Linda Howard
·5-min read
The recent welfare reforms announcement from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has left many people on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) worried about the future of their payments. If the proposals are put into legislation, they will come into force in November 2026.
PIP payments will not be frozen and will continue to rise each year in-line with the September inflation rate, however, assessments will change and the eligibility criteria is set to get tougher. To qualify for the daily living component of PIP, you will need to score at least four points in one of the 10 questions - and at least another four across the rest - to qualify for the standard rate.
To help people who may be a bit confused by the proposed change, the team of benefits experts at the independent forum Benefits and Work, have tweaked their online ‘PIP test’ to incorporate the proposed scoring system. This will help people find out whether they would qualify for the daily living component before the planned changes are implemented.
READ MORE: People on PIP most-likely to get ongoing ‘light touch’ payment award of up to £737
READ MORE: How to protect your PIP payments from DWP changes due to be introduced next year
Benefits and Work said: “We know from comments and emails that a lot of people are confused about how Labour’s proposed new PIP scoring system works. So we’ve created an online test to allow you to try the scoring system for yourself.
“You can try the test as many times as you want either anonymously or, if you prefer, provide your email address and get the results sent to your inbox as well as appearing onscreen.”
It’s important to be aware the proposed changes will not be applied to the mobility component, it will remain the same.
There are 10 questions on the daily living part of the PIP 2 evidence form. Each of the questions has a list of responses, known as descriptors, whichever descriptor you choose is awarded points.
To qualify for the daily living component, you need at least eight points for the standard rate and 12 or more for the enhanced rate.
But you would need to get a score of at least four in one of those questions to qualify.
Benefits and Work explained: “If you select 4 descriptors scoring two points each, that will be 8 points but it will not qualify for an award.
“But if you select one descriptor scoring 4 points and two descriptors scoring 2 points, that will be 8 points and you will qualify for an award.”
You can take the new ‘PIP test’ online here.
The latest figures from the DWP show at the end of January nearly 3.7 million people were in claim for PIP and receiving between £114.8 and £737.20 every four weeks.
Daily living component for PIP
You might get the daily living component of PIP if you need help with:
eating, drinking or preparing food
washing, bathing, using the toilet, managing incontinence
dressing and undressing
talking, listening, reading and understanding
managing your medicines or treatments
making decisions about money
mixing with other people
How difficulty with tasks is assessed
The DWP will assess how difficult you find daily living and mobility tasks.
For each task, the DWP will look at:
whether you can do it safely
how long it takes you
how often your condition affects this activity
whether you need help to do it, from a person or using extra equipment
The descriptors
Your ability to carry out each activity is measured against a list of standard statements describing what you can or cannot do.
These are known as the descriptors. The health professional will advise the DWP which descriptor applies to you for each activity.
The Citizen’s Advice website has a whole section dedicated to this along with a downloadable guide to all the points awarded for each response - you can view this here. An example they use is there are six descriptors for ‘Dressing and undressing’, ranging from ‘Can dress and undress unaided’ to ‘Cannot dress or undress at all’.
Each descriptor carries a points score ranging from 0 to 12.
Using aids or appliances
Your ability to carry out the daily living activities and the mobility activities will be assessed as if you were wearing or using any aids or appliances it would be reasonable for you to use.
This applies whether or not you normally use those aids or appliances. However, if you use or need aids and appliances, this can help you to score more points - find out more here.
Citizens Advice explains: “An aid is any item which improves, provides or replaces impaired physical or mental function. It doesn’t have to be specially designed as a disability aid. Examples include a stool you need to sit on when cooking, or a walking stick to help you stand.”
Daily living scores
Citizens Advice explains to get the daily living component of PIP, you must have a physical or mental condition that limits your ability to carry out some or all of the activities below.
The maximum amount of PIP points that can be awarded for that question are shown.
Daily living activity:
Preparing food - 8
Taking medication - 10
Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition - 8
Washing and bathing - 8
Managing toilet needs or incontinence - 8
Dressing and undressing - 8
Communicating verbally - 12
Reading and understanding symbols and words - 8
Engaging with other people face to face - 8
Making budgeting decisions - 6
PIP payment rates
A successful claim for PIP is currently worth between £28.70 and £184.30 each week in additional financial support. As the benefit is paid every four weeks, this amounts to between £114.80 and £737.20 every payment period.
You will be paid the following amounts per week, depending on your award level:
Daily Living Component
Enhanced: £108.55 (rising to £110.40 in April)
Standard: £72.65 (rising to £73.90 in April)
Mobility Component
Enhanced: £75.75 (rising to £77.05 in April)
Standard: £28.70 (rising to £29.20 in April)
Find out more about PIP on GOV.UK here.
