As summer holidays begin, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants are being reminded to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if their travel plans exceed four weeks, or they risk having their payments suspended while abroad.
Short Trips Under Four Weeks
If you are travelling outside the UK for less than four weeks, you generally do not need to inform the DWP. Such short, temporary absences are not considered a change of circumstances and typically do not affect your PIP eligibility.
Travel Lasting More Than Four Weeks
Claimants must contact the PIP enquiry line “straight away” if they plan to be abroad for more than four weeks. You can normally continue to claim PIP for up to 13 weeks abroad, with an extension to 26 weeks if you are travelling for medical treatment. According to the Daily Record, guidance on the Gov.uk website states: “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.”
Permanent Relocation Abroad
If you move abroad permanently, you may still be able to claim certain benefits if you work in the UK, pay National Insurance, have paid enough NI for contribution-based benefits, or receive State Pension, Industrial Injuries Benefit, contribution-based ESA, or bereavement benefits. However, you cannot claim the PIP mobility component if you are permanently abroad.
How to Report a Change
To report a holiday longer than four weeks, call the PIP enquiry line at 0800 121 4433, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Other changes of circumstances that must be reported include: your condition or needs changing, a medical professional saying you have 12 months or less to live, entering a hospital or care facility, entering foster care, imprisonment or detention, immigration status changes, or starting or stopping pensions or benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein.
