PIP 2026/27: rates, eligibility and how to claim

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) pays between £30.30 and £194.60 a week in 2026/27 to people aged 16 to State Pension age who have a long-term health condition or disability that makes daily tasks or getting around difficult. It is not means-tested, so savings, income and work do not affect it. You claim by phone, fill in a form, usually have an assessment, and are scored in points: 8 points earns the standard rate of a component and 12 points the enhanced rate.

In short

• Daily living part: £76.70 a week (standard) or £114.60 (enhanced). Mobility part: £30.30 (standard) or £80.00 (enhanced).
• The most anyone can get is £194.60 a week (enhanced rate of both parts), about £10,119 a year, paid every 4 weeks.
• You need 8 points in a component for the standard rate and 12 points for the enhanced rate.
• New claims must normally be made before State Pension age; after that, the equivalent benefit is Attendance Allowance (£76.70 or £114.60 a week, no mobility part).
• You have one month to ask for a mandatory reconsideration of a decision, then one month from that outcome to appeal to an independent tribunal.
• PIP is under review (the Timms Review), but as of October 2026 the rates, points and claim process below still apply.

PIP rates for 2026/27

PIP has two separate parts, each paid at one of two rates. You can be awarded one part, both, or neither. The amounts are weekly, tax free, and the same across England, Wales and (under its own system) Northern Ireland.

Because payments come every four weeks, a person on the enhanced rate of both parts receives £778.40 per payment. Someone on standard daily living only receives £306.80 every four weeks.

Worked example

Sunita is 59 and has rheumatoid arthritis and anxiety. She cannot prepare a cooked meal without help, needs an aid to wash and dress, and needs prompting to go out. Her assessment scores her 10 points for daily living and 12 for mobility. She gets standard daily living (£76.70) plus enhanced mobility (£80.00): £156.70 a week, or £626.80 every four weeks. Because she now gets the daily living part, her son, who cares for her for more than 35 hours a week, can claim Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week if his earnings are under £204 a week. Our Carer’s Allowance guide explains that claim.

Who is eligible for PIP

According to GOV.UK, you can usually claim PIP if all of these apply:

• you are 16 or over and under State Pension age when you make a new claim;
• you have a long-term physical or mental health condition, learning disability or cognitive impairment;
• it causes difficulty with everyday tasks or getting around for most of the time, meaning on more than half the days over a 12-month period;
• you expect the difficulties to last at least 12 months from when they started;
• you normally live in England or Wales and have lived in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years (some exceptions apply, including for terminal illness and Armed Forces families).

It is the effect of the condition that counts, not the diagnosis. Two people with the same condition can get very different awards.

Reaching State Pension age

If you already get PIP when you reach State Pension age, you keep it, including the mobility part, as long as you still qualify. If you have not claimed before, you usually cannot start a new PIP claim after that age and should claim Attendance Allowance instead. The exception is if you received PIP (or Adult Disability Payment) in the last 12 months. Our comparison of Attendance Allowance vs PIP sets out the differences, the biggest being that Attendance Allowance has no mobility part.

Nearing the end of life

If a doctor or nurse says someone may have 12 months or less to live, they can claim under the special rules. They automatically get the enhanced daily living rate (£114.60), the mobility part depends on their needs, there is no face-to-face assessment, and claims are dealt with faster. Ask the medical professional for form SR1. See our guide to end-of-life care at home for wider support.

How the PIP points system works

The assessment looks at 12 activities. Each has a set of statements (called descriptors) worth between 0 and 12 points. For each activity you score the highest descriptor that applies to you, and the points are added up separately for each component.

A descriptor only counts if you can do the task reliably. That means safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as you reasonably need to, and within a reasonable time (no more than twice as long as someone without your condition). If you can boil a kettle once but are exhausted afterwards, you cannot do it reliably. Describe your worst days and typical days, not your best.

How to claim PIP, step by step

1. Call the PIP new claims line on 0800 917 2222 (Monday to Friday). Someone else, such as an adult child, can call on the person’s behalf if they are with them. Have their National Insurance number, GP details, bank details and dates of any hospital or care home stays ready.
2. Complete the “How your disability affects you” form. It usually arrives within two weeks, or you can fill it in online. You have one month to return it; call the enquiry line if you need longer.
3. Send evidence. Copies of letters from consultants, care plans, prescription lists, an occupational therapist’s report, or a diary of a typical week all help. Never send originals.
4. Attend the assessment. It may be by phone, video, at home or at a centre, and usually lasts about an hour. You can bring a friend, relative or support worker.
5. Get the decision letter. It shows the points for each activity, the start date and the review date. First awards last between 9 months and 10 years.

As long as the form goes back on time, the claim usually starts from the date of the phone call, not the date the form was returned, so make the call as early as possible.

Reviews and reporting changes

Most awards have an end date or review point. Before it, DWP sends a “Personal Independence Payment Review” form, which you must return within a month. Payments continue during the review. Afterwards the award can go up, down or stop, depending on whether needs have changed.

Report changes as they happen, especially if needs increase, someone goes into hospital or a care home, or moves abroad. The daily living part usually stops after 28 days in a care home if the council is paying for the place, but continues for self-funders. The mobility part usually continues.

How to challenge a PIP decision

Many decisions are changed on challenge, so check the points breakdown in the letter line by line.

1. Mandatory reconsideration. Ask DWP to look again within one month of the date on the decision letter. Explain which activities you think were scored wrongly and why, and send any new evidence. Late requests can be accepted with a good reason, such as illness or bereavement.
2. Tribunal appeal. If you are still unhappy, appeal to the independent First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) within one month of the mandatory reconsideration notice. Hearings are informal and you do not need a lawyer.

Free help with forms and appeals is available from Citizens Advice and local welfare rights services.

What PIP unlocks

• Carer’s Allowance for an unpaid carer providing 35+ hours a week (daily living part at either rate). Carers on Universal Credit may get the carer element of £209.34 a month instead.
• Disability premiums in means-tested benefits, and a possible Severe Disability Premium of £86.05 a week if no one is paid Carer’s Allowance for looking after the person.
• Blue Badge, vehicle tax reductions and the Motability scheme through the mobility part (Motability needs the enhanced rate).
• Council care charges: in a council financial assessment for home care, the daily living part normally counts as income but the mobility part is ignored, and disability-related expenses should be allowed for.

Our funding checker shows which other help may apply. If the person needs changes to their home, a Disabled Facilities Grant is separate and PIP does not reduce it.

PIP reform: where things stand in October 2026

In 2025 the government proposed requiring at least 4 points in one daily living activity. That proposal was withdrawn before the Universal Credit Act 2025 was passed. Instead, a review of the PIP assessment led by Sir Stephen Timms was set up with disabled people and charities. It published an interim report on 15 July 2026 and aims to report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in autumn 2026. The government says PIP will remain a non-means-tested cash benefit.

No change to eligibility, points or rates has come from the review so far. Existing awards continue as normal. Do not delay a claim waiting for reform; payment only starts from when you call.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, PIP has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment from Social Security Scotland. It pays the same rates but uses its own claim and decision process. Northern Ireland still has PIP, run by the Department for Communities, with the same rates.

Mistakes to avoid

• Describing only good days. Explain what happens most days and what help is needed.
• Leaving out the help from family. If a son or daughter prompts, supervises or helps, that counts.
• Missing the one-month deadlines for the form, reconsideration or appeal.
• Waiting until after State Pension age to claim, which rules out the mobility part.

If you look after someone with PIP, ask the council for a carer’s assessment; it may lead to respite or other support, and our guide to being paid to care for a family member covers the money side.

Frequently asked questions

How much is PIP a week in 2026?

In 2026/27 the daily living part of PIP is £76.70 a week at the standard rate or £114.60 at the enhanced rate. The mobility part is £30.30 or £80.00 a week. The maximum, with the enhanced rate of both parts, is £194.60 a week, paid as £778.40 every four weeks. PIP is tax free and not affected by savings or income.

How many points do you need for PIP?

You need at least 8 points in the daily living activities to get the standard daily living rate and 12 points for the enhanced rate. The same thresholds apply separately to the mobility activities: 8 points for the standard mobility rate of £30.30 a week and 12 points for the enhanced rate of £80.00 a week. Points are not carried between the two components.

Can you claim PIP after State Pension age?

Usually not as a new claim. If you are over State Pension age and have not had PIP or Adult Disability Payment in the last 12 months, you claim Attendance Allowance instead, which pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week but has no mobility part. If you already get PIP when you reach State Pension age, you can keep it while you still qualify.

How long does it take to get a PIP decision?

GOV.UK does not give a fixed time. The process involves a phone call, a form you return within one month, and usually an assessment, so many claims take a few months. Payments are backdated to the date of your first call, so claim early. People nearing the end of life are dealt with much faster under the special rules.

Does PIP affect a carer claiming Carer’s Allowance?

PIP helps a carer qualify. If the person gets the daily living part at either rate, a carer who provides at least 35 hours of care a week and earns no more than £204 a week after allowable deductions can claim Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week. If the carer is paid Carer’s Allowance, any Severe Disability Premium paid to the disabled person can stop.

How do I challenge a PIP decision?

First ask DWP for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the date on the decision letter, saying which activities you think were scored wrongly and adding any new evidence. If you still disagree, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) within one month of the reconsideration notice. Citizens Advice can help for free.

Is PIP changing in 2026?

Not yet. A 2025 plan to require 4 points in one daily living activity was dropped. The Timms Review of the PIP assessment published an interim report in July 2026 and aims to report to ministers in autumn 2026. As of October 2026, rates, points thresholds and the claim process are unchanged, and existing awards continue.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Personal Independence Payment
• GOV.UK: PIP eligibility
• GOV.UK: How much PIP you will get
• GOV.UK: How to claim PIP
• GOV.UK: Claiming PIP if you are nearing the end of life
• GOV.UK: When your PIP claim is reviewed
• GOV.UK: Mandatory reconsideration
• GOV.UK: Appeal a benefit decision
• GOV.UK: The Timms Review

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.