Personal Independence Payment (PIP): A comprehensive guide

What is Personal Independence Payment (PIP)?

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is one of the disability benefits for people between 16 and State Pension age. Scotland has its own benefit – Adult Disability Payment. PIP provides financial support and help with living costs if you have both:

• A long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
• Difficulty doing key everyday tasks or getting around

You can get PIP even if you work or claim most other benefits. You can spend the money you receive on whatever you need. You’ll often receive PIP for a fixed amount of time, but sometimes the benefit will have no end date.

The government has a number of online easy-to-read guides to PIP.

Who is eligible for PIP?

Your PIP eligibility will depend on whether you meet certain criteria. To claim PIP, the following must apply:

• You are aged 16 or over
• You are under State Pension age
• You have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
• You have difficulties getting around or doing certain everyday tasks
• You have had these difficulties for three months and expect them to continue for another nine months

If you’re under 16, you can claim Disability Living Allowance for children instead. If you’re over State Pension age, you should claim Attendance Allowance.

Understanding PIP payments

How much PIP you get will depend on how difficult it is to carry out everyday activities and get around.

How PIP payments are calculated

There are two parts to PIP. These are a daily living component and a mobility component. You might get one or both of these.

You might receive the daily living component if you need help completing everyday tasks such as:

• Preparing and cooking food
• Drinking or eating
• Washing, bathing, going to the toilet
• Getting dressed
• Reading
• Taking your medication or using medical treatments
• Communicating with other people
• Managing money

You might get the mobility component if you need help physically moving around and leaving your home or planning a journey.

PIP payment rates

The table below shows how much you could get for each part of PIP. If the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decides your ability to carry out the component is limited, you’ll get the standard rate. If it decides it’s severely limited, you’ll get the enhanced rate.

Source: Gov.uk

How to apply for PIP

You can start your PIP claim over the phone by calling the claims line on 0800 917 2222. In Northern Ireland, you can call the PIP Centre on 0800 012 1573.

The DWP or PIP Centre will check you’re eligible to claim and then send you a claims form. In simple cases, you can claim online.

If you have less than12 months to live there is a fast-track application process.

Preparing your application

To help you complete your PIP application, it’s important to have the following information ready:

1. Your contact details, such as your phone number
2. Your date of birth
3. Your National Insurance number if you have one
4. Your bank account number and sort code
5. Your doctor or health worker’s name, address and phone number
6. Dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent in a care home or hospital
7. Dates for any time you’ve spent abroad for more than four weeks at a time and the countries you’ve visited

Completing the PIP claim form

As part of the claims process, you’ll be sent a form called ‘How your disability affects you’. It’s important to take your time filling this in. You’ll need to provide as much information as possible about your condition.

Look at the different activities listed and work out which ones you struggle with. If you’re not sure how much help you need, you could keep a diary for a week to record what help you had and how long things took.

You’ll also need to provide evidence such as:

• A letter from your doctor
• A report from your consultant
• A statement from a carer or friend

Citizens Advice and Disability Rights UK provide detailed advice on how to complete your PIP application form.

What to expect during the assessment process

To help with the PIP decision-making process, once the DWP or PIP Centre receives your form, you may need a medical assessment.

Sometimes you might need to do this over the phone or by video call. Otherwise, you’ll be asked to attend a face-to-face appointment with a healthcare professional. Attending this is important and it’s a good idea to bring someone with you.

During your health professional assessment, you’ll need to talk about how your condition affects you and the tasks you struggle with. You may also be asked to carry out some physical tasks. The DWP has an easy-to-read guide to assessments.

Tips for a successful assessment

To help you through your PIP assessment, it’s worth keeping the following in mind:

1. Tell the assessor everything you can about your condition
2. Take your time when answering questions
3. Go through your PIP claims form to remind yourself of your answers
4. Ask for any help you need, whether you would prefer an assessor who is the same gender as you or an interpreter

Citizens Advice offers a help sheet to guide you through your assessment.

What to do if your PIP claim is denied

Once you’ve been assessed, you’ll be told whether your claim has been accepted. If your claim is turned down, you can go through a benefit appeal process.

PIP appeal process

Your first step in the dispute resolution process is to ask for the decision to be looked at again. This is called ‘mandatory reconsideration’. You must do this within one month of the decision date.

The second step is to appeal to a tribunal. You can usually only do this once you have a mandatory reconsideration notice. You will need to fill in an online form and provide:

• Your National Insurance number
• The details of the representative helping with your appeal, if you have one
• Your mandatory reconsideration notice

You’ll need to decide whether you want to attend a tribunal hearing to explain your appeal. It’s generally best to attend this, otherwise your appeal will be decided only on your appeal form and any evidence you provide.

What happens if I am already receiving Disability Living Allowance?

If you already claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults, you’ll get a letter telling you when your DLA will end. You’ll then be assessed for PIP instead.

As there is no automatic transfer, you will need to apply for PIP separately. You’ll have four weeks to do this once you’ve been contacted by the DWP.

Although many people who receive DLA will qualify for PIP, this isn’t guaranteed. You might get a smaller payment, or you might not be eligible.

Frequently asked questions about PIP

Is PIP taxable?

Personal Independence Payment doesn’t count as taxable income, so it won’t affect how much tax you pay.

When is PIP paid?

When claiming PIP, the payment is generally made every four weeks. Your decision letter will tell you the date of your first payment and what day of the week you’ll be paid.

What is a PIP review?

A PIP review means that your needs will be reassessed to see whether you are still eligible for PIP. This usually happens at regular intervals.

You’ll receive a letter asking you to fill in a form called ‘Award review – how your disability affects you’. You must complete this form and send it back to the DWP. You may also need another assessment. Once you’ve done this, you’ll get a letter telling you what will happen with your PIP. If your needs have changed, your PIP might go up, down or stop.

Summary: Your guide to Personal Independence Payment

Personal Independence Payment can provide valuable financial help if you struggle to carry out everyday tasks or have difficulty getting around. You might qualify for both or just one part of the payment.

To increase your chances of a successful claim, complete the relevant forms on time and attend your assessment when requested.