DWP PIP shake-up dates and which claimants most likely to lose their payments

The DWP says it is looking at what support could be offered to those who lose their PIP as a result of the changes

The Department for Work and Pensions has addressed key questions over its cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Almost 3.7 million people claim PIP, including 87,000 in Birmingham, which is the highest number of any local authority area in Britain. With the number of claimants and the costs of paying the benefit rising rapidly, the Labour Government has announced changes to disability and incapacity benefits in its Pathways to Work Green Paper.

Sir Stephen Timms, the DWP Minister for Social Security and Disability, has responded to a number of concerns raised in parliamentary questions by MPs about the impact of the overhaul.

READ MORE:

• DWP warned that PIP benefit cuts could stop claimants from going to work
• Exact dates Universal Credit's LCWRA incapacity payment is being cut in benefit reforms

PIP has two parts: a daily living component and a mobility component. People may get one or both of those, depending on their assessment. Under the new restrictions to PIP, people will need to get at least one score of 4 in the daily living activities that are assessed (including preparing a meal, bathing, and getting dressed) in order to get the daily living component of the benefit.

No changes have been made to the way the mobility component is assessed and scored, though recent reports have criticised possible abuse of the system to successfully obtain this part of PIP, which can be used as a taxpayer-funded car finance scheme when exchanged for a Motability vehicle.

It's also important to note that if someone loses their daily living element, someone who provides informal care for them can no longer claim Carer's Allowance or Universal Credit's Carer Element.

When do the PIP changes start?

Sir Stephen said: "There will be no immediate changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Our intention is that the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.

"For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply at their next award review. The average award review is about three years.

"When people are reassessed, they will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, and assessed on their individual needs and circumstances.

"The personal impact will depend on an individual's circumstances. We are consulting on how best to support those who are no longer eligible for PIP and linked entitlements, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met."

He added: "The changes will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support."

What happens if your PIP is cut or if linked benefits such as Carer's Allowance are stopped?

Sir Stephen said: "Through the Green Paper we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like.

"We will also work closely with the DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care) and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system.

"The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has regular discussions with Cabinet members, including in relation to benefit reform."

What about appeals against any PIP changes?

Sir Stephen said: "Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not an income replacement benefit. It is paid to help with the additional costs that arise from long-term health conditions or disability where they impact the activities set out in legislation. Claimants are assessed against the legislative criteria and a decision on entitlement is made by a DWP decision maker.

"In line with the legislative requirement, we continue to apply the latest decision on a PIP award until such time as a new decision is made.

"Payment of PIP after a claim has been disallowed, or payment at a rate higher than the latest decision, whilst an individual is waiting for an appeal hearing could lead to incorrect expenditure of public funds.

"If a subsequent first-tier tribunal makes a new decision to reinstate PIP or give a higher award, then the Department will backdate any payments due."

How will the changes affect those with mental health and neurodivergent conditions?

In answer to a question on this from Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley (Newton Abbott) asking if PIP would be maintained for people with neurodivergent conditions and severe mental distress, Sir Stephen said: "The PIP assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. Therefore, the impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances.

"From November 2026, at their next award review, people will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance."

There's a separate and independent analysis below looking at the conditions most and least likely to be affected by the changes.

What about people with terminal illnesses?

Sir Stephen said: "Claimants of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) who are nearing the end of their life will be unaffected by the reforms to the PIP assessment criteria.

"Claims made under the special rules for end of life are automatically awarded the enhanced rate of the daily living component without having to take part in an assessment and without having to meet the required period condition. The majority of claimants are also awarded the mobility component."

Will there be a vote on the PIP changes?

The Green Paper says the PIP changes will not be subject to public consultation. Asked about the decision not to get public feedback on some of the measures, Sir Stephen said: "We urgently need reform to stop people from falling into inactivity, restore trust and fairness in the system, and protect disabled people. Therefore, there are some measures announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper on March 18th, 2025, that we will not be consulting on.

"Urgently needed changes to PIP will be brought forward via Primary Legislation so that Parliament can fully debate and vote on them.

"Spending on PIP has increased by £2 billion per year above inflation on average in each of the last five years. We need to take decisive action to make the benefit financially sustainable so that it can continue to provide vitally needed support. In the Green Paper, we are, however, consulting on how best to support those who lose benefit as a result of this change."

In another response, he added: "We need to take decisive action to tackle a situation in which PIP claims are set to double from 2 million to over 4.3 million this decade. We are consulting on how best to support those affected by the changes.

"We will also consider improvements to the PIP assessment. We will launch a wider review of the PIP indicators, which I shall lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

"We will rebalance payments in Universal Credit, reducing the health top-up for new claims and delivering the first-ever permanent, above-inflation rise to the standard allowance of UC – actually offering help for people to get into work as quickly as possible.

"We will be bringing forward the PIP and UC changes in a Bill so Parliament can fully debate and vote on them."

How many PIP claimants will be affected?

Sir Stephen says the DWP has not yet estimated the number of people who will lose PIP and Carer's Allowance.

However, impact assessment documents by the Office for Budget Responsibility after the publication of the Green Paper calculate that the PIP changes will affect 800,000 people, including 370,000 current PIP claimants who will lose their entitlement when their award is reviewed, and another 430,000 people in the future who will not qualify for PIP when they would previously have been eligible. The average loss is £4,500 a year.

The documents also say a further 150,000 people will no longer be eligible to receive Carer's Allowance or the Universal Credit Carer Element as a result of the person they care for losing the daily living element of their PIP award.

Which conditions are most and least likely to be affected by the PIP shake-up?

Analysis by the Resolution Foundation says that: "People with conditions including learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and autism are least likely to be affected, since people receiving PIP and with these conditions are most likely to score 21 points or more in the daily living part of the PIP assessment, meaning they are very unlikely to have passed the assessment without scoring 4 or more points in one of the headings."

A score of 4 is awarded when people need support or supervision to complete an everyday activity safely.

The foundation calculates that those who will be affected most - because they rarely score a total of 21 points or more, and are therefore unlikely to have had any single scores of 4 - are people whose PIP claims are for back pain, arthritis, other musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain syndromes, respiratory disease, and anxiety and depression.

Just one per cent of people with back pain get a score of 21 or more in their daily living activities, putting people with this health issue most at risk of losing this part of PIP.

Overall, mental health and some neurodiverse conditions are at high risk of losing the daily living payment of PIP.

A total score of 21 goes to just 4 per cent of people with anxiety and depression, 11 per cent with psychotic disorders, 15 per cent with ADHD/ADD and 16 per cent with other psychiatric disorders.

On the other hand, figures show that 34 per cent of people with autistic spectrum disorders get a total daily living score of 21, putting them in the top three conditions where claimants are most likely to retain this component of PIP. But, as Sir Stephen said above, it would all depend on the outcome of the reassessment when an award is up for review.

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