The DWP is paying millions of Brits with specific medical conditions up to £172 extra a week, even if they are still able to work. Some three million people across the UK receive Personal Independent Payments, which is given to those with long-term mental or physical health issues or disabilities.
You can be eligible for PIP If you are above the age of 16 and have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks. It is not a means-tested benefit, meaning you can receive it even if you're still working or have savings and the amount you are awarded depends solely on how your condition affects you as an individual.
From April 2023, these amounts will rise by 10.1%, too, in line with the uprating of state benefits, Manchester Evening News reports. There are standard and enhanced rates for both the daily and mobility aspects of the benefit, with the lowest amount coming to £24.45 a week for standard mobility, increasing to £26.90 from April, and the highest amounts to £156.90 a week for both enhanced rates combined, rising to £172.75 a week from next month.
Read more: DWP: Extra £650 Cost of Living payment for PIP claimants under new plan
The DWP has said that some 35 per cent of people on PIP receive the highest level of payment, Birmingham Live reports. With all this in mind, as well as the fact that PIP is paid into accounts every four weeks, the maximum sum rises from £627.60 to £691 a month, which equates to around £8,158 a year, rising to around £8,931 a year, after April 2023.
What's more, those on PIP will automatically qualify for the new Universal Credit 'health element' announced in the Chancellor's Budget recently. This top-up will replace Universal Credit's existing Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) amount, which currently pays out £354.28 in addition to the standard allowance, which will rise to £390.06 from April 2023.
These reforms would come in by 2026 at the earliest. Below is a list of the top 50 medical conditions receiving PIP...
Top 50 medical conditions getting PIP
- Anxiety and depressive disorders (mixed)
- Learning disability
- Primary generalised Osteoarthritis
- Back pain
- Autism
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Schizophrenia
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) chronic bronchitis/emphysema
- Multiple sclerosis
- Depressive disorder
- Bipolar affective disorder (Hypomania / Mania)
- Personality disorder
- Seizures
- ADHD / ADD
- Neurological disorders
- Back pain - Non specific (mechanical)
- Asperger syndrome
- Cerebral palsy
- Vision diseases
- Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Osteoarthritis of Knee
- Asthma
- Psychotic disorders
- Down's syndrome
- Regional/localised Musculoskeletal disease
- Generalised musculoskeletal disease
- Generalised seizures (with status epilepticus in last 12 months)
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Anxiety disorders
- Knee disorders
- Breast cancer
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
- Osteoarthritis of other single joint
- Head injury - Cognitive and sensorimotor impairment
- Lumbar disc lesion
- Specific learning disorder
- Genetic disorders dysplasias and malformations
- Cardiovascular disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Spine Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation
- Dementia
- Hip disorders
- Lower limb Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation
- Amputation of Lower limb(s)
- Chronic Pain syndromes
- Ankle and foot disorders
- Multiple Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation
How to claim PIP
You can start a claim by calling the PIP 'new claims' line on 0800 917 2222 between the hours of 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Make sure you have the following information to hand, as you'll need it to apply:
- Contact details (such as your telephone number)
- Date of Birth
- National Insurance Number
- Bank or building society account number and sort code
- Your doctor or health worker's details
- Dates and addresses for any time spent in a care home or hospital
- Dates and locations of any time you spent abroad for more than four weeks at a time
A form is then sent out to you, which you must fill in and return within a month and you may be invited to an assessment. You can find out more on the Gov.uk website here.
Read next:
- DWP cost of living payment schedule for 2023/24 and eligibility rules
- DWP: New payment rates for Universal Credit, Child Benefit, PIP and more from next month
- Full DWP £1,350 cost of living payments - who is eligible and when they arrive
- DWP cost of living payments: 8 million families to receive first £301 this spring
- DWP list of 21 health conditions that PIP claimants could get up to £4,800 for
