Personal Independence Payment (PIP) helps with some of the extra costs caused by long-term ill-health or a disability if you’re aged 16 to 64.

You could get between £21.55 and £138.55 a week.

The rate depends on how your condition affects you, not the condition itself.

You’ll need an assessment to work out the level of help you get. Your award will be regularly reassessed to make sure you’re getting the right support.

If you get Disability Living Allowance

PIP started to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013.

Use the PIP checker to find out if and when PIP affects your DLA.

Help with PIP

You can contact a local support organisation to get help understanding PIP.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is usually paid every 4 weeks. It’s tax free and you can get it whether you’re in or out of work.

It’s made up of 2 components (parts). Whether you get 1 or both of these depends on how your condition affects you.

Daily living component

Mobility component

You'll need an assessment to work out the level of help you'll get. Your award will be regularly reassessed to make sure you're getting the right support.

Terminal illness

You’ll get the enhanced daily living component if you’re not expected to live more than 6 months. The rate of mobility component depends on your needs.

How you're paid

All benefits, pension and allowances are paid into an account, eg your bank account.

Other help

You might not have to pay some or all of your vehicle tax if you qualify for vehicle tax exemption or a 50% reduction.

You or your carer might also qualify for other financial help - eg Carer’s Allowance, or help with housing or transport costs.

Change of circumstances

It's your responsibility to tell the PIP helpline if your circumstances change, because this can affect how much you get. For example:

• the level of help you need or your condition changes
• you go into hospital or a care home
• you go abroad

PIP helpline
Telephone: 0845 850 3322
Textphone: 0845 601 6677
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

To qualify for PIP, you must:

• be aged 16 to 64
• have a long-term health condition or disability and difficulties with activities related to ‘daily living’ and or mobility (see below)
• be in Great Britain when you claim - there are some exceptions, eg members and family members of the Armed Forces
• have been in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years
• be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
• not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)

There are some exceptions to these conditions if you’re living or coming from another EEA country or Switzerland.

You can get PIP whether you're in work or not.

Your disability or health condition

You must have a long-term health condition or disability and have difficulties with activities related to ‘daily living’ and or mobility.

You must have had these difficulties for 3 months and expect them to last for at least 9 months. If you’re terminally ill (ie not expected to live more than 6 months), you don't need to have had these difficulties for 3 months.

Daily living difficulties

You may get the daily living component of PIP if you need help with things like:

• preparing or eating food
• washing, bathing and using the toilet
• dressing and undressing
• reading and communicating
• managing your medicines or treatments
• making decisions about money
• engaging with other people

Mobility difficulties

You may get the mobility component of PIP if you need help with going out or moving around.

Assessments

Your claim will be assessed by an independent health professional to help DWP work out the level of help you need. This may be a face-to-face consultation - you’ll get a letter explaining why and where you must go.

DWP makes the decision about your claim based on the results of the assessment, your application and any supporting evidence you include.

Your award will be regularly reassessed to make sure you're getting the right support. Tell DWP straight away if there's a change in how your condition affects you.

Phone the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to make a new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim if you’re in Great Britain.

DWP - Personal Independence Payment claims
Telephone: 0800 917 2222
Textphone: 0800 917 7777
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

You'll be asked for information like:

• contact details and date of birth
• National Insurance number
• bank or building society details
• doctor's or health worker's name
• details of any time you’ve spent abroad, or in a care home or hospital

Someone else can call on your behalf, but you’ll need to be with them when they call. You can also write asking for a form to send the above information by post (this can delay the decision on your claim).

Personal Independence Payment New Claims
Post Handling Site B
Wolverhampton
WV99 1AH

The process is different for claims in Northern Ireland.

What happens next

You’ll be sent a ‘How your condition affects you’ form. It comes with notes to help you fill it in. Return the form to DWP - the address is on the form.

You must use the PIP application form DWP send you - don't use any Disability Living Allowance (DLA) forms you may have.

You'll need an assessment to complete your application.

DWP will send you a letter once they’ve made their decision, explaining why you do or don’t get PIP.

What you need to know

If you're terminally ill

You can get PIP more quickly if you’re not expected to live more than 6 months.

Phone DWP to start your PIP claim and then send them form DS1500 (you can only get this form from a doctor or other healthcare professional).

You will not need to complete the ‘How your condition affects you’ form or go to a face-to-face consultation.

If you get DLA

PIP is gradually replacing DLA for people aged 16 to 64, even for those with an indefinite or lifetime DLA award.

Use the PIP checker to find out when and if you’re affected by PIP.

General information
Telephone: 0845 850 3322
Textphone: 0845 601 6677
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

Follow these steps if you’re unhappy with your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decision.

1. Discuss the decision with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

2. Make a formal request to have the decision looked at again (known as 'mandatory reconsideration') if you're still unhappy.

3. Appeal the decision if you're unhappy with the mandatory reconsideration.

Discuss the decision with DWP

DWP will try and contact you to discuss the decision once you’ve got the letter explaining why you’re not eligible.

You can tell them why you don’t agree and give more information to support your argument, eg if your circumstances have changed.

You can also contact DWP before they contact you. The telephone number and address will be on your decision letter.

Contact DWP as soon as possible if you think they've overlooked something or if your situation has changed.

Ask for a ‘mandatory reconsideration’

If you’re still unhappy, you can contact DWP again and formally ask them to look at their decision again. This is called ‘mandatory reconsideration’ - you have to do it before you can appeal a decision.

You can phone or write to DWP and ask for a mandatory reconsideration - the details are on your decision letter.

You have to ask for a mandatory reconsideration within 1 month of the date of your decision letter.

You must give reasons why you’re asking for a reconsideration. You might want to include further information to support your case.

You’ll receive a ‘mandatory reconsideration notice’ as a response.

How to appeal

You can appeal your decision if you're still unhappy with DWP's response in the mandatory reconsideration notice.

Fill in the form ‘Notice of appeal against a decision of the Department for Work and Pensions - SSCS1’ and send it to the address on the form.

You must send form SSCS1 within 1 calendar month of the date on the mandatory reconsideration decision letter and include your mandatory reconsideration notice.