Benefit claimants likely to keep daily living payments after major reforms
The DWP has analysed Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who did not score four points in at least one daily living activity in 18 of the most common disabling conditions
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has signalled that next year's proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will deliver essential financial aid to two sets of beneficiaries. Social Security and Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms commented that PIP is being honed to cater for "those with the greatest needs, who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them".
But, he pointed out, a shake-up of eligibility criteria in November – necessitating claimants to notch four points in any one of the ten daily living activities for PIP qualification – will see "people with lower needs" missing out on monthly sums of either £295.60 or £441.60.
Sir Stephen Timms made these observations in a written reply to Labour MP Noah Law, who queried whether the DWP had evaluated the potential advantages of allowing individuals to maintain their PIP entitlement even if they accrue points across various activities but fail to reach four points in a single activity.
In his response, Sir Stephen said: "PIP is an important, non-means tested benefit for disabled people and people with health conditions - regardless of whether they are in or out of work."
Sir Stephen said: "However, the rate of increases in claims and expenditure is not sustainable and has outstripped the growth in disability prevalence. Changes are needed that will control the spend on the welfare bill, while continuing to support those people with higher needs relating to their long-term health condition or disability."
He added: "In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we will introduce a new eligibility requirement to ensure that only those who score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity will be eligible for the daily living component of PIP. This requirement will need to be met in addition to the existing PIP eligibility criteria.
"This will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them. This means that people who have lower needs only in the daily living activities (scoring three or less for each activity) will no longer be eligible for the daily living component of PIP.
"Our intention is that this change will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval."
According to the DWP's estimates, the proposed eligibility rule changes to the daily living component of PIP will result in approximately 370,000 existing claimants losing their entitlement when their award is reviewed during the 2029/30 financial year.
The impact assessment, released in March, also forecasts that 430,000 future PIP claimants will not be eligible for the disability benefit once the reforms are implemented, with an average annual loss of £4,500 each, reports the Daily Record.
The DWP has now carried out an analysis of PIP claimants who did not score four points in at least one daily living activity in 18 of the most prevalent disabling conditions. These conditions were selected as they constitute the largest proportions of PIP caseloads.
DWP analysis of current daily living awards
DWP notes on the analysis state that the health condition category is based on primary health condition as recorded on the PIP Computer System at time of latest assessment. Many claimants have multiple health conditions but only primary condition is available for analysis.
The list below shows PIP health conditions, the number of comments in receipt of PIP daily living component and the number of claimants awarded less than four points in all daily living activities at the end of January 2025.
Back Pain - 194,000 claimants, 154,000 (79%) scored less than 4 points
Arthritis - 279,000 claimants, 13,000 (6%) scored less than 4 points
Other Regional Musculoskeletal Diseases - 136,000 claimants, 97,000 (71%) scored less than 4 points
Chronic Pain Syndromes - 173,00 claimants, 97,000 (71%) scored less than 4 points
Cardiovascular Diseases - 61,000 claimants, 38,000 (62%) scored less than 4 points
Respiratory Diseases - 83,000 claimants, 45,000 (55%) scored less than 4 points
Multiple Sclerosis and Neuropathic Diseases - 80,000 claimants, 38,000 (48%) scored less than 4 points
All Other Conditions - 272,000 claimants, 126,000 (46%) scored less than 4 points
Other Neurological Diseases - 97,000 claimants,35,000 (36%) scored less than 4 points
Cerebrovascular Diseases - 56,000 claimants, 19,000 (34%) scored less than 4 points
Cancer - 70,000 claimants, 23,000 (33%) scored less than 4 points
Epilepsy - 36,000 claimants, 11,000 (30%) scored less than 4 points
Other Psychiatric Disorders - 90,000 claimants, 25,000 (28%) scored less than 4 points
Cerebral Palsy and Neurological Muscular Diseases - 47,000 claimants, 11,000 (24%) scored less than 4 points
Psychotic Disorders - 112,000 claimants, 26,000 (23%) scored less than 4 points
ADHD / ADD - 75,000 claimants, 14,000 (19%) scored less than 4 points
Autistic Spectrum Disorders - 206,000 claimants, 13,000 (6%) scored less than 4 points
Learning Disabilities - 188,000claimants, 7,000 (3%) scored less than 4 points
Other disabling condition groups which cover smaller proportions of the PIP caseload are covered in the 'Other Conditions' category.
This includes:
Visual Diseases
Other General Musculoskeletal Diseases
Endocrine Diseases
Hearing Disorders
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Genitourinary Diseases
Skin Diseases
Autoimmune Diseases (Connective Tissue Disorders)
Infectious Diseases
Diseases of the Liver, Gallbladder or Biliary Tract
Haematological Diseases
Metabolic Diseases
Multisystem and Extremes of Age
Diseases of the Immune System
Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety disorders - Other / type not known
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Stress reaction disorders - Other / type not known
Generalised anxiety disorder
Phobia - Specific
Phobia - Social
Agoraphobia
Panic disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Anxiety and depressive disorders - mixed
Conversion disorder (hysteria)
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
Dissociative disorders - Other / type not known
Somatoform disorders - Other / type not known
Depressive disorder
Bipolar affective disorder (Hypomania / Mania)
Mood disorders - Other / type not known
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
Points and payment rates
After answering all the daily living activity questions:
If you get between 8 and 11 points in total - you will be awarded the standard rate of PIP
If you get at least 12 points in total - you will be awarded the enhanced rate of PIP
After answering all the mobility activity questions:
If you get between 8 and 11 points in total - you will be awarded the standard rate of PIP
If you get at least 12 points in total - you will be awarded the enhanced rate of PIP
The latest DWP figures show that at the end of January there were 3.7 million PIP claimants across Great Britain.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has previously said more than 1,000 PIP claims are being awarded per day, making the argument for welfare reforms to ensure the system is sustainable for the future.
The proposed changes will come into force in November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.
Reforms also include increasing the number of face-to-face assessments. At present, most are being conducted remotely over the phone, by video call, or paper-based.
However, there will be no freeze on PIP payments, which will continue to be non-means-tested, and rise in-line with the September inflation rate.
There will be no changes to the mobility component.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
Heat gets to MPs' heads as they daydream about ousting Keir Starmer
IT feels increasingly like people are not as switched on in Westminster this weather as perhaps they should be. It may be the heat. My office has the keen disadvantage of catching the sun just as it begins its westward descent towards the end of the day. It could not get hotter unless we had a sunroof installed to catch the midday rays. Has it gone to everyone's heads? Commentators who usually complain about the snail pace of legislation have turned to bemoaning how two major pieces of social change enacted in Westminster this week – the decriminalisation of abortion and the passage of the assisted suicide bill – were rushed. This is not a comment on the merits of either topic, merely a reaffirmation of the veracity of the truism: 'You can't please all the people all the time.' Someone who is finding it difficult to please anyone any of the time is Keir Starmer. His buddy Donald Trump (above) seemed to tire quickly of the Prime Minister's company at the G7 summit this week, leaving abruptly with ominous threats that he could bomb Iran at any moment. Starmer is busy pleading for de-escalation, meanwhile arranging the evacuation of British citizens from Tel Aviv – giving the distinct impression the PM rates peace's chances none too highly. READ MORE: Lisa Nandy 'either dishonest or ignorant' after benefits cuts claim On the home front, he hardly fares better. Vicky Foxcroft whipped her last this week when she dramatically quit on Thursday night, saying she could not back benefits cuts. Department for Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall (below) says that the cuts, expected to save £5 billion, would save the benefits system – worth a cool £326bn, all told – from collapse. Square those sums, if you can. Labour MPs for the most part seem fairly sanguine with the prospect of their official forecast that 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will be plunged into poverty by the changes. Some have grown a spine, or were lucky enough to have been born with one, and have criticised the cuts. Over them hangs the threat of being 'blacklisted' for government jobs in the future. So much for the 'biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation'. One MP, far from a fan of the Prime Minister, told me this week that they reckon Starmer's time will come – and soon. There are murmurs – falling short of outright chatter – about who would replace Starmer when the men in red ties come for him. But that's getting ahead of ourselves, if you care for my opinion. Does this limp crop of Labour MPs even have it in them to do the necessary scheming to plot an insurgency? Say what you want about the Tories but at least they had a taste for cloaks and daggers. Starmer's lot seem more like they'd be pushing for parental guidance for reporting on tales of political skulduggery. I think Starmer's high noon is still a long way off. You can get the Worst of Westminster delivered straight to your email inbox every Friday at 6pm for FREE by clicking here.
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
Lisa Nandy 'either dishonest or ignorant' after benefits cuts claim
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast that her constituents feared 'coming off PIP and into work' because they worried about losing access to Personal Independence Payments if employment did not work out for them. But critics have pointed out that PIP is not related to a person's employment status, suggesting that she was either not across the detail of the benefits system or was attempting to 'deliberately mislead' the public. READ MORE: BBC issues correction after Debate Night 'bias' on eve of by-election PIP is given to people to help with the added costs of living with a disability and claimants do not have to update the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of changes in their employment status. Interviewed about the cuts – which are expected to push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children into poverty – Nandy said: 'Lots of my constituents worry about coming off PIP and into work because it's so […] hard to go through a reassessment process, very gruelling process, in order to get back onto it. 'So one of the reforms that we're introducing is that you can try work, without risking losing your benefits and go back onto PIP if it doesn't work out without any kind of reassessment.' Lisa Nandy is either lying or has grossly misunderstood what her constitutents are saying here. PIP is NOT an out-of-work benefits. 1 in 5 people on PIP are in work. Noone on PIP WOULD EVER say this. Full stop. I will be complaining to the PCC. — Dr Jay Watts (@Shrink_at_Large) June 20, 2025 Kirsty Blackman, the SNP's DWP spokesperson, told The National: 'There are only two explanations here - either a Labour Cabinet member is wholly ignorant of the current system and the cuts to disability her government is planning or Lisa Nandy is in fact trying to deliberately mislead the public on the consequences of Keir Starmer's cuts. 'Either way it is evidence of just how desperate and detached the Labour Party has become and either way it won't wash with the public who can see these cruel cuts for what they are - an attack on the day to day lives of disabled people.' The cuts, which are expected to save around £5 billion from the £326bn total cost of the social security system, are expected to result in a substantial rebellion from Labour MPs when they go to a vote early next month. READ MORE: Do you get a free car because you are disabled? The Motability Scheme explained Government whip Vicky Foxcroft quit on Thursday evening saying she was not prepared to persuade others to vote for them – or back them herself. Others in Government are reportedly on resignation watch. Blackman added: 'With even Labour's own whips resigning because they won't vote to make disabled people poorer, the real question is if Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour MPs are going to stay true to form and support their Prime Minister no matter the cost.' (Image: PA) Greens MSP Maggie Chapman (above) said: 'Labour MPs need to be able to explain to constituents what different benefits actually are. Lisa Nandy should know that PIP is not an out of work benefit - the clue is in the name. So, either she is being extremely dishonest, or she doesn't understand the basics of what PIP is. 'People rely on PIP to get by in their day to day lives – to help with essentials like getting washed and dressed, managing medicines, eating and drinking, and mobility. Labour wants to cut that support for 1.3 million people, throwing lives into turmoil and pushing many into poverty.' The proposed cuts include making it harder to claim PIP, in a bid to stop an estimated 400,000 people from claiming, while around 800,000 new claimants will get lower incapacity top-ups of £50 per week, down from the present £97 per week. Labour were approached for comment.
South Wales Guardian
11 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Minister insists no major welfare rebellion on the horizon after whip quits
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Vicky Foxcroft was the only frontbencher who had spoken to her about resigning. MPs must 'look to their conscience' when deciding how to vote, Ms Nandy said, but added the Government believes the Commons will back the reforms. Lewisham North MP Ms Foxcroft said she understood 'the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill' but did not believe the proposed cuts 'should be part of the solution', in her resignation letter to the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over proposals to reform the welfare system, which are expected to save up to £5 billion a year. Ms Nandy said a 'handful' of backbench MPs had expressed concerns to her about the 'detail' of the Bill, but added she was confident the Government had listened and the package of reforms was 'absolutely right'. 'It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren't concerns and there aren't dissenting voices, of course there are. But Vicky is the only frontbencher that I've had a conversation with about resigning,' she told BBC Breakfast. She told Times Radio that Ms Foxcroft 'did the honourable thing' by standing down. 'If you can't stick with collective responsibility in Government, you have to resign. 'She's done the honourable thing. It will enable her to have a voice, and she – as the former shadow disabilities minister – is very keen to use it. 'But I think most Labour MPs, including her, agree with the principle of the reforms that we're making.' She added: 'It's now up to every MP, as it always is at moments of major reform, to look to their conscience and vote the way that they believe is right. 'And we believe this package of reforms are right and will carry the confidence of the House.' Ms Foxcroft is the second Labour frontbencher to go in protest over policy issues after Anneliese Dodds quit as development minister over cuts to the aid budget. Rebel Labour MPs welcomed Ms Foxcroft's decision, with Hartlepool's Jonathan Brash saying he had the 'utmost respect' for her 'principled stand' and Crewe and Nantwich's Connor Naismith saying it 'must have been an incredibly difficult decision but she should be commended for standing by her principles'. She said she had wrestled with whether to resign or remain in the Government and 'fight from within'. 'Sadly it… now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see. 'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances.' Legislation introduced into Parliament on Wednesday includes a tightening of the criteria for the main disability payment in England, the personal independence payment (Pip). Ministers also want to cut the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC), and delay access to it so only those aged 22 and over can claim it. The package of reforms is aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work, but dozens of Labour rebels said last month that the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Pip is aimed at helping with extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition. Data published on Tuesday showed 3.7 million people in England and Wales claimed Pip, up from 2.05 million in 2019, with teenagers and young adults making up a growing proportion of claimants. Around 800,000 people are set to lose out on the benefit under the Government's proposals, according to an impact assessment published alongside Wednesday's legislation. The assessment also confirmed a previous estimate that 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, are likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30, although the Government repeated this does not take into account the potentially positive impact of £1 billion annual funding by then for measures to support people into work. Ms Foxcroft received hugs and other gestures of support from her Labour backbench colleagues as she appeared in the Commons on Friday as MPs took part in votes on the assisted dying Bill. Several colleagues approached her, offering warm words, hugs, an arm on the shoulder or a pat on the back. Responding to her resignation, a Government spokesperson said: 'This Labour Government was elected to deliver change. The broken welfare system we inherited is failing the sick and most vulnerable and holding too many young people back. It is fair and responsible to fix it. 'Our principled reforms will ensure those who can work should, that those who want to work are properly supported, and that those with most severe disabilities and health conditions are protected.'
