Top five PIP conditions providing millions of people with up to £749 every month
PIP and Adult Disability Payment are providing financial support for 3.7 million people across Great Britain.
The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now 3.7 million people across Great Britain receiving additional financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP). More than 20,000 Scots on PIP will see their award transferred to Adult Disability Payment (ADP) during the coming months.
PIP and ADP provide weekly support of between £29.20 and £187.45, some £116.80 or £749.80 every four-week pay period. Both disability benefits are designed to help people with the additional costs of living with a disability, long-term illness, or physical or mental health condition.
Many people may be unaware that PIP and ADP can provide support for over 500 health conditions. Both benefits could help people with daily living tasks or moving around, or both.
However, it would not be beneficial to list all 536 conditions recorded by DWP during the PIP application process as an award for the disability benefit is determined by how a person's health condition affects their ability to perform daily living tasks such as cooking, washing, eating, dressing and engaging with other people in a safe and timely way. There are also awards to help if you have difficulty moving around.
This means that every claim for PIP or ADP is unique for each applicant, which could also help people thinking about making a new claim to start the process. Below is a full overview of PIP and ADP, including the five most-claimed conditions and the main disabling conditions, as classified by the DWP.
PIP cannot be backdated, but payments start from the date the claim was submitted, to cover the handling time at the DWP.
Disability category - 21
Disability Sub Group - 178
Disability - 536
Five most commonly recorded PIP health conditions
These are the main disabling conditions recorded by the DWP at the end of January, 2025.
Psychiatric disorder
1,421,753 claimants (37%)
This includes mixed anxiety, stress, depressive and mood disorders, OCD and cognitive disorders
Musculoskeletal disease (general)
697,476 claimants (20%)
This includes muscle or joint pain and arthritic conditions
Neurological disease
472,121 claimants (13%)
This includes muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy and other movement disorders
Musculoskeletal disease (regional)
440,684 claimants (12%)
This includes neck, back, shoulders, elbow, wrists, hands, hip, knee and ankle pain
Respiratory disease
137,957 claimants (4%)
This includes asthma, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis
Disabling conditions recorded by DWP
These are the main disability categories, the umbrella term by which more than 530 other conditions fall under. This list is only an overview of conditions, disorders and diseases and how the DWP lists the main disabilities being claimed for.
Haematological Disease
Infectious disease
Malignant disease
Metabolic disease
Psychiatric disorders
Neurological disease
Visual disease
Hearing disorders
Cardiovascular disease
Gastrointestinal disease
Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract
Skin disease
Musculoskeletal disease (general)
Musculoskeletal disease (regional)
Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders)
Genitourinary disease
Endocrine disease
Respiratory disease
Multisystem and extremes of age
Diseases of the immune system
Unknown or missing
Total number of PIP claimants (January 2025) - 3,694,536
Below is an overview of PIP and ADP. Even though new claims for PIP have been replaced in Scotland by ADP, it shares most of the same eligibility criteria. Full guidance on ADP can be found on the MYGOV.SCOT website here.
Who might be eligible for PIP or ADP?
To be eligible for PIP or ADP, you must have a health condition or disability where you:
have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for 3 months
expect these difficulties to continue for at least 9 months
You usually need to have lived in the UK for at least two of the last three years and be in the country when you apply.
In addition to what we have outlined above, if you get or need help with any of the following because of your condition, you should consider applying for PIP or ADP.
preparing, cooking or eating food
managing your medication
washing, bathing or using the toilet
dressing and undressing
engaging and communicating with other people
reading and understanding written information
making decisions about money
planning a journey or following a route
moving around
There are different rules if you are terminally ill, you will find these on the GOV.UK website here.
DWP or Social Security Scotland will assess how difficult you find daily living and mobility tasks. For each task they will 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 are PIP and ADP paid?
PIP and ADP are usually paid every four weeks unless you are terminally ill, in which case it is paid weekly. It will be paid directly into your bank, building society or credit union account. ADP is paid at the same rates as PIP.
PIP and ADP payment rates
You will need an assessment to work out the level of financial help you will receive and your rate will be regularly reviewed to make sure you are getting the right support. Payments are made every four weeks.
PIP is made up of two components:
Daily living
Mobility
Whether you get one or both of these and how much depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You will be paid the following amounts per week depending on your circumstances:
Daily living
Standard rate: £73.90
Enhanced rate: £110.40
Mobility
Standard rate: £29.20
Enhanced rate: £77.05
How you are assessed
You will be assessed by an independent healthcare professional to help the DWP determine the level of financial support, if any, you need, for PIP.
Face-to-face consultations for health-related benefits are offered alongside video calls, telephone and paper-based assessments - it's important to be aware that the health professional and DWP determine which type of assessment is best suited for each claimant. You can find out more about DWP PIP assessments here.
Adult Disability Payment assessments will not involve face-to-face assessments, unless this is preferred by the claimant - find out more about the changes here.
How do you make a claim for PIP?
You can make a new claim by contacting the DWP, you will find all the information you need to apply on the GOV.UK website here.
Before you call, you will need:
your contact details
your date of birth
your National Insurance number - this is on letters about tax, pensions and benefits
your 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
How to apply for ADP
People can apply for ADP, over the phone, by post or in-person. To find out more or apply, visit the dedicated pages on mygov.scot here or call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.
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