Skip to main content

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

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.

You can also read about PIP in Welsh (Cymraeg).

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 might 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 might have 6 months or less to live.

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 Department for Work and Pensions (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:

If you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Disability Living Allowance (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 8 April 1948

If you were born after 8 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

Eligibility

You can get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) if all of the following apply to you:

You must also be under State Pension age if you’ve not received PIP before.

If you live in Scotland, you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead.

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.

Find out about PIP if you live in Northern Ireland.

If you live abroad

You might still be able to get PIP if you either:

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 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply. Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

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 (‘daily living’ tasks)
  • getting around (‘mobility’ tasks)

Find out what tasks count as daily living and mobility tasks.

PIP amounts

Lower weekly rateHigher weekly rateDaily living partMobility part

£61.85 £92.40
£24.45 £64.50

PIP is tax free. The amount you get is not affected by your income or savings.

Tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) straight away if there’s a change in your personal circumstances or how your condition affects you.

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:

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.

Find out about other financial support for people with disabilities or health conditions.

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

How to claim

Before you apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), check if you’re eligible.

Find out how to claim if you live in Northern Ireland.

If you live in Scotland, you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead.

To claim PIP, you need to:

  1. Call to start your claim. You’ll then be sent a form that asks about your condition.

  2.  
  3. Complete and return the form.

  4.  
  5. You might need to have an assessment, if more information is needed.

There’s a different way to claim if you might have 6 months or less to live.

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

PIP new 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
British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer - find out how to use the service on mobile or tablet
Calling from abroad: +44 191 218 7766
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Find out about call charges

Start your claim by post

You can start a claim by post instead, but it takes longer to get a decision.

Send a letter 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:

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’.