Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit that helps people over 16 and under State Pension age with the extra costs of living with a long-term illness, mental health condition or physical, sensory or cognitive disability.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) could award you between £23.70 and £152.15 per week to help with the costs of daily living and outdoor mobility needs.
PIP is paid every four weeks, so this amounts to between £94.80 and £608.60 every month and the rate you receive depends on how your condition affects you - not the condition itself - which means you do not need to have a defined condition to make a claim for support.
The benefit is made up of two parts - a daily living component and a mobility component - you may be able to claim one or both of these depending on your circumstances.
You do not need to be working or have paid National Insurance contributions to qualify for PIP, and it does not matter what your income is, or if you have savings, as it’s a non-means tested benefit.
To qualify, you must have a health condition or disability where you:
have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for three months
expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine 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.
If you need help with any of the following because of your condition, you should consider applying for PIP
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 outside your home
There are different rules if you are terminally ill, which you can find on the GOV.UK website here.
If you think you may be eligible for PIP, you can check whether you would qualify by doing the self-test on the Benefits and Work website.
Benefits and Work offers free, independent, step-by-step guides for making claims to the DWP, giving people the best possible chances of accessing additional financial support.
This PIP self-test has questions plus the points awarded for each descriptor answer and will help you understand:
Whether you would score enough points to receive PIP for each component (daily living and mobility)
Whether you would qualify for the standard or enhanced rate of each component
If you submit your email on the self-test page you will also be sent a copy of your results which could help you accurately complete the ' How your disability affects you ' evidence form that you will receive from the DWP.
The Benefits and Work website states: “Your email address will not be used for any other purpose and will be deleted when we do our regular housekeeping.”
Emails will come from noreply@mybenefitsandwork.co.uk.
Cheek your spam folder if it doesn't arrive within a few minutes of clicking 'submit'.
When you are assessing yourself, the law says that you only count as being able to do something if you can do it:
Safely - meaning in a manner unlikely to cause harm to you or to another person, either during or after completion of the activity
To an acceptable standard - For example, in 'preparing food', the meal you make should not be burnt or for 'planning and following journeys', you should get to your intended destination
Repeatedly and in a reasonable time period - meaning as often as the activity is reasonably required to be completed, where applicable
Guidance also states that 'pain, fatigue, breathlessness, nausea and motivation' should all be taken into account.
How many points do you need to be awarded PIP?
If you score between eight and 11 points for your daily living needs in the PIP test, you will be awarded the standard rate of the daily living component.
You will receive the enhanced rate if you score 12 points or more.
If you score between eight and 11 points for your mobility needs you will be awarded the standard rate of the mobility component.
You will receive the enhanced rate of the mobility component if you score 12 points or more.
It is worth noting that if you are a visually impaired person and use a long white cane - not the shorter, symbol cane - to get around outside your home, you may be entitled to the enhanced rate of the mobility component - £62.25 per week - as this immediately scores 12 points on the PIP claim form if the adaptive aid is required on any familiar or unplanned route.
What are the PIP payment rates for 2021/22?
You will be paid the following amounts per week depending on your circumstances:
Daily living
- Standard rate - £60.00
- Enhanced rate - £89.60
Mobility
- Standard rate - £23.70
Enhanced rate - £62.55
How do you make a claim for PIP?
You can make a new claim by contacting the DWP, you’ll find all the information you need to apply on the GOV.UK website here.
Before you call, you will need:
your contact details, for example telephone number
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
You can take the self test here and start the PIP claim process on the GOV.UK website here.
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