When you are struggling with your health it can put a real strain on your finances. But according to the DWP if you have an illness, disability or mental health condition, you may be able to claim PIP (personal independence payment).
Almost 3.4 million in the UK claim PIP allowance, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The money is to help them to live their day-to-day lives, but the rules around who qualifies are strict.
According to the government’s PIP website you can get PIP if all of the following apply to you:
- you’re 16 or over
- you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
- you have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around
- you expect the difficulties to last for at least 12 months from when they started
You must also be under State Pension age if you’ve not received PIP before. People living in Scotland must apply for a separate benefit – Adult Disability Payment (ADP) – instead.
If you qualify you may be able to get up to £798.63 a month. That is payable to those with the more severe disabilities and who need help with both general living needs and with mobility.
What is PIP?
PIP is a benefit designed to help people who face extra living costs because they live with long-term physical or mental health conditions or disabilities and because their conditions create difficulties doing everyday tasks or getting around. People can get PIP even if they are in work, have savings or are getting other benefit payments.
How PIP works
There are 2 parts to PIP:
- a daily living part – if you need help with everyday tasks
- a mobility part – if you need help with getting around
Whether you get one or both parts and how much you get depends on how difficult you find everyday tasks and getting around. If you’re nearing the end of life (for example, due to a life-limiting illness), you’ll automatically get the daily living part. Whether you get the mobility part depends on your needs.
Daily living part
You might get the daily living part of PIP if you need help with:
- preparing food
- eating and drinking
- managing your medicines or treatments
- washing and bathing
- using the toilet
- dressing and undressing
- reading
- managing your money
- socialising and being around other people
- talking, listening and understanding
Mobility part
You might get the mobility part of PIP if you need help with:
- working out a route and following it
- physically moving around
- leaving your home
The DWP says you do not have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part. You might also be eligible if you have difficulty getting around because of a cognitive or mental health condition, like anxiety.
How difficulty with tasks is assessed
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will assess how difficult you find daily living and mobility tasks. For each task they’ll look at:
- whether you can do it safely
- how long it takes you
- how often your condition affects this activity
- whether you need help to do it, from a person or using extra equipment
How much money can I get?
PIP is split into two parts. There is a daily living component and a mobility component.
People claiming PIP can get payments for both daily living and for mobility. These people are assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions and are either paid the “higher” rate or the “lower” rate for both.
Citizens Advice explains these are standard and enhanced rates: “If the DWP decision maker decides that your ability to carry out the component is limited, you will get the standard rate. If it’s severely limited, you will get the enhanced rate.”
For daily living the lower rate is £72.65 per week and the higher rate is £108.55 per week. For mobility the lower rate is £28.70 per week and the higher rate is £75.75 per week.
That means that somebody who gets the higher rate on both components will be receiving £184.30 per week (£108.55 + £75.75). Over a year that adds up to £9,583.60, and per month it is £798.63.
The money is paid every four weeks. It is tax free and will not be affected by the amount of money you have in savings or income.
What health issues are included?
According to the DWP’s official guidelines, there are 57 main medical conditions that could qualify you for the benefit, however other less common ones might also be included. Those on the current list include:
- Arthritis
- Spondylosis
- Back pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Disease of the muscles, bones or joints
- Trauma to limbs
- Visual disorders and diseases
- Hearing disorders
- Heart disease
- Respiratory disorders and diseases
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Epilepsy
- Neurological diseases
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Motor neurone disease
- Chronic pain syndromes
- Diabetes mellitus
- Metabolic disease
- Traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
- Major trauma other than traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
- Learning difficulties
- Psychosis
- Psychoneurosis
- Personality Disorder
- Dementia
- Behavioural disorder
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Hyperkinetic syndrome
- Renal disorders
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Bowel and stomach disease
- Blood disorders
- Haemophilia
- Multi system disorders
- Multiple allergy syndrome
- Skin disease
- Malignant disease
- Severely mentally impaired
- Double amputee
- Deaf/blind
- Haemodialysis
- Frailty
- Total parenteral nutrition
- AIDS
- Infectious diseases: viral disease – Covid-19
- Infectious diseases: viral disease – precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – tuberculosis
- Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – malaria
- Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases – other / precise diagnosis not specified
- Cognitive disorder – other / precise diagnosis not specified
- Terminally Ill
How can I claim?
To claim in England or Wales you can claim by phone or in writing. For full details visit the DWP website.
If you live in:
- Northern Ireland – visit here to find out how to claim if you live in Northern Ireland
- Scotland – you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead
There’s a different way to claim if you’re nearing the end of life (for example, due to a life-limiting illness).