The DWP has announced that it will be ramping up the number of in-person assessments for benefits claimants from April 2026, with the proportion of face-to-face assessments set to increase
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has dropped a bombshell on hundreds of thousands of Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ) claimants, announcing they’ll need to show up for face-to-face assessments. The DWP is cranking up the number of in-person evaluations, it told benefit recipients this week.
This move follows criticism which suggested the surge in virtual meetings was leading to too many approvals. Face-to-face assessments took a nosedive after Covid hit, and the current Labour government has taken a swipe at Tory-agreed contracts that stipulated 80% of assessments be done virtually.
The DWP has confirmed plans to ramp up the ratio of in-person assessments. For PIP, the percentage will leap from 6% in 2024 (57,000) to 30% of all assessments, while the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will jump from 13% in 2024 (74,000) to 30%.
In addition, the DWP is stretching out the time between check-ups to see if a claimant’s condition still qualifies them for PIP. This move, it says, will free up health professionals to conduct more face-to-face assessments and deliver more WCA reassessments.
It said it underscored the crucial role of reassessments in tracking how changes in health conditions and disabilities impact people over time.
All told, the DWP reckons these measures will pocket the UK taxpayer a cool £1.9 billion by the close of 2030/31. This comes hand-in-hand with employment initiatives targeting sick or disabled individuals, including Connect to Work and the deployment of 1,000 additional work coaches.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden commented: “We’re committed to reforming the welfare system we inherited, which for too long has written off millions as too sick to work.
“That is why we are ramping up the number of assessments we do face-to-face and taking action to tackle the inherited backlog of people waiting for a Work Capability Assessment.
“These reforms will allow us to save £1.9 billion, creating a welfare state that supports those who need it while helping people into work and delivering fairness to the taxpayer.”
At present, the gap between award reviews can be as brief as nine months, with most claimants seeing no alteration to their entitlement. That’s set to stretch for the bulk of PIP recipients aged 25 and above to at least three years for fresh claims, jumping to five years at their subsequent review if eligibility continues.
These operational tweaks stand apart from the Timms Review, which will examine PIP’s function, its assessment framework and the eligibility criteria in empowering disabled people towards improved health, enhanced living standards and increased independence. The proposed changes are set to kick in from April 2026, coinciding with alterations to Universal Credit that aim to reduce the disparity between benefits received for unemployment and long-term sickness.
These steps form part of a broader strategy to Get Britain Working through the most ambitious employment reforms seen in a generation. Additionally, the Connect to Work programme is poised to offer bespoke support, with a goal of helping 300,000 individuals who are ill or disabled secure employment by the end of the parliament’s term.
