More than 4 million people on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) could see widespread changes to the disability benefits system later this year. Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, will co-produce the review with disabled groups and charities, which is expected to be completed this autumn.
People on PIP or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) receive between £30.30 and £194.60 per week, some £121.20 and £778.40 every four-week payment period. Over the course of the 2026/27 financial year, this will see people on the highest awards receive £10,119.20 in extra financial help.
Proposed changes to daily living component
However, existing PIP 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. This is related to 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 review date
It's important to be aware existing claimants would not see changes take effect until the date of their next review, so the first thing to do is 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 - it all depends on how your condition affects you on a daily basis. If your award review date is after this autumn, then you might be subject to the new proposed assessment changes and the revision of the points system for the daily living component.
Request a copy of your original 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. However, if you've lost that letter you can contact either DWP or Social Security Scotland and ask for a copy of your claim form. This will allow you to see how many points you scored in each of the sections for the daily living payment and check if you would still qualify under any new reforms.
Please be aware this isn't about trying to 'cheat' the system, some people may have filled in the PIP 2 evidence form a long time ago and can't remember the descriptors they identified with. Some people may have had someone complete the form for them and some people may have seen their condition change over time and would give a different response now. But knowing how you completed the original form that led to your award may also 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.
ADP claimants and Scottish Government position
People on ADP can contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222. The SNP Government has previously stated it would not make any changes to devolved disability benefits in Scotland. It's important to be aware it's unclear at this stage of the Timms review how any change to block funding from the UK Government might impact the Scottish Government's budget for 2027/28.
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, and it doesn’t need to be a paper-based document. 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. Creating a specific note, with the time and date, where you can add things you might want to mention at a future PIP review, or just adding it to the calendar function.
This isn’t something that needs to be done daily, just things that are relevant to how your condition affects you. 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 for you, take you a long time, put you or someone else in danger, make you feel breathless, or make you unsteady.
This type of note-taking, or diary keeping, 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 can also help you see the frequency of significant health events, which are sometimes so regular they are quickly forgotten.
Medical appointments and charity support
It’s also important to keep any medical appointments relating to your condition so your records are up to date. This can also include 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 tips are just a few of the steps everyone on disability benefits can take to 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.
