose income as a result.
What this means for you: an injury to one person affects the whole family, and the system is starting to recognise that. If your family was affected by a hostile-action event, other family members may also have rights.
To the hostile-action casualty rights guide →You can receive several allowances at once — and most people do not know it
One of the most common mistakes is settling for a single allowance. In practice, the disability allowance, the special services allowance (help with day-to-day functioning), mobility and other benefits are each assessed separately — and you can be entitled to several of them together.
What this means for you: even if you already have an allowance, you may be entitled to more. It is worth carrying out a comprehensive check of all your rights, not just one.
To the full benefits guide →More services online — fewer queues at the branches
The National Insurance Institute continues to move processes online: filing claims, attaching documents and tracking your file — all from home. That makes things easier, but it also raises the stakes on filing correctly: a digital form that is filled in incompletely is rejected exactly like a paper one.
What this means for you: it is more convenient to file — but no less important to file correctly, with all the documentation. A rejection for an incomplete submission costs months of waiting.
To the list of National Insurance branches →You can claim years later too — but waiting is costly
Entitlement to a disability allowance is assessed on your current condition — so people injured years ago can still apply today. But there is a catch: retroactive payment is limited in time. Anyone who puts off applying effectively loses the allowances for the months that have passed.
What this means for you: every month of “I will deal with it soon” is a month of allowance that will never be paid. Do not wait for the perfect moment — check your entitlement now.
To the disability percentages guide →Not sure what the new updates mean for you?
We will check your entitlement with the National Insurance Institute together — against the updated amounts
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