Are you entitled to Personal Independence Payment?

If you have a long-term health condition or disability you may be eligible to receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefit payments. 

You can apply for PIP even if do not actually receive help; you just need to show that it is reasonable for you to need it. Plus, PIP is not means-tested so it doesn’t matter how much you earn or what income or savings you have.

Who qualifies for PIP?

To claim PIP, you must normally have needed help for at least three months and be likely to need it for a further nine months. You do not need to meet this qualifying period if you have a terminal illness with less than six months to live.

You can start your claim within the first three months of needing help, but your PIP entitlement won’t begin until the three month period has finished.

There are two parts to PIP: daily living and mobility 

The PIP assessment is points-based which means points will be awarded depending on how you can perform different activities. To qualify for the standard rate of both the daily living and mobility components you must score eight points. To qualify for the enhanced rate for both the daily living and mobility components you must score 12 points.

Daily living component

The rate awarded will depend on your ability to carry out a range of activities including washing and bathing, dressing, preparing food and drink, communicating and making budgeting decisions. The standard weekly rate is £61.85 and the enhanced rate is £92.40.

Mobility component

You will be assessed on your ability to work out and follow a route safely and reliably in both familiar and unfamiliar surroundings. The “moving around” activity focuses on your physical ability to stand and then move around without severe discomfort (looking at pain, fatigue or breathlessness). The standard weekly rate is £24.45 and the enhanced rate is £64.50.

Further advice

For further information about PIP and how to make a claim get in touch with our Welfare Rights & Money Advice Team on 023 8083 2339.

With the rising cost of living it’s more important than ever to know what benefits you’re entitled to. It is worth checking to make sure that you’re not missing out on any benefit payments such as PIP. Use an online benefit checker like entitledto to quickly assess what you could qualify for and how much you could get.