Personal Independence Payments (PIP) provide much needed support to thousands of UK households battling with long-term physical or mental health conditions and disabilities.
The benefit provides extra cash to those who struggle to carry out everyday tasks or have trouble getting around because of a health condition.
PIP is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) every four weeks and is issued in two parts – a daily living part, if you need help with everyday tasks, and a mobility part, if you need help with getting around.
You might qualify for the daily living part of PIP if you need help with tasks such as cooking, washing, dressing, eating, or using the toilet, while the mobility part may be awarded if you need help physically moving around and leaving your home.
Under the current rates, anyone claiming the higher rate of the daily living and mobility parts can get a maximum of £9,583.90 over the course of a year. But PIP rates are due to increase by 1.7 percent from April 7, 2025, which will take the maximum amount you could get (if you claim both the higher rates) to £9,747.40. The new rates from April next year are:
Daily living part
Mobility part
But PIP claimants should be aware that their payments could be stopped by the DWP if they make one simple mistake.
Since 2016, around 3.1 million PIP claims have been reviewed by the government and, according to Citizens Advice, tens of thousands of claimants have had their payments stopped or reduced as a result.
The charity says that one of the main reasons your payments are stopped or reduced is simply because you didn’t return a review form in time.
If you receive PIP you will have got a letter when your claim was approved telling you when your claim will end and if it will be reviewed. You’ll get a letter asking you to fill in a form called ‘Award review – how your disability affects you’, which must be completed and returned within one month to be reviewed by the DWP.
If you didn’t send your review form back by the deadline given then you should contact the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 to tell them you need more time. If you have a good reason for the delay you may be granted an extension to return the form, and if your claim is then successful, you’ll be paid the money you should have got if you claim hadn’t been stopped.
If you aren’t given an extension and you don’t have a good reason to challenge a decision about your claim, then you will need to start a fresh PIP claim.
Citizens Advice states: “If you didn’t return a review form on time contact the DWP as soon as possible, explain why you haven’t returned the form yet and ask for more time.
“If the DWP agree to give you more time, fill in the form and send it to them – check how to fill in the review form. If they decide you can still get PIP, they’ll pay you the money you would have got if it hadn’t stopped.
“If the DWP won’t give you more time to send your review form, you should start a new PIP claim as soon as possible. Check how to make a new PIP claim.
“You can also challenge the decision to stop your PIP if there’s a good reason you didn’t send your review form in time. For example, if you were ill or had an emergency at home. If your challenge is successful, the DWP will pay you the money you would have got if it hadn’t stopped. You should start your challenge within one month of the decision.”
