Brits with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be able to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), according to the latest official figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The benefit is paid out by the DWP and can provide up to £10,119.20 per year at 2026/27 rates if you qualify for the enhanced rate in both the daily living and mobility components.
What is IBS and how does it affect eligibility?
IBS is usually a lifelong problem, which "causes symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation", the NHS website explains. "These tend to come and go over time, and can last for days, weeks or months at a time," though they can be controlled with medicines and diet changes, it adds.
According to the health service, it's not known exactly what causes it, but it's been "linked to things like food passing through your gut too quickly or too slowly, gastroenteritis, oversensitivity in your gut, stress and a family history of IBS". The condition "can be very frustrating to live with and can have a big impact on your everyday life", and depending on how severely it affects your quality of life, you could be able to claim support in the form of PIP.
How PIP works and what you can get
PIP is a benefit that can help with extra living costs if you have both a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition, the GOV.UK website explains. There are two parts you can apply for: daily living and mobility. The former is based on whether you're able to do a range of household tasks like washing and cooking, and the latter is based on your mobility and travel requirements.
It's available to people 16 and over and under State Pension age. You'll continue getting it beyond that point if you have an approved claim, but you generally can't make a new claim after reaching State Pension age. For the daily living part, the lower rate is £76.70 per week, while the enhanced rate is £114.60 per week. For the mobility part, the lower rate is £30.30 per week, and the enhanced rate is £80. It means you can get £194.60 per week in total if you meet the eligibility for the higher rate in both England and Wales.
That comes to £10,119.20 per year if you got the enhanced rate for both at 2026/27 rates. However, rates are reviewed and often uprated annually, so it may well be more over 12 months if you were granted both enhanced rates now.
How to claim and what the figures show
Northern Ireland has PIP, and though it's a devolved matter, the rules largely run in parallel with those in the rest of the UK. PIP has been replaced with the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland, though it also has most of the same eligibility criteria.
You can be approved for PIP due to the impact of a wide range of health conditions, including gastrointestinal diseases like IBS. The last quarterly totals to July 2026 showed 797 cases where IBS was listed as the primary disabling condition for people with PIP entitlement that unlocked both the daily living component and the mobility component at the enhanced rate.
However, it's important to note that a diagnosis does not automatically unlock the support, and a successful claim will depend on it being established that the effect on your daily life and mobility makes you eligible for it. This assessment is made by the DWP, informed by independent medical advice. You therefore should not be put off from making a claim if you haven't heard of someone getting PIP support for it before.
