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Free WCA points checker · UC and ESA · 2026WCA points checker: LCW or LCWRA?
Score yourself on the 17 Work Capability Assessment activities. See whether you’d reach the 15 points for limited capability for work, whether an LCWRA descriptor applies, and what that means for your Universal Credit.
- All 17 activities and the LCWRA tests
- The April 2026 Universal Credit rules
- Free, and nothing you choose is saved or sent
Last reviewed
Score each activity
Pick what fits you most of the time. Your estimate updates as you go.
- Your total points against the 15-point threshold
- Whether an LCWRA descriptor applies
- What it’s worth in Universal Credit or ESA
LCW and LCWRA, explained.
| Outcome | How you get it | Universal Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Limited capability for work (LCW) | 15 points or more from the 17 activities (only the highest descriptor in each activity counts) | No extra money, but no requirement to look for work |
| Limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA) | At least one LCWRA descriptor applies most of the time. Not based on points. | £429.80 a month if you claimed before 6 April 2026; £217.26 for most new claims |
| Substantial risk | If work or work-related activity would put your health, or someone else’s, at substantial risk | Can lead to LCW or LCWRA even without the points |
From the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 (Schedules 6 to 9) and the Universal Credit Act 2025. The descriptors haven’t changed since 2013. See health conditions and Universal Credit on GOV.UK.
Most points are won on the form.
The WCA50 is the first thing the assessor reads, and the only place to explain substantial risk.
WCA50 Form Answers
Every activity on your WCA50 answered for you, with the LCWRA descriptors called out and a substantial-risk section in your own words.
- Every question answered, in the form’s order
- LCWRA and substantial risk argued properly
- Ready within 24 hours
- £49 flat
WCA Reconsideration or Appeal
Found fit for work, or put in the wrong group? We argue the descriptors and substantial risk, activity by activity.
What the assessor looks for.
Most of the time
A descriptor applies if it fits you most of the time. Describe your usual days, not your best ones.
Reliably and repeatedly
Ask whether you could do it safely, to an acceptable standard and as often as needed, not just once.
Physical or mental cause
Physical activities need a physical cause, mental ones a mental cause. Side effects of treatment count.
Two questions the assessor won’t ask
Some things that can decide your group are never asked about directly. The WCA Assessment Preparation Workbook shows you how to raise them.
Tools for your claim.
WCA points questions answered.
15 points from the 17 activities. Only the highest descriptor in each activity counts, and physical and mental points can be added together.
LCWRA isn’t based on points. At least one LCWRA descriptor must apply most of the time, such as being unable to walk more than 50 metres, or being unable to cope with any change.
£429.80 a month if you claimed Universal Credit before 6 April 2026, are terminally ill, or meet the severe conditions criteria. For most new claims from 6 April 2026 it’s £217.26 a month.
No extra money, but you won’t have to look for work. It also lets you keep more of your earnings if you have housing costs or children.
If being found fit for work, or for work-related activity, would cause a substantial risk to your health or someone else’s, you can be treated as having LCW or LCWRA without the points.
No. The descriptors are the same as in 2013. The proposed 2023 changes were dropped. What changed in April 2026 is the LCWRA payment for most new claims.
28 days. Send it to the Health Assessment Advisory Service, not the Jobcentre.
No. It shows how the points add up for the descriptors you pick. The DWP decides, usually after an assessment.
Scored too low? Challenge it for £49.
We argue the WCA descriptors and substantial risk, activity by activity, reviewed by a former DWP decision maker. Ready in 48 hours.
This checker gives an estimate from the descriptors you pick, in plain English from the Universal Credit Regulations 2013. It isn’t a decision or legal advice: the DWP decides, usually after an assessment.