Personal Independence Payment, or PIP, is the main benefit that helps with the extra costs of living with a long-term illness or disability. It is paid to millions of people across England and Wales, and unlike most benefits it is not means-tested, so your savings and income do not affect it. This guide explains who qualifies for PIP, how the two parts work, the 2026/27 rates, and how a claim is decided.
What is PIP?
PIP is a tax-free benefit designed to help with the additional costs that come with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability. It is not means-tested, which means it does not matter how much you earn, what savings you have, or whether you are working: PIP is assessed purely on how your condition affects your daily life and your ability to get around. It also does not count towards the benefit cap, and it can be paid on top of almost any other benefit. Around 3.9 million people in England and Wales receive it.
Who can claim PIP?
You can claim PIP if you are aged 16 or over and under State Pension age when you first claim, and you have a health condition or disability that affects your daily living, your mobility, or both. The difficulties must have lasted at least three months and be expected to continue for at least nine months, which is known as the required period condition. PIP is about the long-term impact of your condition, not a short illness or injury that will soon pass. You also need to meet residence and presence rules in the UK.
The two parts of PIP
PIP has two components, and you can be awarded one or both. The daily living component is for difficulties with everyday tasks such as preparing food, washing, dressing, managing medication, communicating and managing money. The mobility component is for difficulties with planning and following a journey, and with moving around. Each component is paid at one of two levels, the standard rate or the higher enhanced rate, depending on how much your condition affects you.
PIP rates for 2026/27
PIP rates increased by 3.8% from 6 April 2026. The weekly amounts for the 2026/27 tax year are:
- Daily living, standard rate: £76.70 a week
- Daily living, enhanced rate: £114.60 a week
- Mobility, standard rate: £30.30 a week
- Mobility, enhanced rate: £80.00 a week
If you receive the enhanced rate of both components, the maximum award is £194.60 a week, which works out at around £10,119 a year, entirely tax-free. PIP is paid every four weeks, not monthly. Rates are reviewed each April, so always check GOV.UK for the current figures.
How PIP is decided: the points system
PIP is not awarded automatically for having a particular diagnosis. Instead, your claim is scored against a set of activities, and points are given for the level of difficulty you have with each one. You need at least 8 points for the standard rate and 12 points for the enhanced rate, and the points for daily living and mobility are counted separately. It is how your condition affects you that matters, not the name of the condition itself, so two people with the same diagnosis can receive very different awards.
How a claim is assessed
After you start your claim, you are usually sent a form called the PIP2, titled How your disability affects you, where you explain your difficulties. Most people are then invited to an assessment with a health professional, which may be by phone, by video or in person. The assessor writes a report, and a DWP decision maker uses your form, your evidence and the report to decide your award and how long it lasts. Awards can be for a fixed period or, in some cases, ongoing with light-touch reviews.
What PIP can unlock
PIP is valuable beyond the cash itself, because it acts as a passport to other help. An award of the daily living component can mean the person who looks after you qualifies for Carer's Allowance. PIP can increase your Universal Credit, lead to a council tax reduction, and unlock the Warm Home Discount. The enhanced mobility rate usually gives you an automatic Blue Badge and access to the Motability Scheme, which lets you lease a car, scooter or powered wheelchair using your mobility payment.
PIP, work and pensioners
Because PIP is not means-tested, you can claim it whether or not you work, and it does not reduce if you earn more. If you are over State Pension age, you cannot usually make a new PIP claim, but you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance instead, and if you were already getting PIP before pension age you can keep it. If you reach State Pension age while claiming, your PIP normally continues to be reviewed in the usual way.
How to claim PIP
You start a PIP claim by contacting the DWP, usually by phone, to begin the process and answer some basic questions, after which you are sent the PIP2 form to complete. Take your time over the form, as it is the heart of your claim. Gather any medical evidence you have, and consider getting help from a welfare rights service before you submit it. Our guides to filling in the PIP2 form and the PIP assessment walk you through the next steps.
How long a PIP award lasts
PIP awards are given for a fixed period or, in some cases, on an ongoing basis with a light-touch review. The length depends on how likely your needs are to change, so a condition that is stable or lifelong may bring a longer award than one that might improve. Before an award ends you are normally invited to renew, and it is worth treating a renewal with the same care as a first claim, as your award is looked at afresh rather than simply rolled over.
Reporting changes during your award
While you are getting PIP, you must tell the DWP if your condition or circumstances change, for example if your needs increase or decrease, or if you go into hospital or a care home. Reporting a worsening can lead to a higher award, while failing to report an improvement can cause an overpayment, so keep the DWP informed. If your needs have grown, you can ask for your award to be looked at again rather than waiting for the next review.
PIP alongside other benefits
Because PIP is not means-tested, it sits on top of other benefits rather than reducing them, and it often increases them. Getting PIP can add a disability element or premium to means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit, can exempt your household from the benefit cap, and can lead to extra help with council tax. It does not count as income for most other benefits. This is why it is always worth claiming PIP if you might qualify, even if you already receive other support, because the knock-on gains across your whole benefits position can be substantial.
Where to get help
PIP claims reward careful preparation, and free help is available from Citizens Advice, local welfare rights services and disability charities such as Scope and Disability Rights UK. If you live in Scotland, PIP has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment, which works in a similar way but is run by Social Security Scotland. Always check current rates and rules on GOV.UK before you act.
Related guides: Adult Disability Payment in Scotland, claiming PIP with a fluctuating condition, common reasons PIP is refused, moving from DLA to PIP, PIP changes and the Timms Review and what PIP can unlock.
