The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) could stop your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – and could even take you to court – if you do not report these changes.
PIP is a disability benefit and it is paid to people with long-term mental or physical health problems or disabilities. The aim of the benefit is to help with the extra costs of having a health condition or disability. The amount of benefit you receive depends on how your condition affects you – not the condition itself. PIP is not a means-tested benefit – so you can claim it even if you are working and have savings.
This means you do not need to tell the DWP about changes in your employment status – however, there are certain changes which will need to be reported.
The DWP warn claimants on the PIP guidance page on Gov.uk saying: “You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.”
To help claimants, the DWP has listed all the changes you need to report, these include:
Citizens Advice says if you are not sure whether a change may impact your claim, then it is worth telling the DWP anyway.
You can report changes to your PIP claim s in several different ways. You can call the DWP using the PIP helpline for free on 0800 121 4433. This line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
You can also write to the DWP to report the change. This correct address will be on your PIP letters. You can also call the PIP helpline and ask for the correct address to send your report.
Citizens Advice says you should try and keep a written record of when you report the changes just in case the DWP disagrees that a change has been reported. If you report the change by phone, make a note of what you said and when you called. If you write to report the change, keep a copy of the letter.
When talking about PIP, you cannot fail to mention the changes proposed by the Labour government last month. The Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced that the government was looking to tighten the eligibility criteria for the benefit and review the assessment process.
To have a successful claim for PIP, you normally need to undertake an assessment which is used to determine what tasks you are struggling with and how your condition impacts your day-to-day life. This is completed using a points system.
You currently need between eight and 11 points to get the standard daily living or mobility part of PIP across all the sections. You get the higher rate if you score 12 points or more. However, under changes, you will need a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living part of PIP from November 2026.
This means that claimants will need to show greater difficulty when completing some tasks, such as washing, eating and getting dressed, to be eligible to claim PIP. Whilst they won’t affect those who currently have an entitlement, it will affect people when it comes to reapplying or being reassessed after the new rules come into force. The assessment for the PIP mobility component is not changing.
Citizens Advice says those who would be eligible for PIP, but are not currently claiming right now , should put in a claim and not be put off by the upcoming changes. The website says: “On 18 March 2025, the government announced changes to the rules for claiming PIP. These changes mean fewer people will get PIP. Changes to PIP will not happen in 2025. If you’re thinking of applying for PIP, you should. You’re more likely to get PIP if you apply before the rules change.”
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