People claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) have reported that there has been a delay in receiving their money. PIP is a government benefit that can help with extra living costs for people with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and who have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition.
The payment is paid every four weeks. However, following a question tweeted by MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis to his social media users, many people, who were expecting to be paid on Monday, December 5, said they hadn't received the money on time.
Martin asked followers whether those who get PIP had received their payments. According to the website, more than 40% of those responding to the question, and who said they were expecting it, said the money had not arrived.
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Martin posed the question on Twitter on Monday, December 5, after learning about reported delays. He asked: "Quick poll: Do you get PIP (personal independence payments)? If so has it been delayed. I've had quite a few reports and want to see how widespread it is..."
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) told MSE on Monday that all outstanding payments would be paid by the end of the day, and confirmed that all payments had now been processed.
A DWP spokesperson said: "We are aware that some PIP claimants who were due a payment on 5 December have not received it. While this impacts a small proportion of PIP claimants, we are sorry for the disruption this will have caused."
The consumer champion posed a second question on the topic to Twitter followers today (Tuesday, December 6) asking: "Has your late PIP now been paid? The @DWP is telling us payments are now up to date. Is that true in your experience... ". The poll, at the time of writing, still has an hour to run.
According to MSE, DWP declined to respond when asked the question what had caused the delay or whether people would be compensated if they had incurred late payment fees.
Callers to the DWP's phone line received an automated message yesterday advising them that the issue was being "urgently investigating". The message advised those who hadn't received their money to call back on Tuesday December 6, using the phone number 0800 121 4433.
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