Some 2.9 million people in the UK claim Pip - the personal independence payment. Pip is a form of benefit designed for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, and it can get you up to £152.15 per week from the Department for Work and Pensions.
New statistics published by the DWP show the numbers of people claiming the benefit alongside their primary reason for claiming. Psychiatric disorders are the most common cause of a claim, with over 1 million claimants citing them.
Nearly 590,000 people claim for general musculoskeletal disorders, and 345,000 for regional musculoskeletal disorders. Around 375,000 people claim for neurological disease.
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Respiratory disease is the only other disorder type that has over 100,000 claimants, with 128,000 claiming for that reason. The full list of 20 disorder types for which people claim Pip below.
What disorders do people claim Pip for?
Psychiatric disorders - 1,045,934 claimants
Musculoskeletal disease (general) - 587,717
Neurological disease - 376,658
Musculoskeletal disease (regional) - 345,830
Respiratory disease - 128,402
Malignant disease - 86,217
Cardiovascular disease - 72,968
Visual disease - 53,736
Endocrine disease - 39,720
Hearing disorders - 30,826
Gastrointestinal disease - 24,355
Genitourinary disease - 21,085
Skin disease - 19,066
Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders) - 16,269
Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract - 10,005
Infectious disease - 6,654
Haematological disease - 6,522
Unknown or missing - 5,411
Metabolic disease - 4,333
Multisystem and extremes of age - 1,025
Diseases of the immune system - 909
How much is Pip worth?
Pip is divided into two segments - daily living and mobility - each of which has two award levels depending on how much your condition affects your day-to-day life.
|
Lower weekly rate |
Higher weekly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily living part | £60.00 | £89.60 |
| Mobility part | £23.70 | £62.55 |
Pip is tax-free. Your income and savings do not affect how much you'll get.
Who is eligible, and how is it assessed?
Anyone trying to claim Pip will be invited to fill out a form that asks how their condition(s) affect their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks such as dressing, cooking, eating, washing, and moving around. Some people are then interviewed by a health professional, who will then inform the DWP of their assessment; the DWP then decides whether to award you Pip, and which portions of it.
You must be aged 16 or over, and the condition must be expected to last for at least 12 months from when they started. In most cases, you need to have lived in Britain for at least two of the last three years.
