Personal Independence Payment Information
Personal Independence Payment is replacing Disability Living Allowance from the 8th of April 2013. For more information see: gov.uk/pip-checker
There are 2 components : the daily living component and the mobility component.
A person is entitled to apply if they have a health condition or disability that affects their daily life and it limits their ability to carry out day to day activities.
You must be aged between 16 -64 years old to be eligible to claim. If you are under 16 years old , your parent or guardian can claim it on your behalf.
You must be a UK national
Be resident in the UK
And can show that you are habitually resident in the UK.
There are exceptions to these rules.
How to claim
The first part of your claim is conducted by telephone on : 0800917222.
You will be asked questions that verify your identity and questions to establish whether you qualify for Personal Independence Payment.
Details include:
Full name;
Date of Birth;
Nationality;
National Insurance number;
Contact details;
Country of residence ;
Details of any other benefits or pensions within the European Economic Area.
Date of any recent hospital admissions/stays
Contact details for your GP and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
Details of mental health or learning difficulties.
Your bank account details for payment of personal Independence payment.
Your claim will be processed by the DWP and if you meet the basic requirements for Personal Independence Payment then you will be sent a questionnaire.
2nd stage - questionnaire
To qualify for PIP you must show that your disability affects your ability to carry out every day activities for example dressing.
Visit :
benefitsandwork.co.uk/pip/i... to self test and it will score your abilities.
Please include evidence of your disability from your GP or hospital consultant. A list of evidence will be provided by the DWP with the questionnaire.
3rd stage - consultation
A consultation will be carried out by a healthcare professional. This is a face to face meeting to enable the healthcare professional to assess which descriptors apply to you.
The DWP specify two categories of descriptors : Daily Living and Mobility descriptors .
The healthcare professional will ask you questions relating to these and score your abilities . 10 questions will be asked about daily living activities and 2 will be asked regarding the mobility descriptors.
You can take a relative, carer or friend to support you during the consultation.
The consultation will take about 1 hour.
The healthcare professional will make a recommendation of whether you qualify for PIP to the DWP assessor and the DWP will decide.
The report will contain how long your disability of health condition will affect you and how regularly you should be assessed.
Time period
The report will be returned to the DWP within 30 days.
PIP can be paid at the standard or enhanced rate for the mobility and daily living component
The DWP will write to you with their decision and if you are not awarded PIP you can appeal the decision. (This will be discussed in a future article.)
If you are awarded PIP then you can be awarded a short term fixed award which can last 3 months – 2years or a long term fixed award which can last from 3 year plus. You can make a new claim up to six month before your award runs out.
For information on rates of payment visit -
If you need help with the process visit your local citizens advice bureau.