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Exact amount PIP payments will rise by for 3.1million households next year – see how much more you’ll get
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MILLIONS of households on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will get a pay rise from next year.
Benefits typically rise each Spring to keep up with the cost of daily essentials such as food, fuel and household bills.
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But not all go up by the same amount, with the state pension rising under the triple lock mechanism.
Others go up in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation for the previous September.
Millions on PIP will see their payments rise by 1.7% from next April, the same figure for inflation in the 12 months to September this year.
Of course, how much your payments will go up by depends on your exact circumstances as there are different parts to PIP.
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Currently, you can get a daily living part, with the lower weekly rate worth £72.65 and the higher weekly rate worth £108.55.
There is also a mobility part, with the lower weekly rate worth £28.70 and the higher weekly rate worth £75.75.
From next April, the daily living part will go up to a lower weekly rate of £73.89 and a higher weekly rate of £110.40.
Meanwhile, the mobility part will rise to a lower weekly rate of £29.19 or £77.04 for the higher weekly rate.
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You can receive both parts of PIP which means the maximum amount receivable from next April will increase from £184.30 to £187.44.
What is PIP?
PIP is a tax-free Government benefit designed to help cover the extra cost of living if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability or struggle with everyday tasks.
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You can still get PIP even if you're working, have savings or are receiving other benefits.
The two parts to PIP are paid to you based on your exact circumstances.
The daily living part is paid to you if you need help with everyday tasks, like these:
- preparing food
- eating and drinking
- managing your medicines or treatments
- washing and bathing
- using the toilet
- dressing and undressing
- reading
- managing your money
- socialising and being around other people
- talking, listening and understanding
The mobility part is paid to you if you need help getting around.
For example, if you need help deciphering a route and following it, physically moving around, or leaving your home.
You don't necessarily have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part, and can be eligible if you have a mental health condition like anxiety.
Whether you will get the lower or upper weekly rates for either the daily living or mobility parts depends on how much your physical or mental health condition affects your life.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) assesses how difficult you find carrying out daily living and mobility tasks.
The Government department sets up a conversation with a health professional who will carry out the assessment.
Who is eligible?
You can apply for PIP if you're 16 or older and expect any physical or mental health issues to continue for at least 12 months.
If you've not ever received PIP, you must also be under the state pension age, currently 66, to qualify.
However, if you are over state pension age, you can make a new claim for PIP if you were eligible for it in the year prior to reaching state pension age and have claimed the benefit before.
In most cases, you will need to have lived in England, Scotland or Wales for least two of the last three years to be eligible for PIP.
So, if you have returned from living abroad in the last 12 months you likely won't qualify, unless you were living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein in which case you might be eligible.
How to claim
If you live in England or Wales you can apply for PIP via the new claims phone line on 0800 917 2222.
You will then be sent a form that asks you to give further details on your condition.
Once this has been completed and returned, to the address written on the form, you may need to have an assessment.
You can also apply online via gov.uk.
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The application process is different if you live in Northern Ireland. You can find out more via www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/personal-independence-payment-pip.
If you live in Scotland, you have to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead via www.mygov.scot/adult-disability-payment.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity works out what you could get.
Entitledto's determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data.
You can use to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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