Personal Independence Payment / PIP

What is a Personal Independence Payment?

Any individual currently receiving Disability Living Allowance will be having it replaced with a new benefit called 'Personal Independence Payment' or 'PIP'.

Personal Independence Payment / PIP has been designed to be easier to understand than DLA and has been created to help towards the extra costs which may occur when having a long term condition (long term means ill-health or a disability that is expected to last for 12 months or longer).

PIP will be made up of two components: a 'Daily Living Component' and a 'Mobility component'. Both of these rates have a standard and an enhanced rate.

If you need to make a claim, you will be asked to complete a form and describe how your condition affects you and you may be asked to provide details of a health professional that will need to contribute information for your claim. You may be asked to attend a face- to-face health / work fitness assessment.  

Using the information that has been provided, the DWP will then use a Personal Independence Payment calculator to calculate how much compensation will be awarded to you.

Who will Personal Independence Payments affect?

This change will be for those persons of working age (between 16 and 64 years). If you are under 16 or over 65, there are no current plans to change over from DLA to PIP.

When was Personal Independence Payments introduced?

Personal Independence Payment was introduced across the country in June 2013 and applies to new claimants first. If you are currently receiving DLA, you will be asked to claim PIP from October 2013 if:

•  you have changes in how your health condition or disability affects you
•  your existing DLA award is due to end
•  you are approaching the age of 16

Other existing claimants will not be contacted until October 2015 or later, there is no automatic transfer from DLA to PIP.

The DWP will contact you before this date to make you aware of the changes and to ask you to claim for PIP. 

Will I be eligible for PIP?

There are a different range of circumstances which may mean that you are eligible for Personal Independence Payments.

View the DWP guide to see who will be eligible

When will PIP affect me?

The DWP have created a checker to show you if or when PIP will affect you and when you will be able to claim. Use the DWP checker.

Further support

To find out more information on the DWP dedicated PIP page

If you have any further queries, the DWP have a FAQ page which may have the answer you're looking for.