Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Rates and eligibility

If you have a long-term health condition or disability, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can give you extra money to help you manage day to day life.

As of October 2024, there were 3,660,331 people claiming PIP, with 1,645,889 men claiming the benefit and 2,014,432 women in receipt of PIP, according to the Department for Work and Pensions’ Stat-Xplore.

What is Personal Independence Payment (PIP)?

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit available to people between 16 and State Pension age who have long-term care needs or struggle with mobility due to an illness or disability. The money can help individuals cover the extra costs that may arise from living with a long-term health condition. 

PIP is gradually replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Even if you have an indefinite award for DLA, you will have to make a new claim for PIP.

In Scotland, PIP is being gradually replaced with Adult Disability Payment. 

PIP is tax-free and not means tested. This means that you can get it whether you work or not. How much you earn or have in savings is irrelevant.

Two components of PIP

• Daily Living component – if you need help with everyday tasks, such as eating and drinking, washing and getting dressed.
• Mobility component – if you need help getting out and about because of physical, sensory, mental or learning difficulties.

What are the PIP rates for 2025/26?

How much you receive from PIP depends on which component(s) and rates you are eligible for. You can get the Daily Living component if you need help with everyday tasks and the Mobility component if you struggle to get around independently.

The two parts are paid out at a higher or lower rate. Which rate you get depends on how your condition affects you. This is determined by an assessment from an independent health professional.

You may qualify for either one or both components depending on your circumstances.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) weekly rates

Disability benefits such as PIP and Carer’s Allowance, have risen by 1.7% for the financial year 2025/26.

Current PIP rates in 2025/26

• Daily Living
• Standard: £73.90
• Enhanced: £110.40

• Mobility
• Standard: £29.20
• Enhanced: £77.05

PIP is generally paid every four weeks and the rate you get is frequently reviewed. These reviews ensure you continue to get the right support and in most cases won’t result in your payment being reduced. In fact, between 2018 and 2023, 71% of planned reviews resulted in an increase or no change to the level of award received.

Who can get PIP?

To be eligible for a new Personal Independence Payment claim, you must be over the age of 16 but not reached State Pension Age.

You cannot claim Armed Forces Independence Payment and PIP at the same time.

To qualify, you must also have either a mental or physical disability or health condition that makes daily living or getting around difficult for you, or both, and the following is true:

• You have struggled with daily living and getting around for at least three months
• You expect these difficulties to last for at least another 9 months

PIP is available to people with a wide range of health conditions which can make it difficult to determine if you might be eligible. 

Exceptions are made if you are terminally ill

You can claim PIP if you have a progressive disease and are not expected to live longer than 12 months. This is known as Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). Your application will be fast tracked. You’ll likely receive the highest level of the benefit, but this will still be assessed based on your individual circumstances.

However, you must still be over the age of 16 and have generally not reached State Pension Age.

What does ‘Daily Living needs’ mean?

If you have Daily Living needs, it means that you need help with day-to-day tasks and to look after yourself, such as:

• Eating and drinking
• Washing and bathing
• Taking medication and managing treatments
• Going to the toilet and/or manage continence
• Dressing and undressing
• Communicating with others
• Reading and understanding information
• Socialising
• Handling money

What does ‘Mobility Needs’ mean?

If you have Mobility Needs, it means that you struggle to get out and about on your own, including:

• You need help to plan and follow a journey
• You need help to move around

The above could be due to a physical disability, a mental health issue, a sensory impairment or a learning difficulty.

The help you need for both Daily Living and Mobility needs could be walking aids, such as a walking stick or a guide dog. It could also be a person who do things for you or with you, takes you to places and/or goes along with you to keep you safe.

What if I have already reached State Pension Age?

To receive PIP after you have reached State Pension Age, you must either:

• Have been receiving PIP before you reached State Pension Age and your condition is unchanged
• Have been claiming DLA and received a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) inviting you to apply

PIP success rates

Despite the high numbers of people receiving PIP in the UK, recent statistics shared by the DWP show that over 50% of applications were rejected between 2019 and 2024, meaning that fewer than half of applications were awarded.

There are many reasons this could be the case, from incorrectly completed applications to flaws in the system. Success rates also vary depending on the type of condition that makes a person eligible, for example psychiatric disorders make up almost 40% of awards. Read our article to find out more about the most commonly claimed for conditions.

Planned changes to PIP announced in 2025

Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, announced a whole raft of welfare reforms on 18 March 2025.

• She pledged to scrap reassessments for disabled people who will never be able to work and for people with lifelong conditions.

• The eligibility criteria for PIP is being tightened up and will be targeted more at people with higher needs. They will need a minimum score of four on at least one of the daily living activities so they can be eligible for the daily living element of PIP. It is thought this will affect around a million people. People will have to show they have greater difficulty with daily activities such as washing, eating and dressing.

• Eligibility for mobility needs will be unaffected by the changes.

• PIP assessments will be recorded.

• There will be an increase in the number of face to face assessments.

• These changes will come into effect in November 2026.

The government has said it has to take action as since the pandemic, the number of working-age people starting to receive PIP each month has more than doubled from 15,300 to 35,100 a month. The number of young people (16-24) receiving PIP per month has tripled from 2,967 to 7,857 a month.

How to claim PIP

After applying for PIP, it can take up to four months to receive any money. PIP cannot be backdated but your payments start from the date you made your claim to cover the handling time at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

How long do I have to wait for a decision after the PIP assessment

The DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) take an average of 20 weeks to process a new claim. However reviews of existing claims can take a lot longer.

Make a claim by calling the DWP

Before you call, make sure you have the following information at hand:

• Your full name and contact details, including your address
• Your nationality/immigration status
• National Insurance number
• Bank or building society account details
• Your GP’s and/or other health professionals’ contact details
• Information about your stays in hospital or residential care
• If you have been overseas for more than four consecutive weeks at a time in the last three years, including dates and details

Fill in the PIP claim form you receive from the DWP

If the DWP thinks you may qualify for the benefit, they will send you a PIP claim form by post, known as PIP2: How your disability affects you.

You must send the form back within one month. However you can call the DWP to ask for more time. It may be beneficial to ask someone for help.

Complete the face-to-face assessment

You will receive a confirmation letter to let you know the DWP has received your claim form. You will then either be called to a medical assessment or the DWP will consult with your healthcare professional.

The assessment is carried out by an independent health professional to work out your Daily Living and Mobility Needs. Citizens Advice has guidance on how to prepare for the PIP assessment.

Following the assessment, you will get a letter with the decision. If you qualify, the letter will outline the components you get and at which rate. If you disagree with the decision, you have one month to challenge it.

Terminally ill

If you are terminally ill the process is quicker and a face-to-face assessment is not needed.

After you have called the DWP and started your claim, ask your healthcare professional to fill in form DS15000. They can send it directly to the DWP or hand it to you.

Moving from Disability Living Allowance to PIP

Personal Independence Payment is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA). 

Those who reached the age of 65 on 8 April 2013 will keep getting DLA.

For others, the move does not happen automatically. Your DLA payments will stop and the DWP will send you a latter to invite you to make a claim for PIP. By the end of October 2023, 1.8 million people in England and Wales had DLA reassessment claims to PIP accepted. 

If you live in Northern Ireland, you will receive a letter from the Social Security Agency.

Because the two benefits have different qualifying criteria, you may receive a higher or lower rate. In some cases, people may lose their entitlement, but this is only in rare circumstances.