Personal independence payments (PIP) are to increase in value, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed.
PIP is composed of two parts, daily living and mobility, each of which can be paid at a standard rate or enhanced rate, for those who require extra support. The standard daily living component will increase from £59.70 per week to £60 per week, the DWP says, while the enhanced daily living rate is to rise from £89.15 per week to £89.60 (both up 0.5%).
The standard mobility component, meanwhile, is being raised from £23.60 per week to £23.70 (up 0.4%). Finally, the enhanced mobility rate goes from £62.25 to £62.55 per week (up 0.5%).
The changes, which come into effect from April 6, 2021 and will last until April 5, 2022, are part of a swathe of benefit payment increases due to the new financial year. All benefits are increasing by approximately 0.5%, and state pensions are to rise by 2.5%. They come amid an inflation rate that stands at 0.7%, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The DWP is also resuming face-to-face PIP assessments, it has said, after they were paused last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is also now conducting PIP assessments via video call for the first time.
