MILLIONS who struggle with a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition might be eligible for free cash.
Personal Independence Payments, otherwise known as PIP, are worth up to as much as £172.75 a week.
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If you don’t claim PIP it’s well worth checking to see if you’re eligible as your payments won’t change if you’re out of work.
PIP can boost your income by thousands of pounds a year if you’re eligible.
Later this year the total amount that people can claim will increase by around £20 a week.
This was part of the planned rise which affected several major benefits including Universal Credit and Housing Benefit.
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Benefits payments like PIP generally rise every year in April, to keep up with the cost of things like food and household bills.
The process is known as “uprating” and tends to see payments go up by the previous September’s inflation rate.
Benefit payments will rise by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with the consumer price index (CPI) level of inflation for September 2023.
Below we explain how much PIP payments will go up by and who is eligible.
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How much will PIP payments rise in 2024?
Millions of households on PIP will get a pay rise this April when benefit rates go up by 6.7%.
There are two elements to PIP: a daily living part if you need help with everyday tasks, and a mobility part if you need help with getting around.
There are two rates for each part – standard or enhanced – depending on the level of your needs.
These are the current rates for PIP:
- Standard daily living component: £68.10
- Enhanced daily living component: £101.75
- Standard mobility component: £71.00
- Enhanced mobility component: £26.90
These will be the April rates for PIP when they go up:
- Standard daily living component: £72.66
- Enhanced daily living component: £108.57
- Standard mobility component: £75.76
- Enhanced mobility component: £28.70
The exact amount you get will also depend on how much your benefit payments are each month.
When claiming PIP you’ll be assessed by an independent health professional to work out the level of help you can get.
Your rate should be regularly reviewed to make sure you’re getting the right support.
Payments are usually made every four weeks directly into your bank account, and they’re tax-free.
As well as your Personal Independence Payment, you should get access to extra help and benefits on top too, like a reduction on your council tax.
Who can get PIP?
PIP is available to those aged 16 or over who have not yet reached the state pension age.
The current state pension age is 66 but this is set to rise to 68.
You must have lived in England or Wales for at least two out of the last three years, and be in one of these countries when you apply.
The process is different in Northern Ireland, and there are additional rules if you live abroad or if you’re not a British citizen.
In Scotland you will need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead.
Crucially, you must also have a health condition or disability where you either have had difficulties with daily living or getting around – or both- for three months, and you expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months (unless you’re terminally ill with less than 12 months to live).
Difficulties with daily living can include:
- Preparing or eating food
- Washing, bathing and using the toilet
- Dressing and undressing
- Reading and communicating
- Managing your medicines or treatments
- Making decisions about money
- Engaging with other people
You can claim PIP at the same time as other benefits, except the armed forces independence payment.
If you receive constant attendance allowance you will receive less of the daily living part of PIP.
If you get war pensioners‘ mobility supplement you will not get the mobility part of PIP.
Do I have to be in work to get PIP?
No, you can get PIP whether you’re working or not.
You can also claim PIP if you’re already getting limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) payments if you claim Universal Credit.
Households eligible for LCWRA payments usually have a health condition which prevents or limits their ability to work.
How do I apply for PIP?
You can make a new PIP claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222.
This is the government department tasked with paying out benefits to millions every year.
There are also other ways to claim if you find it difficult to use a telephone. See Gov.UK for more information.
When you claim, you’ll need:
- Your contact details
- Date of birth
- National Insurance number
- Bank or building society account number and sort code
- Your doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
- Dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent abroad, in a care home or hospital
Someone else can call on your behalf, but you’ll need to be with them when they call.
You’ll then be sent a form to fill in, after which you’ll be invited for an assessment or your health or social care worker will be asked for information.
After this, you’ll be sent a letter telling you if your claim has been successful.
You can read Citizens Advice’s help on preparing for an assessment.
How do I appeal or overturn a decision on PIP?
If your application for PIP has been turned down or you don’t think you’ve been offered enough cash you can appeal the decision.
You first need to ask for a “mandatory reconsideration notice” – this is where the DWP looks at the decision again.
If you are still unhappy with this outcome, you can then appeal to an independent tribunal.
You must send your appeal form in within one month of the date shown on the mandatory reconsideration notice.
Be warned that it usually takes up to six months for an appeal to be heard by the tribunal.
If you’re unhappy with the decision you get from the tribunal, you may be able to get the decision cancelled – known as “set aside”. You’ll be told how to do this at the time.
You may also be able to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) if you think the tribunal wasn’t able to give you proper reasons for its decision, or back up the decision with facts, or if it failed to apply the law properly.
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