Personal Independence Payment changes explained as major PIP disability benefits overhaul unveiled

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has announced changes to PIP in the House of Commons today, as part of plans benefits bill by billions of pounds

Major changes to the disability benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP) have been announced by the Government today. The overhaul will see eligibility rules tightened for some claimants, while the most severely disabled would no longer face reassessments.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced plans for the controversial changes in the House of Commons this afternoon, as part of plans to reduce the benefits bill by billions of pounds. Latest figures released today by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show 3.7 million people currently claim PIP in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, PIP has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment. But what exactly is PIP, how do people claim it under current rules, and what changes could be announced?

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What is PIP?

PIP is a disability benefit that is awarded to people who need extra help with daily activities due to an illness, disability or mental health condition. Your eligibility to PIP isn’t based on what condition you have – instead, it is based on how this condition affects your day-to-day life.

You will normally be subject to an assessment, where you’ll be asked to explain how your condition affects your life, before your claim for PIP is approved. If your claim is successful, you’ll get PIP for a fixed amount of time before it is reviewed. PIP can be awarded for a minimum of nine months, all the way up to an “on-going” award which is reviewed every ten years. If you’re terminally ill the award will be for three years.

How is PIP assessed?

Your PIP assessment can take place in person, over the phone or by video call. During your assessment, a health professional may ask you to do simple movements, or ask you questions to test your cognitive ability. During your assessment, you’ll be awarded points for the daily living and mobility parts of PIP.

If you score between eight and 11 points for your daily living needs in the PIP test, you get the standard rate of the daily living component. You get the higher rate of daily living component if you score 12 points or more. If you score between eight and 11 points for your mobility needs, you get the standard rate of the mobility component. If you score 12 points or more, you get the higher rate of mobility component. Those who are terminally ill won’t need a PIP medical assessment.

How much is PIP?

PIP comes in two parts and you can be entitled to both or just one of these elements. There is a daily living rate, which is worth £72.65 a week if you’re awarded the lower rate, or £108.55 a week for the higher rate. There is also the mobility rate, which is worth £28.70 a week for the lower rate, or £75.75 a week for the higher rate.

PIP is paid every four weeks, so if you’re awarded the maximum rates for both the daily living and mobility elements, then you would get £737.20 every four weeks. The daily living rate is increasing to £73.90 a week for the lower rate, and £110.40 a week, from this April. The mobility rate will rise to £29.20 a week for the lower rate, and £77.05 a week for the higher rate. PIP is tax-free and you can claim PIP if you are in work.

How could PIP be changing?

Speaking in the House of Commons today, Kendall announced that PIP eligibility rules would be tightened and the assessment process would also be reviewed. Under the plans, to be eligible for PIP, you will need a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the Daily Living element of PIP from November 2026. This means that claimants will need to show “greater difficulty” when completing daily tasks, such as washing, eating and getting dressed to be eligible to claim the benefit. This will not affect PIP’s mobility component.

Assessments for PIP will also be conducted face-to-face going forward, rather than over the phone or through video. The number of assessments conducted in this way has risen over the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also confirmed that the government would not be bringing in the former Tory government’s plans for vouchers, adding: “Disabled people should have choice and control over their lives.” She also confirmed that PIP would not be means-tested under the Labour government and that the PIP payments would not be frozen at their current level.

Alongside this, people with health conditions that are permanent or will get worse will not have to be reassessed under the new plans. There will not be a set list of conditions that will be eligible for this, and it will decided on a case-by-case basis.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, reiterated that the reforms would not impact those with the most “severely disabled”. She told MPs in the commons: “We know there are always people who cannot work because of the nature of their disability or health condition, and those people will be protected.”

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