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What PIP is for
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help with extra living costs if you have both:
• a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
• difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition
You can get PIP even if you’re working, have savings or are getting most other benefits.
If you live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles, you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead.
How PIP works
There are 2 parts to PIP:
• a daily living part – if you need help with everyday tasks
• a mobility part – if you need help with getting around
Whether you get one or both parts and how much you get depends on how difficult you find everyday tasks and getting around.
If you have less than 6 months to live, you’ll automatically get the daily living part. Whether you get the mobility part depends on your needs. Find out how to claim and how much you’ll get if you have a terminal illness.
Daily living part
You might get the daily living part of PIP if you need help with:
• eating, drinking or preparing food
• washing, bathing and using the toilet
• dressing and undressing
• reading and communicating
• managing your medicines or treatments
• making decisions about money
• socialising and being around other people
Mobility part
You might get the mobility part of PIP if you need help with:
• working out a route and following it
• physically moving around
• leaving your home
You do not have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part. You might also be eligible if you have difficulty getting around because of a cognitive or mental health condition, like anxiety.
How difficulty with tasks is assessed
The DWP will assess how difficult you find daily living and mobility tasks. For each task they’ll look at:
• whether you can do it safely
• how long it takes you
• how often your condition affects this activity
• whether you need help to do it, from a person or using extra equipment
Your carer could get Carer’s Allowance if you have substantial caring needs.
Help with PIP
If you need help understanding or applying for PIP, you can:
• get help from Citizens Advice
• watch PIP video guides with British Sign Language
• use easy read guides which explain PIP
If you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
DLA is being replaced by PIP for most adults. You’ll keep getting DLA if:
• you’re under 16
• you were born on or before 8th April 1948
If you were born after 8th April 1948, DWP will invite you to apply for PIP. You do not need to do anything until DWP writes to you about your DLA unless your circumstances change.
Eligibility
You can get PIP if all the following apply to you:
• you’re 16 or over
• you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
• you have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around
• you expect the difficulties to last for at least 12 months from when they started
You must also be under State Pension age if you’ve not received PIP before.
If you’re over State Pension age, you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead. Or if you’ve received PIP before, you can still make a new claim if you were eligible for it in the year before you reached State Pension age.
If you get other benefits or income
You can get PIP at the same time as all other benefits, except Armed Forces Independence Payment.
If you get Constant Attendance Allowance, you’ll get less of the daily living part of PIP.
If you get War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement you will not get the mobility part of PIP.
You can get PIP if you’re working or have savings.
If you’ve recently returned from living abroad
To apply for PIP, you usually need to:
• have lived in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years
• be living in one of these countries when you apply
If you’ve recently returned from living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you might be able to get PIP sooner.
If you live abroad
You might still be able to get PIP if you either:
• live in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein – you can only get help with daily living tasks
• work in the armed forces, or are a family member of someone who does
If you’re not a British citizen
You must:
• normally live in or show that you intend to settle in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
• not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get PIP. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30th June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply.
You might still be able to get PIP if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status.
How much you’ll get
How much Personal Independence Payment (PIP) you get depends on how difficult you find:
• everyday activities
• getting around
PIP amounts
| Lower weekly rate | Higher weekly rate | |
| Daily living part | £61.85 | £92.40 |
| Mobility part | £24.45 | £64.50 |
PIP is tax free. The amount you get is not affected by your income or savings.
How you’re paid
PIP is usually paid every 4 weeks.
Your decision letter tells you:
• the date of your first payment
• what day of the week you’ll usually be paid
• how long you’ll get PIP for
• when and if your claim will be reviewed
If your payment date is on a bank holiday, you’ll usually be paid before the bank holiday. After that you’ll continue to get paid as normal.
All benefits, pensions and allowances are paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.
Other help you can get
If you get the mobility part of PIP, you might be eligible for a:
• Blue Badge
• vehicle tax discount or exemption
• Motability Scheme vehicle, if you get the higher mobility rate of PIP
If you get either the daily living or mobility part of PIP, you’re eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard.
You may be able to get a discount on Council Tax and local bus travel. Contact your local council to check.
If someone helps to care for you, they may be able to get Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Credit.
If you get other benefits and PIP
You may get a top-up (called a disability premium) if you get:
• income support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• housing benefit
You might get the disability element of Working Tax Credit if you’re eligible.
If you get Constant Attendance Allowance, you’ll get less of the daily living part of PIP.
If you get War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement you will not get the mobility part of PIP.
How to claim
Before you apply for PIP, check if you’re eligible.
To claim PIP, you need to:
- Call to start your claim. You’ll then be sent a form that asks about your condition.
- Complete and return the form.
- You might need to have an assessment, if more information is needed.
There’s a different way to claim if you’re terminally ill.
Calling to start your claim
Call the ‘PIP new claims’ phone line.
If you need someone to help you, you can:
• ask for them to be added to your call – you cannot do this if you use textphone
• ask someone else to call on your behalf – you’ll need to be with them when they call
You’ll need to give the following information:
• your contact details, for example telephone number
• your date of birth
• your National Insurance number, if you have one (you can find this on letters about tax, pensions and benefits)
• your bank or building society account number and sort code
• your doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
• dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent in a care home or hospital
• dates for any time you spent abroad for more than 4 weeks at a time, and the countries you visited
Start your claim by post
You can start a claim by post instead, but it takes longer to get a decision.
Send a latter to ‘Personal Independence Payment New Claims’.
You’ll be sent a form asking for your personal information, such as your address and your age. Fill in and return the form.
You’ll then be sent a form which asks about your disability or condition.
Personal Independence Payment New Claims Post Handling Site B Wolverhampton WV99 1AH
Completing and returning the form about your condition
You’ll usually get a form called ‘How your disability affects you’ within 2 weeks.
Fill in the form using the guidance that comes with it and return it to the address on the form.
Include supporting documents if you have them – for example, prescription lists, care plans, or information from your doctor or others involved in your care.
You have 1 month to return it. Contact the PIP enquiry line if you need more time or have questions.
You can read Citizens Advice’s help on filling in the form.
If you need to have an assessment
You’ll be invited to an assessment with a health professional if more information is needed. They’ll ask about:
• how your condition affects your daily living and mobility tasks
• any treatments you’ve had or will have
They might ask you to do some simple movements to show how you manage some activities.
The assessment can be in person, over the phone or by video call. It usually takes 1 hour. If your assessment is in person, your invitation letter will explain how to attend your appointment safely.
You can read Citizens Advice’s help on preparing for an assessment.
Getting a decision
You’ll get a letter that tells you whether you’ll get PIP and the date of your first payment.
If you disagree with a decision
You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for ‘mandatory reconsideration’.
If your PIP claim is reviewed
The letter you got when your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was approved will tell you when your claim will end and if it will be reviewed.
How PIP reviews work
You will continue to get PIP while your claim is being reviewed.
- You’ll get a letter asking you to fill in a form called ‘Award review – how your disability affects you’.
- Fill in the form using the notes that come with it.
- Send the form and any supporting information you have not shared with the DWP before – the form explains what to include and where to send it. You’ll need to return it within 1 month. Contact the PIP enquiry line if you need more time.
- DWP will review your form. If they need more information, and independent health professional might phone you to ask some questions or send a letter inviting you to an assessment. Assessments can be in person, over the phone or by video call.
- You’ll get a letter that tells you what will happen with your PIP. If your needs have changed, your PIP might be increased, reduced, or stopped.
If you disagree with a decision
You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.
Change of circumstances
You must contact the PIP enquiry line if:
• your personal details change, for example your name, address or doctor
• the help you need or your condition changes
• your condition has worsened, and you’re not expected to live more than 6 months
• you go into hospital or a care home
• you go abroad
• you’re imprisoned or held in detention
• your immigration status has changed, if you’re not a British citizen
You could be taken to court or must pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.
How to report a change of circumstances
Contact the PIP enquiry line to report a change of circumstances.
If you need someone to help you, you can:
• ask for them to be added to your call – you cannot do this if you use textphone
• ask someone else to call on your behalf – you’ll need to be with them when they call
If you’ve been paid too much
You may have to repay the money if you:
• did not report a change straight away
• gave wrong information
• were overpaid by mistake
Claiming PIP if you’re terminally ill
You can get PIP more quickly if you’re terminally ill.
You can claim PIP if:
• your doctor or a healthcare professional has said you might have 6 months or less to live
• you are aged 16 or over and usually have not reached State Pension age
What you’ll get
You’ll get the higher daily living part of £92.40 per week.
Whether you get the mobility part and how much you’ll get depends on your needs. The lower weekly rate is £24.45, and the higher weekly rate is £64.50.
How to claim
You can claim for yourself or someone else can do it for you.
- Call the PIP claims line to start your claim.
- Ask a doctor or other healthcare professional for form DS1500. They’ll either fill it in and give the form to you or send it directly to DWP.
- If you also claim Universal Credit, sign into your online account and use your journal to say that you have sent a DS1500 to DWP.
You will not need to go to a face-to-face assessment.
If you need someone to help you, you can:
• ask for them to be added to your call – you cannot do this if you use textphone
• ask someone else to call on your behalf – you’ll need to be with them when they call
PIP claims
Telephone: 0800 917 2222
Textphone: 0800 917 7777
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 917 2222
Video relay service (terminal illness) for British Sign Language users – check you can use this service
Calling from abroad: +44 191 218 7766
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
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