PIP assessment rule changes: everything you need to know

PIP stands for Personal Independence Payment, and is a way for people aged between 16 and state pension with disabilities to get extra financial support. People under the age of 16 can make a claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and people over state pension age can apply for Attendance Allowance (AA). PIP, DLA and AA are all non means-tested, and people can receive PIP whether they’re in work or not. PIP comes in two parts:

• The daily living component - if you need help with everyday tasks, such as washing, cooking, socialising and managing your money.

• The mobility component — if you need help getting around, such as leaving your home and following a planned route. Some people may be eligible for the Motability scheme if they qualify for this part of PIP, to help them buy or lease a car.

There have been announcements in recent weeks and during the 2025 Spring Statement that some elements of PIP will be changing, with an aim to focus on ​‘supporting those with the highest needs through changes to PIP entitlement rules’ according to the Department for Work & Pensions. The proposed changes to PIP are only focused on the daily living part.

Part of the recent PIP announcements include changes to the assessment criteria. There are several activities which are assessed which you can get different numbers of points for. Currently, you have to reach a certain threshold of overall points.

People who are applying for the first time or renewing their PIP will need to score at least four or more points in at least one of the categories in the PIP daily living section. This means that if someone scores 3 or less in all of the activity categories, they’ll no longer be eligible. 

For people on low incomes or are unable to work, Universal Credit helps with living costs. Some people receive an extra amount if their disability or health condition impacts their work, also called the health element of Universal Credit.

There will be some new changes to this. For people already receiving the Universal Credit health element, this payment will remain frozen until 2029–30. For new claimants, the health element will be reduced to £50 per week from 2026–27 and then frozen until 2029–30.

Currently, you switch to PIP at 16, however the proposal is to increase this to 18. 

Additionally, for young people with disabilities, there will be a change to when they can qualify for the health-related part of Universal Credit, as the proposal is they wouldn’t be able to get this until they are 22.

The Work Capability Assessment will be removed in 2028, which is used to see if people are able to work for Universal Credit. Instead, there will only be one health and disability functional assessment. This will be a single assessment focused on the daily living part of the disability, and not whether someone has capacity to work.

For those who do get the health element of Universal Credit, there’ll be an extra premium for people who have severe disabilities, however we don’t know how this extra support will look yet or how it will be related to PIP and the PIP assessment.

If you’re already claiming PIP, these changes won’t impact you until your PIP is due for renewal or if you’re applying for the first time. These changes will make it harder for people to claim PIP. 

For lots of young people with disabilities aged between 18 and 21, a lack of access to PIP could mean losing all health-related financial help. This age group of young people with disabilities on Universal Credit will likely have to find work until they’re aged 22, which can cause further strain, pressure and anxiety. 

The future changes to PIP will also impact people currently receiving the carers’ entitlement of Universal Credit and Carer’s Allowance, as over half of those awards are linked to PIP. Approximately 150,000 carers are set to lose financial support worth over £4,000 annually.

The Government said that changes to PIP assessments of scoring four points in one activity will take place from 2026–27.

A consultation will be taking place until June 2025, and the Government are keen to hear from people with disabilities. If you’re from England, Wales or Scotland and want to voice your thoughts, learn more and leave your feedback here.

Like we mentioned earlier, PIP is split into two parts, and what you’ll receive (usually every four weeks) is based on how difficult you find it to either do daily tasks (the daily living component) or get around (the mobility component).

Stewart McCulloch, Chief Executive Officer at Christians Against Poverty (CAP), said:

‘The Chancellor claimed in the Spring Statement that the Government was supporting the most vulnerable, but we’re concerned some of their actions to cut the welfare bill will push more people with vulnerabilities into deeper poverty and debt. We acknowledge the financial pressures the Government is under, but at CAP, we are meeting face to face with families on low incomes who’re facing enormous personal financial pressure. 

We welcome efforts to help people back into work and the planned increase to the basic rate of Universal Credit but we are deeply concerned about the Government’s decision to freeze the Universal Credit (UC) health element for existing claimants and reduce it to £50 per week and then freeze it for new claimants until 2030. Add in making personal independence payment eligibility stricter, and over time, this will strip away thousands of pounds from those already struggling with health conditions or disabilities.’

Understandably, many people will be worried about the changes to PIP right now, but we want to make sure you get the support you need. If you’re looking for more information about PIP, you can find it at gov.uk. If you’re looking for financial and emotional support, here are some useful links: