What is PIP and how do I claim it? Everything you need to know about the DWP disability benefit

Personal independence payment (PIP) has been described as a “lifeline” for disabled people, with the benefit helping to cover the extra costs that come with having a disability or long-term illness.

With the Labour government proposing reforms to disability benefits including PIP, which could mean people with disabilities or long-term illnesses could face a reduction in the amount they can claim from next year, it’s important to know how you might be affected.

Here, experts explain not only how you can access and apply for PIP if you’re eligible, but also understand how the proposed changes could affect you. 

Read more:

• PIP is a lifeline for me as a disabled person. Here’s a great way to claim for the DWP benefit
• How to navigate DWP disability benefit applications and PIP assessments
• Revealed: 1.3 million people with cancer, arthritis and more could lose PIP under Labour’s benefit cuts

So what exactly is PIP, and are you eligible to claim it?

What is PIP?

PIP is a benefit that can “help with extra living costs if you have both a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition”, according to the government’s website.

The payment is not awarded for the condition itself but is based on how much it affects your ability to do everyday tasks. 

The benefit is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, it has been replaced with the adult disability payment (ADP). The government states those receiving PIP in Scotland will automatically be moved to ADP by spring 2025. 

Tom Farquhar, benefits information specialist at disability equality charity Scope, told the Big Issue: “Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled, and PIP is a benefit to help with those extra costs, whether someone is in work or not.

“Scope’s research shows disabled households on average would need an extra £1,010 every month to have the same living standards. The government’s plan to cut disability benefits will have a disastrous impact for huge numbers of disabled people.”

Samuel Thomas, senior policy advisor at anti-poverty charity Z2K, added that while PIP is intended to “cover the extra costs disabled people have as a result of their disabilities”, in practice, it often “ends up being used for the basic essentials”.

What are the rates?

It’s not possible to say exactly how much you may receive in PIP before you apply, as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) makes the decision about how much you get and for how long based on your individual application and the likelihood of your condition changing. 

As explained by Citizens Advice, the benefit is made up of two parts: the “daily living component”, meaning the extra help you need with everyday tasks, which could include “preparing food, washing, getting dressed or communicating with other people”.

The second part, or the “mobility component”, is for the extra help you need getting around. Each component can be paid at either a standard or enhanced rate based on your needs.

The current daily living standard rate is £73.90 per week, while the enhanced rate is £110.40. For mobility, the standard rate is £29.20 and the enhanced rate is £77.05. 

There are different rules for particular applicants, for example if you have reached state pension age, or if you have a terminal illness. If you have a terminal illness, you will automatically get the enhanced rate of the daily living component. 

PIP is paid every four weeks, but if you have a terminal illness it’s paid every week. You do not need to pay tax on PIP. Payments can also be backdated, and would be backdated to the date you made your claim, not the date of the decision.

Who qualifies for PIP?

You might be able to get PIP if you need extra help because of an illness, disability or mental health condition, and it’s decided based on how much it affects your day-to-day life, meaning you might be awarded PIP even if someone else with the same condition might not. 

According to Citizens Advice, “you must find it hard to do everyday tasks or get around because of a physical or mental condition”, and “you must have found these things hard for three months, and expect them to continue to be hard for another nine months”.

Citizens Advice says it’s “hard to say if the level of help you need will qualify you for PIP”, but a person should consider applying if they need help with daily activities like washing, bathing, eating, communicating with people, or planning a journey due to a long-term illness or disability. 

PIP is available for those aged 16 to state pension age. Children may be entitled to the disability living allowance, and will have to apply for PIP once they turn 16 – this is not an automatic process. For pensioners, those who received PIP before they reached state pension age may continue to receive it, but you can’t make a new claim; instead, disabled pensioners should apply for attendance allowance.

If you think you might be eligible for PIP, you can start your claim either by post, over the phone, or online via the government’s website. 

Is PIP means-tested?

PIP is not means-tested, which means it doesn’t matter what you earn or how much you have in savings; your eligibility is based on how much your condition affects you. 

You can apply for PIP whether you’re working, studying or unemployed. You also don’t need to have paid National Insurance or worked to qualify for PIP. 

Can I get PIP with other benefits?

Experts say PIP will not affect your eligibility for means-tested benefits like universal credit or housing benefits, and qualifying for PIP could mean becoming eligible for other benefits.

Z2K’s Samuel Thomas explained: “For the purposes of assessing entitlement to means-tested benefits, PIP is not considered income. So if your only other income is PIP and you claim universal credit, you’re treated as having no income.”

Scope’s Tom Farquhar added that recipients of PIP may be entitled to “extra financial support on top of your existing benefits, for example a reduction in your council tax bill“.

“You may also be eligible for top-ups or premiums on other benefits such as housing benefit.”

Can PIP be stopped without notification?

Experts say you will always be notified if your PIP is stopping or reducing, unless the DWP believes you have committed benefit fraud. 

According to Citizens Advice, there are a few reasons the DWP may stop or reduce your PIP, for example if you “didn’t return a review form in time”, if “you’ve reached the end of your fixed-term PIP award”, or if “you told the DWP about a change of circumstances and they decided you can’t get PIP any more”. 

If you’re not sure why the DWP stopped or reduced your benefit, you can check any letters it has sent you, or call the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 and ask them to explain. 

If you think the DWP is wrong, you can challenge a PIP decision with help from Citizens Advice or other organisations. 

Does PIP automatically renew?

PIP does not automatically renew; the time frame in which you are awarded it depends on the needs you have, and can range from one to ten years. 

If you’re awarded PIP for a fixed time of more than two years, the DWP will usually review this before the time frame ends, and will renew it if it decides you are still eligible for PIP. Farquhar stressed, however, that the DWP can “review a PIP claim at any time”.

If the DWP assesses you, and decides your condition will never get better, they may give you an “indefinite award”, which will usually be reviewed every 10 years. 

“Some claimants who have an award lasting less than two years might have their claim reviewed before it is due to end. But others will not have a review scheduled, and will instead receive a letter a few months before the end of the award to tell them it will be ending. Disabled people in this situation can then make a new claim,” Farquhar said.

What are the proposed changes to PIP?

The government has proposed changes to tighten the eligibility criteria for PIP.

If plans go ahead, a minimum of four points will have to be ‘scored’ on one daily living activity to receive the daily living element of the disability benefit.

These activities include preparing food, taking nutrition, managing therapy or monitoring a health condition, washing and bathing, managing toilet needs and incontinence, dressing and undressing, communicating verbally, reading and understanding signs, symbols and words, engaging with others face to face, and making budgeting decisions.

You will now have to score a minimum of four points on at least one of these elements. It means that people with three points or less for each activity will lose their entitlement in the future. The mobility element of PIP will not be affected.

Changes will not come into place until 2026 and are currently subject to a consultation.

However, if they do happen, estimated 1.3 million could lose access to PIP under the government’s proposed reforms to the system, which would see the eligibility criteria tightened so fewer people would qualify.

Research has found 87% of the 1,283,000 working-age people currently receiving standard daily living PIP would no longer qualify for it under the proposed reforms.

“One of the things we’re worried about is the people who, in many cases have quite serious disabilities, are going to see huge drops in their income, and that might mean they have to increase their reliance on food banks, or may see a deterioration in health,” Thomas told the Big Issue.

He added in many cases, especially for people who are forced to privately rent their homes, they are “using disability benefits to pay the shortfall in their support”.

“So when that goes, they’re at a risk of homelessness. So, there are quite significant impacts on an individual level.”

Thomas explained that currently, if you receive the daily living component of PIP, you can be exempted from the benefit cap, which can be a “lifesaver for a lot of people”.

“Those people losing eligibility for PIP could in many situations mean they’re then going to be subject to the benefit cap,” he explained. “Our case workers see people who are having to live off £100 a month as a result of the benefit cap. It causes some of the worst hardship that we see.”

Farquhar added that the proposals include scrapping the work capability assessment, meaning “disabled people will only have to go through the PIP assessment for disability benefits”.

“While fewer assessments may be less stressful, this means that disabled people must qualify for the daily living component of PIP to get the health element of universal credit. The restricted eligibility for PIP will mean it is much harder for disabled people to get any disability benefits at all,” Farquhar explained.

Where do I go if I need help applying for PIP?

There are places you can turn to if you need help with any stage of the PIP application process. 

If you’re having problems with the form, your local Citizens Advice branch might be able to help you or find somewhere that can; it also has a host of valuable information about applying for PIP on its website.

Poverty charity Turn2us also has a free online PIP helper that could provide support with your application. Disability Rights UK has an extensive guide to PIP applications.

You might also be able to get help from a disability or mental health support agency. Charities Scope and Mind have both signposted to disability and mental health support which may be able to help. Thomas added that Z2K works with people living in London on a low income, and can support people applying for PIP. 

If you need to contact someone about PIP, its enquiry line is 0800 121 4433 for telephone and 0800 121 4493 for textphone. 

If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can use Relay UK to type what you want to say: 18001 then 0800 121 4433. 

For more information on applying for PIP, and for further advice on navigating the DWP disability benefits assessment process, experts have explained everything you need to know, from the evidence you’ll need to filling out the application form.

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