The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has explained how PIP (Personal Independence Payment) assessment will work after key changes to the eligibility criteria come in next year.
The benefit supports people who live with a long-term health condition or illness, including a daily living part and a moblity part.
A new rule will be added meaning you have to score at least one 4 on one of the daily living activities, to get the daily living element, as well as needing a total of at least 8 across the 10 activities to get the lower rate, and a total of 12 to get the higher rate.
The daily living element currently pays £73.90 a week at the lower rate and £110.40 a week at the higher rate, meaning an annual total of £3,842.80 a year or £5,740.80 a year. The new eligibility criteria is coming in from November 2026.
The DWP was asked in Parliament if it had looked at the impact of the changes on those who claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA) who are moving over to PIP.
Disability Living Allowance is being replaced by PIP and is paid at a lower rate of £29.20 a week, while there is a middle rate which is the same as the lower daily living element for PIP and a higher rate which is the same as the higher daily living part for PIP.
DWP minister Sir Stephen Timms provided a response saying that how claimants are affected would depend “on an individual’s circumstances”.
He explained: “For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply from November 2026 at their next award review, subject to parliamentary approval.
“People will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance.”
Turning to what this means for people on DLA, he said: “People in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) aged 16 to 64 on 8 April 2013, or who reach age 16 after that date, are being invited to claim PIP and will be assessed against the PIP criteria.
“People in receipt of DLA who are in scope of PIP, but have yet to be invited to claim, can do so at any point.”
In announcing reforms of the benefits system this year, Labour said it would scrap the Work Capability Assessment which is used to assess to what extent a person can work and if they should get any health-related extra payments as part of their benefits.
Instead, claimants will undergo a new single assessment based on the PIP assessment, which will assess how a person is impacted by their disability in their daily living, rather than looking at their capacity to work.
The DWP also wants more PIP assessments to take place in person after assessments changed to being done largely remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Government also has plans for “longer term reform” of the PIP assessment, with more details to be set out about this later this year.
