People receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) may be able to increase their monthly payments by up to £657 if their condition has changed and they require more support with daily living tasks or mobility needs, or both.
Latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now 4.1 million people across England and Wales claiming PIP. The data also indicates 40,000 changes of circumstance were reported between the start of May and the end of July, with 38,000 cleared.
How PIP payment rates work
A successful claim for PIP, or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland, is worth between £30.30 and £194.60 each week - some £121.20 or £778.40 every four-week pay period. The large discrepancy between the payments is due to the various combinations of the daily living and mobility component rates a claimant could receive - there are eight in total.
Someone could be awarded the highest rate of both and receive the maximum, £778.40 every four-week pay period, or the standard rate of both, which works out as £428.00. Similarly, someone may only be entitled to the standard rate of the daily living component - £76.70 per week, £306.80 every four weeks - or the standard rate of the mobility component - £30.30 per week, £121.20 every four weeks.
Potential increases from reporting a change
Someone on the standard rate of the mobility component (£121.20 every four weeks), with a change in their circumstances, such as a worsening condition or additional health issues, could potentially receive the higher rates of both the daily living and mobility components. This would result in payments of £778.40 every four weeks, an increase of £657.20.
In another example, someone currently getting the standard rate of both components (£428.00 every four-week pay period) who reports a change and is awarded the higher rate of both the daily living and mobility components (£778.40), would gain an extra £350.40 each month.
It’s important to be aware that reporting a change in circumstances to DWP or Social Security Scotland for those on ADP does not guarantee an increase in award. Each case is unique and no single condition affects two people in the same way.
Current PIP and ADP payment rates
PIP and ADP are currently paid at the following amounts per week depending on your circumstances:
- Daily Living component - Enhanced: £114.60; Standard: £76.70
- Mobility component - Enhanced: £80.00; Standard: £30.30
The most important thing to understand about the PIP new claim and review process is awards are based on how your condition, long-term illness or disability affects you - not the actual condition itself. The DWP makes this distinction clear in the current edition of the online PIP Handbook.
The guidance on GOV.UK explains: “As the assessment principles consider the impact of a claimant’s condition on their ability to live independently and not the condition itself, claimants with the same condition may get different outcomes. The outcome is based on an independent assessment and all available evidence.”
Before contacting the DWP to report a change in your circumstances, it’s important to be aware that, depending on the change, your PIP could go up, go down, stay the same, or stop. Guidance on GOV.UK states you should contact the PIP if you need more or less help with daily living and mobility tasks, if your health professional tells you your condition will last for a longer or shorter time than you reported before, or if your condition has worsened and you’re not expected to live more than 12 months.
To report a change, call the ‘PIP enquiry line’ on 0800 121 4433, lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Full guidance on reporting a change can be found on GOV.UK. For those claiming ADP, full details on how to report a change in your circumstances can also be found online.
Before making any request, seek independent advice from organisations such as the Citizens Advice Network because while an award review could result in an increase in payments, it could also see them reduced or even stopped.
