Will 700,000 pensioners lose out on PIP changes this year?
The government has insisted that close to 700,000 disabled pensioners will not have their personal independence payments (PIP) taken away, despite concerns that thousands of people are at risk of missing out on vital support.
PIP is a benefit that helps disabled people with their living and mobility costs. It currently requires an assessment so that the department for work and pensions (DWP) can see how much help a claimant needs.
But under wide-ranging welfare reforms laid out in March, the government said the number of people claiming PIP had become "unsustainable" and that stricter eligibility rules were needed to cut down the welfare budget.
It is believed approximately 800,000 of the total 3.7 million PIP claimants will either miss out on payments as a result of the new rules, which are expected to come into force in November 2026.
Now, the welfare information and advice service Benefits and Work has questioned whether or not pensioners who claim PIP will have their awards withdrawn.
In a post published on its website on 17 May, it claimed that the DWP is "desperately trying to hide the truth about pension age PIP claims", adding: "Pension age PIP claimants will be subject to the four point rule, no matter how hard the DWP tried to hide that fact".
In a written statement last week, a DWP minister insisted pensioners would "not be affected" by the changes because their claims are not "routinely reviewed", but some campaigners remain concerned that some older people could miss out regardless.
Age UK told Yahoo News that PIP makes up 38% of net income among people aged 60 to 65 and said it was "very worried about the prospect of people losing this vital money".
Here's what has concerned PIP claimants and pensioners — and what the government has said in response.
Generally, new PIP claims are only accepted by the DWP from individuals who are under state pension age, but some pensioners can claim PIP because of specific eligibility rules related to when their claim started.
For example, if someone's claim started when they were below pension age, they can continue to receive it as a pensioner.
Additionally, if someone was eligible for PIP in the year before reaching state pension age but they did not claim, they may still be able to make a new claim.
Individuals over state pension age are not subject to full reassessments but may still undergo 'light touch' reviews. These reviews, typically conducted every 10 years, are less comprehensive and generally involve a short form to confirm that the claimant's condition has not significantly changed.
If you report a change of circumstances, this may trigger a reassessment.
Around 690,000 pensioners are eligible for PIP, according to the DWP's official statistics released in January.
We know that around 12,000 pension age claimants had a "planned award review" in 2024. Planned award reviews happen when a PIP claimant's award period runs out, which is normally after anytime from nine months to 10 years.
In addition, 19,238 pension age PIP claimants had a "change of circumstances" review in 2024, according to the data.
What has concerned campaigners is that when pensioners come up for these reviews, they could be subjected to the new, stricter eligibility rules rolled out in the controversial reforms announced in March.
These new rules can be read in full here and, crucially, include the requirement to score a minimum of four points in one single activity to qualify for support - making it much harder for many claimants to successfully claim support.
Benefits and Work has already urged the government to clarify what the proposals will mean for PIP-claiming pensioners.
It wrote to the DWP, asking two questions:
'Will existing PIP claimants of pension age who are subject to a planned award review from November 2026 be required to score at least four points in one daily living activity in order to maintain their award?'
'Will existing PIP claimants of pension age who request a change of circumstances review from November 2026 be required to score at least four points in one daily living activity in order to maintain or increase their award?'
While disability minister Sir Stephen Timms said pensioners claiming PIP are "not routinely reviewed" and "will not be affected by the proposed changes", questions have still been raised as to whether the group will be exempt.
This is because the Green Paper does not explicitly address this, and while pension age people are 'not routinely fully reviewed', many of them have undergone reviews in the past.
For example, a change of circumstances application can still trigger a full reassessment, potentially putting their entitlement at risk including if they don't meet the new requirement after November 2026.
Timms, in part, addressed this in a response earlier this month.
'All claimants are required to notify the department of any change to their circumstance, be that an improvement or deterioration in their needs."
"Upon notification of a change, a case manager will consider what further action might be required to ensure the claimant is receiving the correct level of support.'
Yahoo News approached the DWP to query the perceived ambiguity and were told: 'In keeping with existing policy, people on state pension age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by these changes."
There's no doubt PIP payments are a lifeline for many older people.
Age UK has warned that many people in their early- and mid-sixties - before they hit pension age - who are struggling financially can suffer a decline in health.
Many of them rely on a disability benefit like PIP to get by, with the charity's own polling revealing four in 10 people aged 55-65 are worried about affording essentials like food.
"For those with long-term conditions or disabilities, working up to state pension age can be difficult, leaving many in a precarious financial position," Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, told Yahoo News.
"The poverty rate for people aged between 60-64 is 22%, one of the highest among all age groups. PIP is an essential key element of income for disabled people in this age group, providing the ability to meet their basic needs.
"Currently PIP makes up 38% of net income among people aged 60 to 65 so we are very worried about the prospect of people losing this vital money," Abrahams added.
*The government is running a consultation to find out what the public think about some of its proposals for PIP. You can submit your thoughts here.
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