Will I lose my DWP PIP payments? 10 things you could have to prove to avoid losing support
Will I lose my DWP PIP payments? 10 things you could have to prove to avoid losing support
The government has not said how many people will lose their PIP payments but it is presenting the DWP reform as a major change that will save billions
The UK government has set out plans to significantly reduce the number of people entitled to the Personal Independent Payment pip from the DWP because of disability.
At the moment the enhanced daily living component of PIP £110.40 per week and the standard rate to £73.90. The enhanced mobility component will be £77.05 per week, and the standard rate £29.20
People qualify for the payment by taking a series of tests on their ability to perform basic tasks like feeding themselves, dressing themselves or washing themselves. They are scored on the extent to which their condition prevents them from carrying out those tasks.
Currently, people can qualify for a PIP payment by having a relatively low level of impairment across a lot of the different tests. However in future, they will have to have a more significant impairment on at least one of the tests and score at least four points on one of the tests.
The government says that it has been a decade since PIP was introduced and it needs modernising. There are over 3m people in the UK currently in receipt of PIP at a cost of £21.8bn.
The government says that if this continues to grow at the current rate, in four years there will be 4.2m people receiving PIP at a cost of £34.1bn and this is "unsustainable" and is growing faster than the prevalence of disability.
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It says: "It is over a decade since PIP was introduced, during which time there have been significant shifts in the nature of long-term conditions and disability, as well as changes in wider society and the workplace. People reporting mental health or neurodiverse conditions as their primary condition have increased more rapidly than those reporting other conditions, and increases in disability have been more marked among younger adults than older people, although older working-age people are still more likely to be disabled."
To be entitled to a PIP payment in future, people will have to show a higher level of impairment in at least one category meaning they score at least four points.
The below are examples of what would enable you to qualify for the personal independent payments (PIP) by category.
Preparing food
Being unable to prepare a meal in an oven but able to use a microwave scores two points so will no longer, on its own, qualify a person for a PIP payment. Instead they will need to be able to show they "need supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal"
Eating and drinking
Needs including having to have supervision, needing help to cut up food, or having to use an aid to take in nutrition will no longer score highly enough to qualify for PIP. Instead a person would have to show they "need prompting to be able to take nutrition" or, in a more severe case, be unable to "convey food or drink to their mouth".
Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
To score four points, a person would have to show they "need supervision, prompting, or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than three and a half hours a week but no more than seven hours a week"
Washing and bathing
Needing supervision to wash or bathe scores only two points on a PIP test as does needing help to wash hair or body below the waist. Needing help to get in our out of a bath or shower also only scores three points.
To score four points, a person would have to show they "needs assistance to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist"
Managing toilet needs or incontinence
Needing supervision to use the loo, two points, will no longer qualify a person alone for PIP. Instead, they will have to show they need help (four points).
Dressing and undressing
A person who needs to be told to dress or needs help putting on trousers or a skirt (two points) will no longer qualify. Instead a person will have to show they need help to dress or undress their upper body.
Communicating verbally
Using a hearing aid only scores two points. To score four, a person would need to show they "need communication support to be able to express or understand complex verbal information"
Reading
To score four points, a person would have to show they need prompting to be able to read or understand basic written information or cannot read or understand signs at all.
Engaging with others face to face
Needing prompting to be able to engage with others only scores two points. Instead someone would need to show they "need social support to be able to engage with other people"
Making budgeting decisions
Needing help with complex budgeting will no longer be enough (two points). Instead to score four points, someone would have to show they need "prompting or assistance to be able to make simple budgeting decisions"
If people find they no longer qualify for PIP, the government is consulting on how best to support them.
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The benefits green paper says: "We want to ensure that anyone in receipt of PIP now who would lose entitlement when they are reassessed under the new eligibility criteria, has their health and eligible care needs met
"Everyone should have their healthcare needs met by the NHS which is why we are investing almost £26 billion to fix the health and care system and we are investing an additional £889 million in General Practice in 2025/26 to reinforce the front door of the NHS and bring back the family doctor
"DWP will work with DHSC to ensure that existing people who claim PIP who may no longer be entitled to the benefit following an award review under new eligibility rules have their health and eligible care needs met, in addition to being able to access our support conversation and employment support if they want to."
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