PIP claim guidance to get full payment of £691 a month

People looking to file an application to claim PIP (Personal Independence Payment) have been encouraged to make sure they include as much detail as possible.

The benefit provides payments intended to help towards the extra costs a person has living with a long-term health condition or illness.

To be eligible, the condition must affect them in their daily life or in their ability to get around as there is a component for each of these categories.

A person must also expect their condition to affect them for at least a year from when it began to impact their life.

People on the benefit can get a maximum of £172.75 a week which is worth £691 each payment period, as the benefit is paid every four weeks.

These are the current rates for PIP:

Daily living component

  • Standard rate – £68.10 a week (up from £61.85)
  • Enhanced rate – £101.75 a week (up from £92.40).

Mobility component

  • Standard rate – £26.90 a week (up from £24.45)
  • Enhanced rate – £71 a week (up from £64.50).

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A person will receive the lower or higher rate for each component depending on the level of support they need, so it’s important for people to explain this in detail in their application.

PIP has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland, which is administered by Social Security Scotland. The same eligibility criteria and payment rates apply.

In the PIP 2 evidence form, or in part of the ADP application, the applicant is asked to describe how their condition affects their ability to carry out several daily tasks.

A person’s responses will help determine what level of award they will get. But there are other things a person can do to improve their chances of getting the highest payment.

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People are advised to keep a diary or to take regular notes of how their condition affects their everyday life.

This includes tasks such as cooking, washing and dressing, or the ability to travel somewhere.

The reason for this is because of how long it takes to process an application, by the time a person is contacted for an assessment to determine what level of support they need, they may struggle to provide specific examples of how their condition affects them.

It currently takes on average 14 weeks for a PIP application to be processed and 79 working days, or 15 weeks, for ADP applications.

Those considering making a new claim may want to keep a diary or note too before filling in the forms, so they have examples to hand when filling in the application.

A person can make their notes on their phone or on a computer, tablet, or in a notebook or an actual diary, or on sheets of paper.

Good details to include are what times of day the condition affects a person, and how it affects them physically or mentally.

It’s also good to note if the person needs help from someone else as a result of their condition or if they ever need medical assistance.

People who are impacted in these daily tasks by a condition may want to consider applying for PIP or ADP:

  • Preparing, cooking or eating food
  • Managing medication
  • Washing, bathing or using the toilet
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Engaging and communicating with other people
  • Reading and understanding written information
  • Making decisions about money
  • Planning a journey or following a route
  • Moving around.

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