PIP claimants warned over holiday travel rules
As the summer holiday season gets underway, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants are being urged to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if their trip meets specific conditions, as they could face having their payments suspended while overseas. The DWP requires claimants to report any absence from the country lasting longer than four weeks.
If you receive PIP and intend to leave the country for longer than four weeks, you must contact the PIP enquiry line 'straight away'. You may be required to provide the DWP with information about your journey, including the reason for going abroad and the duration of your stay, both of which can determine whether your payments will continue during your time away.
Short trips under four weeks
If you're outside the country for less than four weeks, you typically won't need to notify the DWP. Brief and temporary trips of this nature aren't considered a change of circumstances and usually won't affect your PIP entitlement.
Travel lasting more than four weeks
PIP claimants must alert the DWP if they intend to go abroad for longer than four weeks at a time. You can ordinarily continue receiving PIP if you're overseas for up to 13 weeks, which can be extended to 26 weeks if you are going for medical treatment. According to the Daily Record, guidance on the Gov.uk website explains: 'This change may affect the claimant's entitlement to PIP. We will need to know the date the claimant is leaving the country, how long they are planning to be out of the country, which country they are going to and why they are going abroad.'
Moving abroad permanently
In certain circumstances, you or a member of your family may be entitled to claim benefits if you: work in the UK or pay National Insurance in the UK because of work; have paid enough National Insurance to qualify for contribution-based benefits; are getting State Pension, Industrial Injuries Benefit, contribution-based ESA or bereavement benefits; or are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. Bear in mind, however, that you cannot claim the PIP mobility component if you are living abroad on a permanent basis.
How to report a travel change of circumstance
To notify the relevant authority of a holiday lasting more than four weeks, you'll need to get in touch with the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433. Lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Other changes of circumstances that PIP claimants must report to the DWP include: your condition or needs changes; a medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live; you go into a hospital, a hospice, a nursing home, care home, residential school or college; you enter foster care or the care of a local authority or health and social care trust; you're imprisoned or held in detention; your immigration status changes and you're not a British or Irish citizen; you start or stop getting pensions or benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein; or your husband, wife, civil partner or a parent you depend on starts or stops getting benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
Comprehensive information regarding changes in circumstances for those currently claiming PIP is available on GOV.UK.
