The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has increased the weekly allowance paid to additional spouses in recognised overseas polygamous marriages as part of this year’s benefits uprating.
From April 2026, each additional spouse in an eligible household now receives £125.25 per week, a 4.8 per cent rise from the previous £119.50 rate.
The uplift adds £5.75 a week, or roughly £299 a year, and mirrors wage growth, which is used to calculate annual Pension Credit increases.
To qualify, additional spouses must have reached state pension age and be claiming through Pension Credit or Housing Benefit.
There is no formal limit on the number of additional spouses who may qualify, aside from the overall household benefits cap. While bigamy is illegal in the UK, polygamous marriages legally contracted overseas can still be recognised for certain welfare purposes.
For a union to be considered valid, all parties must have been domiciled in a country where polygamy is lawful and married in a jurisdiction that permits the practice.
A 2023 House of Commons report set out the distinction between domestic and overseas recognition, noting that marriages conducted in the UK must be monogamous and comply with domestic legislation.
Several legacy benefits continue to recognise qualifying overseas polygamous marriages, including Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.
DWP raises benefits for additional spouses in recognised polygamous marriages
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Universal Credit, however, does not recognise polygamous households, and successive Governments have maintained policies preventing polygamous households from being established within Britain.
The House of Commons report noted that a UK resident cannot sponsor an additional spouse for entry or residency if another spouse has already been granted permission and the earlier marriage has not been dissolved.
These restrictions are set out in section 2 of the Immigration Act 1988 and paragraphs 278–280 of the Immigration Rules.
However, individuals in a polygamous marriage may still live in the UK through alternative immigration routes
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For example, a second spouse could enter under a separate visa category based on their own eligibility. Labour has prohibited the use of the spouse‑visa route for additional wives since 1988.
The DWP said safeguards remain in place to ensure polygamous households cannot receive extra financial advantages through the welfare system.
“There are rules in place to ensure there is no financial benefit for claiming from a polygamous household,” a spokesman said.
“Only marriages that took place in a country where the practice is legal are recognised.”
“As a result, very few, if any, households claim this way.”
The department believes claimant numbers are very small, though it has not provided precise figures.
In 2024, Conservative peer Baroness Buscombe questioned whether the benefits system should continue recognising polygamy within social security regulations.
Viscount Younger of Leckie responded that the number of affected claimants was “very small and declining.”