Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

To qualify you must:

• be over 16 and have not yet reached State Pension Age
• have met the criteria for 3 months
• expect to meet the criteria for at least another 9 months

Check if you're eligible for PIP (Citizens Advice)

Use a PIP self-test to help you understand the assessment and see if you might qualify.

Take the PIP self-test (Benefits and Money)

Benefits and Money also has condition-specific guides for:

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• bipolar disorder
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• fibromyalgia
• long COVID

If your child is turning 16

If your child is turning 16 and claims Disability Living Allowance (DLA), they will have to apply for PIP.

Changing from DLA to PIP

If you are over State Pension age

If you received PIP before State Pension age, you can continue to receive it.

Once you have reached State Pension age, you cannot normally make a new claim for PIP. Instead of PIP, you could consider claiming Attendance Allowance.

Getting PIP after you’ve reached State Pension age (Citizens Advice)

To apply for PIP, you need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). You can do this by:

• post
• phone on 0800 917 2222
• textphone
• Relay UK
• a video relay service

PIP: Contacting the DWP about a claim (GOV.UK)

It can take months to complete the PIP process:

• contacting the DWP about a claim
• filling in your PIP claim form and getting evidence
• attending an assessment
• receiving the outcome

If you have not received a reply from the DWP, contact them to check on the progress of your claim.

When you receive the form, you have 1 month to complete it. If you need more time, call the DWP and ask for an extension.

The form has questions about your care and mobility needs. These include:

• preparing food
• eating food
• washing and bathing
• using the toilet
• dressing and undressing
• reading
• communicating with speech
• managing your medicines or treatment
• making decisions about money
• engaging with other people
• planning and following a journey
• moving around

PIP is assessed on how your condition affects you day to day. You can receive PIP without a diagnosis. You can get support to fill out your form.

Help filling in your PIP form (Citizens Advice)

Evidence to support your claim

You need evidence that shows how your condition affects you. Focus on day-to-day experiences rather than a medical diagnosis. This can include:

• letters from a health professional
• a diary you have written

Completing your PIP claim form

Getting evidence to support your PIP claim (Citizens Advice)

PIP review form

When you are awarded PIP, your award lasts up to 10 years. Before your award ends, you will receive a PIP review form. Check your award letter or contact DWP for when this will be.

The PIP review form is shorter and asks about changes to your condition.

Completing the PIP review form

You will have an assessment once the DWP has looked at your form. This is normally in person at an assessment centre. But assessments can be a phone call or home visit.

If you need adjustments to attend your assessment, contact DWP in advance.

If you receive a letter asking you to attend an assessment that is not accessible for you, contact the organisation who arranged it. 

Answering questions

The assessor will ask questions like those in your application form. You will need to talk about your condition and how it affects you.

You can bring someone with you to the PIP assessment if you think this would help.

Preparing for your PIP assessment

The assessor will write a report based on your assessment. This will make recommendations to the DWP. When writing the report, they assess your ability to carry out everyday activities.

There are 2 components.

PIP components

PIP looks at 2 parts of your life:

• the daily living component for people who need help with everyday tasks
• the mobility component for people who find it hard to get around

You should complete both sections of the form.

Each component has a standard or enhanced level. There are 12 activities, 10 for daily living and 2 for mobility. For each component, you need:

• 8 to 11 points for the standard rate
• 12 points or more for the enhanced rate

It is possible to get a different rate for each component. This is because they are assessed separately.

Ask for a copy of your PIP report

A week after your assessment, you can ask for a copy of your PIP assessment report. They will not send it to you unless you do.

You could receive the assessor’s report before the decision letter. The report will give you a score for each activity. Using the PIP points system, you can add up the points you have been given.

PIP points system (Benefits and Work)

You will have a separate score for each component. This is likely the PIP award you will receive. The decision maker normally will agree with the assessor, but this is not always the case.

The decision letter will say what your award is.

You will have to wait for the decision letter before you will receive a PIP payment or can appeal the decision.

The amount of money you receive depends on the highest number of points you are awarded for each activity in the:

• daily living component
• mobility component

If you do not get enough points, you will not get any PIP

If you are awarded PIP, you will receive backdated money from the date you submitted your PIP claim.

For the daily living allowance

Your weekly amount will be:

• £72.65 for standard rate (8 to 11 points)
• or £108.55 for enhanced rate (12 or more points)

For the mobility component

Your weekly amount will be:

• £28.70 for standard rate (8 to 11 points)
• or £75.75 for enhanced rate (12 or more points)

If your parents claim other benefits, they might get the disabled child rate or addition added to that benefit. This could mean they receive more money.

Your parents could be eligible if they receive:

• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit

You also need to:

• get the care component of DLA or daily living component of PIP and
• be under 16 or a qualifying young person

Qualifying young person when your child is 16 to 19

The amount of money they receive will depend on what rate of the daily living component you get.

If you disagree with a benefit decision, you have 1 calendar month from the date on your decision letter to ask the DWP to reconsider. This is called a mandatory reconsideration.

Appealing your decision means your award can go up or down. You can speak to a benefits adviser before appealing.

They will look at both components of your award, even if you disagree with only 1 component. If this does not change the decision, you have 2 further chances to appeal:

• at a tribunal hearing where an independent panel looks at your case
• at an upper tribunal if you can show the first tribunal did not follow the law

Challenging decisions about PIP

If your condition or the help you need changes, report this to the DWP.

If you have to go into hospital for more than 28 days, report this.

Reporting changes that affect your PIP (Citizens Advice)