Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Could you get PIP? Answer these three questions to find out

Might you be eligible for a life-changing award of personal independence payment (PIP)?

If the answer to the next three questions is ‘Yes’, then you should very seriously consider making a PIP claim.

1. Do you have a disability or long-term health condition, such as arthritis or depression?
2. Does it make it more difficult to do everyday things like cooking, washing, dressing, being with people or getting around?
3. Are you aged between 16 and pension age?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to all three, you should definitely read on.

Whether you get an award and how much you get will depend on how your illness or disability affects your activities. We explain the PIP points system, which decides the level of your award, below.

Or you can try our free PIP points test now if you’re in a hurry.

There are a few more issues that may affect your eligibility, such as whether you have recently lived abroad and whether you are currently in a care home or hospital. But they don’t affect most people and you can read more about them in our PIP guides.

On this page we answer a lot of the questions you may have if you are new to PIP. We also tell you more about our detailed, step-by-step guides to PIP claims and appeals and how they can help you to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that cause so many claims to fail, even though the person claiming is eligible.

Things that won’t prevent you getting PIP (even though some people think they do)

A lot of things that affect other benefits, don’t matter at all when you claim personal independence payment.

• Work – you can claim PIP regardless of whether you are in full-time work, part-time work, self-employed or unemployed.
• Income – it doesn’t matter whether you have a huge income or no income at all.
• Savings – it makes no difference whether you have a fortune in the bank or no savings at all
• NI contributions – these are irrelevant to a PIP claim.
• Who you live with – you can claim PIP regardless of whether you live alone or with other people
• Carers – you can be entitled to PIP if you have carers or if you don’t have carers.

How much is personal independence payment?

The current weekly rates of PIP are:

PIP daily living component
Enhanced 89.60
Standard 60.00

PIP mobility component
Enhanced 62.55
Standard 23.70

This means that the lowest award you can get if your claim is successful is 23.70 a week, if you just get the standard mobility component or £60 if you just get the standard daily living component.

The maximum you can get is £152.15 a week if you get the enhanced rate of both the daily living and the mobility component.

The enhanced rate of the mobility component also gives you the option of getting a Motability vehicle instead of the cash.

And remember, PIP is paid on top of pretty much every other benefit you might get.

Plus, if you do get an award of PIP, you may get other premiums and benefits on top.

PIP points system explained

PIP is based on points.

You need to score 8 points to get the standard rate of the daily living component or the mobility component.

To get the enhanced rate of either component you need to score 12 points.

There are 10 different points scoring activities for the daily living component. They cover activities such as preparing food, washing and bathing, dressing and undressing and communicating verbally.

There are just two activities for the mobility component: planning and following journeys and moving around.

So, for example, the points for preparing food are as follows:

1. Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided. 0 points.
2. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 2 points.
3. Cannot cook a simple meal using a conventional cooker but is able to do so using a microwave. points. 2 points
4. Needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 2 points.
5. Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 4 points.
6. Cannot prepare and cook food. 8 points.

The best way to learn about what you score points for is to take our free online PIP test. It’s free and you can do it anonymously online or have the results emailed to you, as you choose.

Or you can read a complete list of all the PIP activities and descriptors, along with the points they score.

How to score PIP points even if you can manage an activity

Many people miss out on getting PIP because they don’t fully explain the difficulties they have with activities.

They think that just because they manage somehow, that means that they can’t claim.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Because the law says that you should score points if you can’t do things:

• Safely
• In a reasonable time
• To a reasonable standard
• As often as is needed

So, if you can show that you can cook but it isn’t safe for you to do so because your concentration is so poor that you forget what you are doing, then you may score points.

Or if you can show that you can cook a meal, but it would take you twice as long as someone without an impairment because of pain and fatigue then you will score points.

The decision maker may say that you can cook if you use aids and appliances such as a kettle tipper and so only award you two points. But if you can show that you would still have problems even if you use aids and appliances, then you may score up to 8 points for this one activity, enough for an award of PIP.

Fluctuating conditions

Even if there are days when you can do an activity without difficulties, that still doesn’t mean you won’t be eligible for PIP.

Because the law says that you are eligible for points if you satisfy one or more descriptors under an activity on more than 50% of the days in the twelve-month qualifying period.

So if, because of depression you are unable to motivate yourself to wash and bathe on four days a week, then you should score points for that. This will be the case even though on the other three days a week you can do this without anyone to prompt you.

Our PIP guides

Benefits and Work has a huge collection of regularly updated resources to help with every step of your PIP journey, from initial claim to appeal if necessary in the members only area of the site. These include:

Guide to PIP claims and reviews
108 page guide to PIP claims, medicals and the PIP review form (AR1/1043). New 29 May 2020: now includes 9 pages of detailed guidance on PIP telephone assessments during coronavirus crisis.

I've been awarded PIP, what else can I claim?
14 page guide to other benefits you may be able to claim if you are awarded PIP.

PIP Sample medical report
Our own sample version of a PIP PA4 medical report form

PIP GP Notes
A copy of the PIP descriptors you can take your GP to ask them to select which ones they think apply to you, add any comments and sign and date as evidence for your claim or appeal. Just take the pages you need.

PIP diaries
Not everyone wants to keep a diary of the effects of their condition, but many claimants do find them useful either to help with completing the PIP ‘How your disability affects you' form or to submit as additional evidence.

Our sample extracts covering mental and physical health conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression and our templates will make sure you do the best possible job of keeping a PIP diary.

You can also download templates to create your own diary, including:

• Anxiety and depression
• Arthritis and obesity
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Mobility
• Schizophrenia

Guide to PIP appeals
A 23 page guide on challenging PIP decisions through Mandatory Reconsideration and Appeal.

The Best Possible Support For Clients With PIP Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals
A detailed 49 page guide that can be used by claimants and support workers alike to challenge PIP decisions via mandatory reconsideration and appeal.

PIP mandatory reconsideration and appeal submissions
A 33 page guide to PIP mandatory reconsideration and appeal submissions and sample submissions for health conditions: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Anxiety & depression; Schizophrenia; Mobility problems; Fibromyalgia; Anxiety disorder, depression & agoraphobia and; Osteoarthritis & obesity

Best possible ways to challenge a PIP medical report
A 24 page guide to challenging a DWP Health Professional's PIP medical report, includes over 50 grounds for appeal and sample text.

Subscribe now and get instant access to all our guides for a year.

PIP changed these people’s lives

Claiming PIP isn’t easy. So is it worth trying?

Here at Benefits and Work we asked hundreds of claimants who get PIP because of arthritis what difference it had made to their life.

These are some of the things they told us:

A huge difference! Enables me to keep my car on the road or I would be housebound. Cannot walk to use public transport. Entitles me to pension credit, can afford to pay fuel bills easier.

I am self-employed so it has taken a great burden off me , I can now decide to have time off when I am bad whereas before I would try and struggle through . Which only made me worse.

It has brought me more security , I don’t have to worry about bills etc. I now have the means to socialise if I choose. I can treat grandchildren and friends, I am part of life.

PIP enabled me to go to a private physio who has changed my life.

It means I can get help with housework and gardening and also meant I was able to retire from work early. This has made a tremendous difference to me.

PIP makes a massive difference to my life. Without the mobility component, I would be stuck indoors 24/7. It allows me to live as normal a life as possible.

Many people also told us they regretted putting off claiming for so long.

I didn’t claim until I was 50 despite having arthritis & debilitating symptoms since 16! Do it earlier than I did!

Don’t hesitate, I hesitated for over 5 years as I had heard horror stories and didn’t feel strong enough to face applying.

Don't think about it do it ! I never claimed it when l could have done the CAB made me claim, they even filled the form out for me.

So, if you think you might qualify, take the first step towards changing your life for the better today.

Our free PIP test will help you decide how many points you think you should score and what award you assess yourself as being eligible for.

And our detailed guides will take you step-by-by step through every part of the process, from completing the PIP1 and PIP2 ‘How your disability affects you’ form, through the telephone assessment if you have to have one right through to an appeal, if it’s needed.

PIP Claims Updates

This is where you can find important information about PIP changes that we don't want to get lost in the News section of the site, where most PIP news is published.

You are welcome to link to these updates on your own website. The direct link to this section is: https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip#claims-updates

PIP telephone assessments update: the horror stories continue

16 November 2020

“Was asked to make noises like I make while in pain, felt humiliated and degraded”

“There was a trainee listening in and she had two people walk through the room sniggering at bowel and bladder questions”

Some PIP claimants are still facing illegal breaches of confidentiality, unlawful lack of notice and bizarre and remorseless questioning as part of their telephone assessments , according to our latest survey results.

As a result, we are urging claimants to ask to have their assessment recorded and to consider covertly recording it themselves as well. Our PIP claims guide contains more on this.

It also includes details of 10 ‘Problems to be ready for’ if you have a PIP telephone assessment, as well as details of the type of questions that are likely to be asked, assumptions that may be made and much more.

You can download the latest version of the Guide to PIP claims and reviews from the PIP page in the Members Only section of the site.

Latest survey results

Last May, we published two article on What PIP telephone assessments are really like and What PIP telephone assessments are really like, part two.

The articles were based on over 250 responses to our survey on the subject, which is still open. They found widespread evidence of unfair and unlawful practices.

We left the survey open and we have now assessed 392 additional responses received between June and the beginning of November.

What they show is that whilst some aspects of telephone assessments have improved, others have grown worse and, most worryingly, the horror stories about things that should never occur at all have continued.

Breaches of confidentiality

It’s something that should never happen at all.

Yet a shocking 12% of our respondents said that the assessor had problems with having a quiet, confidential place to call from. And some of the things people experienced were both a gross breach of data protection laws and deeply distressing. Below are some of the incidents our respondents told us about

There was a trainee listening in and she had two people walk through the room sniggering at bowel and bladder questions

I heard sniggering and muffled laughter and a mobile phone ring which was answered and not by the interviewer

I repeatedly heard noises in the background, which I enquired about because it was distracting me from answering properly. I was told that it was just background noise because the female assessor was working from home. Later on in the call, after having to give humiliating answers about myself and my disabilities/illnesses, I heard a man's voice and then shortly after I heard a small excitable child's voice! I felt beyond humiliated! . Even if she was using a headset, she still repeated what I'd just said so my business was broadcast regardless and that's not on!! I couldn't wait to get off the phone and cried my eyes out afterwards. I feel sick and personally and emotionally violated

I could hear other people in the background and at more than one point the assessor spoke to another person whilst interviewing me. I worried about my privacy and personal information being shared.

I could hear people talking in the background

They were walking about trying to get a better signal and was also heard on one occasion talking to someone else

Child/children interrupted, so assessment was not entirely confidential, I felt.

Children playing in the background, which the assessor said was due to working at home.

Her son's phone rang during my assessment (ringtone was a duck quacking!) so I'm wondering whether she was on her own or with family.

In some cases the claimant was told that there was another person on the call, but this could also cause difficulties.

They said they was going to join the call with their clinical team. So not sure how many people were listening in which I felt very conscious of and embarrassed

I was told someone was listening in but not who. I was not advised I had the right to refuse this. My mobility was assessed OVER THE PHONE and resulted in no award - when I am riddled with osteoarthritis and due to have a knee replacement 9th November

There were 2 assessors! When one of them didn't like the way I answered questions he tried asking me hypothetical situations, which was stupid because those situations wouldn't happen.

Inappropriate questions

Some people were asked questions in such a way as to leave them feeling upset and even humiliated.

Was asked to make noises like I make while in pain, felt humiliated and degraded

Still trying to work out why assessor asked 'How often do you change your underwear'!

Many people believed the same questions were asked repeatedly to try to catch them out or push them into giving an answer that would give a false impression.

Felt like there were a lot of the same questions worded slightly different. That immediately set my paranoia off and I felt like they were trying to catch me out. The information page that specifically says, "We are not trying to catch you out" didn't alleviate these suspicions funnily enough...

He kept repeating questions he'd asked 10 or 15 minutes earlier. I kept saying: "My answer is the same as the answer I gave you before."

The form asks if you can make a simple meal. When I replied that I could not, he asked “So can you boil an egg then?” There were many more questions like this.

My condition means I cannot walk etc, I cannot get up without the aid of my husband. He has to prepare all meals because I am unable to do so. But they wanted to know, if my husband got the ready meal out of the fridge and gave it to me, if I sat next to the microwave, could I put it in the microwave. What sort of a trick question is that! It felt like a trap.

Assessor’s manner

The people skills of assessors seems to have deteriorated since our last survey. 11% found the assessor unfriendly, compared with 8% last time. Only 37% found them encouraging this time, compared with 47% last time.

For some respondents, the assessor was more like an interrogator in a court room.

Every single time my friend tried to answer relating to my mental health she was told to basically shut up but in a slightly politer way. This was yesterday and I am left all alone and feeling suicidal. Shame on DWP - an awful experience where I felt like I was on trial and condemned for being ill.

Very unpleasant, stressful experience, almost 2 hours of quick fire questioning and challenging my responses, no empathy or interest in listening to my explanations. When I said I didn’t understand the question he raised his voice and spoke slowly in an irritated manner, he also challenged me - telling me that two different conditions I suffer from were the same thing??? I was not feeling well and was exhausted and distressed at the end of this almost 2 hr interrogation - I felt utterly abused and felt I had done something untruthful or wrong, would not want to repeat it again, give me face to face anytime.

The assessor was relentless and the more I cried and became distressed he would just repeat "I have to do this, I have to ask these questions". No understanding a total indifference and when I talked about a low point in my life concerning my Mothers death he just said." I don't need the story" I've never got over my Mothers death due to the circumstances but today has really pushed me back and I feel lower than ever.

One claimant was told: You've got to calm down. We need to get this done!!! I'm just trying to do my job. We all have problems.

My son has many mental health problems. Has ME and is autistic. But he [the assessor] made silly jokes and seemed to be making fun out of things written in his autism report.

Overall, found it a very cold, hard hearted experience. He was clearly just 'going through the motions'. Kept repeating questions until he got an answer he was satisfied with. Was rather abrupt and short. I don't think I will get it to be honest. I am moving to PIP from a DLA lifetime award which angers me as a lifetime award is indefinite and should be honoured, irrespective of how many times they change their system.

Notice of a telephone assessment

The law says that you should receive seven days’ written notice of the date, time and place of your assessment.

Since May, the proportion of people getting no notice at all of an assessment has improved, down from 13% to 8%.

The percentage getting less than a week is much the same, up from 25% to 26%.

But this still means that one third of all our respondents did not receive the notice they are legally entitled to.

There’s been a small reduction in the proportion only getting notice by phone, down from 18% to 16%. Again, this is a breach of their legal right to written notice.

Respondents told us:

Text message sent, saying going to ring me, then rang straight away giving me no time to prepare

Just a 9am call out of the blue no notice at all.

The letter arrived on Saturday for assessment on Tuesday morning

Letter arrived Mon. Assessment on the Wednesday

More people said the call was not on time, up from 18% to 27%.

I received a phone call making an appointment for 1.30pm on Sunday. Then a letter confirming. Two days before the appointment I got a call saying it would be at 2.15pm. I got the call at 11.45am!

Rang 3 days before my scheduled appointment telling me assessor wasn't available on that day and had to have it done within 15 mins.

Changed the time of the call twice and then called over 2 hours early

Changed the assessor and time at the last minute and I was unable to have my wife with me.

In some cases the call just didn’t come at all.

I received my letter on Thursday 4th June, informing me of an appointment on Monday 8th June. I didn’t receive my call at the scheduled time, so called the help centre 10 minutes after my appointment should have started. The person I spoke to advised that I was called 3 times on Friday 5th June as a prep call but that I didn’t answer. There is no notification in the letter that this would take place and I explained that I don’t answer calls from unknown/withheld numbers unless I am expecting such a call and if they had informed me in the letter to expect a prep call, then I would have answered.

Appointment at 11.45am. Called capita at 12.05 an was told assessor had rang 3 times and no answer, no missed calls on my phone. I didn’t receive any and was told assessor no wrote no show, made complaint to customer services as to what happened and why recorded as a no show

They never called on the first two appointments made by them, they called on the third...stressful

Additional calls

As we discovered in May, people need to be aware that there may be more than one assessment call.

I had to have another one a week later as the assessor had missed loads out

My assessment was done wrong so I had to go through it all over again 2 weeks later with a different person. I was given 48hrs notice.

Had a follow up call out of the blue the next day asked me the same questions

Wasn't happy as sat and had phone call with support then ring back later and said had to re do it again as didn’t write report, putting me through more stress.

Length of calls

Calls are still long, with around half taking an hour or more. And technical problems were up from 18% to 23%.

First telephone call was just over 2 hours which was lost due to technical problems second call was 1 hour 49 minutes

I was assessed for 3 hours and the following day they called back and assessed for further 1 hour pretty sure not normal such long assessment.

It was over 2 hours and I said I was exhausted more than once. I had a migraine that was caused by the stress and strain and intensity of the call which lasted for 3 days after the call. I had to stay in bed and go to sleep after the call.

1 hour and 50 minutes. I got very tired. After an hour I said I was getting tired. He went on another 50 minutes.

The assessment took 2 long and gruelling hours. The assessor told me I was her last appointment of the day and that she would be taking her time even though my appointment was at 10.30 am

Volume was very low and I struggled to hear what was being said. I had phone on hands free and loudspeaker. The line also was breaking up on occasions, the assessor herself said she was moving about to get a signal. Obviously having some issues with hearing me too.

Poor reception. I am hard of hearing and had to say 'pardon?' quite a lot which made the assessor quite agitated.

Recording your assessment

Slightly fewer people recorder their call, down from 18% to 16%.

You now have the right to ask to have your assessment recorded by Capita or IAS, although you need to do this as soon as you can and also be aware that it may cause delays in getting your assessment.

Some people wrongly thought it was illegal to covertly record your call.

I wanted too but have seen the law you are not allowed too

i didn't know how to or if it was legal for me to.

We thought it was unlawful to do so

Some people asked if they were allowed to record the call and were refused permission.

I informed them I was going to record it. And they stated that they could not continue with the call if it was recorded. I had to go ahead without recording it.

I asked to record my assessment and the assessor snapped at me stating "It's not allowed, no no no!" so no, I did not record my call even though I wanted to.

Some respondents regretted not recording their call.

I wish I had. He said we told him my son can overcome all his difficulties and go on public transport alone. Public transport was not mentioned in any way. And my son has only left the house with me by car for medical appointments in the last 3 years

Didn't know I was allowed to although wish I did as the assessor lied throughout

I wish I had recorded the call. Some questions were very dubious. I’ve been advised to write them down as evidence

And some claimants told us that they did indeed record their call and even how they did it.

I had my phone on speaker and recorded it on a spare phone

Phone on speaker, recorded on laptop, I didn't tell him I was recording

So so so glad I did, it is a must to do this

It is clear that telephone assessments are going to be the norm for a long time yet, if not permanently.

It’s also clear that on some occasions at least, the process does not meet the standard that every claimant should have the right to expect.

As a result, we would advise you to strongly consider covertly recording your telephone assessment, as well as asking IAS or Capita to record it, just in case the official copy goes astray or turns out not to have worked.

And, if you have been given insufficient notice or treated rudely or unfairly, don’t hesitate to complain.

And please do complete our survey so that we can forewarn other claimants.