The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Find out what PIP is, how to claim it, how much it is worth and how its introduction affects you if you are already receiving DLA.
What is PIP?
Being ill or having a disability can often make life more expensive. PIP is a benefit that is meant to help you with the extra costs caused by illness or disability – including sight loss.
PIP is only for people aged 16 to 64. If you are:
65 or older and were born before 8 April 1948, PIP is not the benefit that you will claim to help with extra costs. If you are claiming help for the first time, it will be Attendance Allowance. If you are 65 or over and already receive DLA, you will remain on DLA.
under 16 and claiming help for the first time, you should make a claim for DLA. When you turn 16, you will then have to make a claim for PIP.
To make a claim for PIP you must:
be habitually resident in the UK (this is decided by looking at a number of factors including reasons for coming to the UK, the length of your stay, future intentions, and previous links with the country)
and satisfy the past presence test (you must have been present in the UK for 104 out of the previous 156 weeks).
These two rules are complicated and there are some exceptions - if you live in a European Economic Area country, for example - so contact our Helpline if you think you may have difficulty passing these tests.
PIP is meant to help with daily living activities and getting out and around. Because of this, it is split into two parts or 'components': a daily living component and a mobility component. You might be successful in claiming one or both of these components.
Each component then has two rates:
a standard rate for people who the DWP decide have a limited ability to carry out daily living or mobility activities because of their physical or mental condition
an enhanced rate for people who the DWP decide have a severely limited ability to carry out daily living or mobility activities because of their physical or mental condition.
It is not a means-tested benefit – so you can claim it no matter what your income is – and PIP is not taxable.
How much is PIP worth?
The daily living component:
the standard rate is £55.65 a week
the enhanced rate is £83.10 a week.
The rates for PIP will rise with inflation each year.
The mobility component:
the standard rate is £22.00 a week.
the enhanced rate is £58.00 a week.
How do I make a new claim for PIP?
You should call the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for free on 0800 917 22 22 (0800 917 77 77 if you use a textphone). The DWP will take initial details of your claim while you are on the phone.
The DWP will then automatically generate a claim form for you and send it to you. Your claim form will include a barcode (to uniquely identify your form) and some parts of it will already be completed for you (your name, address and date of birth, for example). You then complete the rest of the form and send it back to the DWP.
Our Personal Independence Payment toolkit
The idea of filling out a claim form can be a little daunting, so to help you complete your form we have created a handy PIP Toolkit. Our Toolkit identifies the questions on the PIP application form that are most relevant for many blind and partially sighted people and contains our top tips to help you complete the form effectively.
What should I include with my claim form when I submit it?
When completing the form, it is important to include as much information and supporting evidence as possible. This may include copies of prescriptions of any medicines you require or a supporting letter from a health care professional who helps you. You could also include a care diary, which is a written record of all the help and assistance you need carrying out everyday tasks throughout a whole day. More information on what sort of information to include in a care diary can be found in our factsheet.
If you would like some advice or help with completing the claim form please contact our Helpline on 0303 123 9999, open Monday to Friday 8.45am to 5.30pm, or email helpline@rnib.org.uk. We will be able to put you in touch with our specialist advice services and form filling service.
What does the medical assessment for PIP entail?
When you claim PIP, it's almost certain that the DWP will ask you to attend a face-to-face consultation which will consider your individual circumstances across twelve activities.
For each activity, there are different descriptors which describe a person's ability to do something. Each of these descriptors has a score associated with it and you will score points based on the descriptors that apply to you.
For each descriptor to apply you must show that you are unable to carry out the activity "reliably, repeatedly, safely and in a timely manner".
Of the twelve activities, ten relate to the daily living component (such as “preparing food and drink” and “reading and understanding signs, symbols and words”) while two relate to the mobility component (“moving around”, for example)
You can score points in more than one activity. For the DWP to award you the standard rate, you have to score at least 8 points in total for the relevant activities. To receive the enhanced rate you have to score at least 12 points in total.
If an assessor asks you to attend an assessment it is very important that you attend a face-to-face consultation. If you do not do this and do not have a good reason (good cause) then this could mean that the DWP reject your claim for PIP.
We've put together a factsheet of top tips to help you prepare for your face to face assessment:
From now until 2017, people living in Great Britain who were receiving DLA and are aged over 16 or were aged under 65 on 8 April 2013 will be invited to claim PIP. We cannot tell you exactly when this will happen to you, but during this period the DWP plans to contact people by letter and explain to them what they need to do next.
When the DWP contact you inviting you to make a claim for PIP, it is vital that you contact them to start your claim within four weeks. If you do not start your claim within four weeks, the DWP will suspend your DLA. You can still make a claim for PIP after this, and if you do it within a further four weeks the DWP will reinstate your DLA whilst you are making your claim for PIP.
PIP appeals
If your claim for PIP is unsuccessful or you are unhappy with the rates you have been awarded you have the right to appeal.
Getting help with PIP
We have produced a factsheet on PIP that contains lots of useful information and more details about how to make an effective claim for it:
If you would like some advice or help with completing the claim form please contact our Helpline on 0303 123 9999, open Monday to Friday 8.45am to 5.30pm, or email helpline@rnib.org.uk. We will be able to put you in touch with our specialist advice services and form filling service.
Please note that we can only give advice about benefits for blind and partially sighted people and their carers or dependants.
Tell us about your experience
We want to hear about your experience with the PIP application process, please get in touch by emailing campaigns@rnib.org.uk.
We're here to help
Our Helpline is your direct line to the support, advice, and products you need to face the future with confidence. If you or someone you know has a sight problem, our specialist advice workers can help.
The benefits you're entitled to depends on your own personal circumstances. We have an easy to use calculator that asks you some questions about your situation and then tells you exactly how much you may be missing out on.
