People on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) are being urged to check their original award letter to see when their entitlement is due for review, ahead of possible changes to the disability benefits system next year.
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, will co-produce a review with disabled groups and charities, expected to be completed this autumn. More than four million people on PIP could see widespread changes as a result.
What the proposed changes could mean
People on PIP or ADP currently receive between £30.30 and £194.60 per week, or £121.20 and £778.40 every four-week payment period. Over the 2026/27 financial year, people on the highest awards would receive £10,119.20 in extra financial help.
However, existing claimants may find it harder to hold on to entitlement if changes to the daily living or mobility component are introduced. The biggest change floated by the DWP last year relates to eligibility for the daily living component, specifically the number of points needed to qualify for the standard or enhanced rate.
The DWP proposes that people will need four points in at least one of the 10 daily living questions to qualify for payment — even if you score 2 in every question taking you past the award thresholds of 8 (standard rate) and 12 (higher rate).
Check your award letter now
Existing claimants would not see changes take effect until the date of their next review. The first step is to check your original award letter — not the annual uprating letter — to find out when your entitlement is due for review.
If your review is due before this autumn, and the DWP clears the current backlog of outstanding PIP reviews, your review should be conducted and a new award decision made which, if successful, should take you past the date of any changes being implemented. PIP can be awarded for anywhere between nine months and 10 years, depending on how your condition affects you daily.
If your award review date is after this autumn, you might be subject to the new proposed assessment changes and the revision of the points system for the daily living component.
How to get a copy of your claim form
The original award letter from DWP for PIP or from Social Security Scotland for ADP contains details of the points you scored for both the daily living and mobility parts of the application form. If you have lost that letter, you can contact either DWP or Social Security Scotland and ask for a copy of your claim form.
This allows you to see how many points you scored in each section for the daily living payment and check if you would still qualify under any new reforms. Knowing how you completed the original form may give you confidence that any welfare reforms won't affect you, or it may make you realise you might lose entitlement and you can start planning for the change.
Online claims for PIP can make it easier to save a copy to your home computer or laptop for future reference, but people completing a paper-based form should make a copy of the original document before submitting it. If you don't already have a copy of the PIP 2 evidence form — the health questionnaire you filled in before getting an assessment — contact the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 and ask them to send you one.
Other ways to prepare for benefit changes
Keeping a diary is one of the most important tools all disability benefit claimants should be aware of. Using your mobile phone, computer, laptop or tablet can be a simple way to make notes of 'bad days' and recording key moments when something relating to your condition happens. This could include everyday tasks you found difficult to do safely on your own, forgetting to take medication, or feeling low or frustrated as a result of your condition.
Other things to consider taking a note of would be if doing everyday things were painful, took you a long time, put you or someone else in danger, made you feel breathless, or made you unsteady. This type of note-taking is also a handy idea for people with fluctuating conditions, as it could make it easier to describe to a health professional 'good days and bad days'.
It's also important to keep any medical appointments relating to your condition so your records are up to date, including counselling or physiotherapy. It might also be worthwhile getting in touch with a charity that has expert knowledge of your condition, even just to contact them to make sure you're not missing out on extra support.
For people claiming ADP, you can list a charity or an organisation you've sought help or advice from about your health condition, long-term illness, or disability, as supporting evidence. These steps can help everyone on disability benefits start protecting their future payment award by creating a personal evidence trail that can make it easier to recall specific examples of how their condition affects them.
