DWP PIP payment rules and how to work out when money will go into your account (2024)

If you are making a claim for Personal Independence Payments but are unsure of when exactly you will receive the cash, this guide may help.

PIP is designed to help with extra living costs if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and find it difficult to carry out everyday tasks or move around. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says the latest figures show there were 220,000 applications for PIP during the quarter ending July 2023.

That's more than 70,000 people putting in a claim every month and is the highest number since PIP was first introduced in 2013 as the eventual replacement for Disability Living Allowance. In order to get PIP, claimants have to satisfy a 'qualifying period of three months', meaning they must have had their condition for at least that long before their application, and a 'prospective test of nine months', meaning they expect it to continue for at least that length of time.

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These two timeframes are referred to as the 'required period condition' and are used to help the DWP establish that a health condition or disability is likely to be long-term, reports Birmingham Live. Below are more details of how the benefit is paid and what the payment dates are.

How PIP is paid

People putting in a claim must fill in a form detailing how their condition affects them and are then usually given an assessment which can be carried out by phone, video call, or in person. If the DWP then decides to award PIP, an individual's payment is based on any of the following:

Daily living part

• Lower weekly rate - £68.10
• Higher weekly rate - £101.75

Mobility part

• Lower weekly rate - £26.90
• Higher weekly rate - £71

Claimants could get just one of those amounts or one amount from each component. So the lowest amount a person could receive is £26.90 a week for lower mobility and the most would be both higher rates added together, a total of £172.75 a week. However, PIP is generally paid every four weeks so how does it work?

The DWP's online PIP handbook says: "We will send the claimant a letter giving a decision on the PIP claim and a clear reasoned explanation of how that decision has been reached. If the claimant has been awarded PIP, the letter will detail the amount of the award, the length of the award and the reasons for making that decision. The point score for each descriptor will be included in the letter.

"The letter will also show how the evidence informed the selection of descriptors and the decision made. It will give details of how and when the claimant needs to tell DWP about any changes in circ*mstance. It will also signpost the claimant to other DWP benefits and services and local support organisations. The award letter will constitute a full statement of reasons for the decision."

What are the PIP payment dates?

It goes on to say: "Specific details of PIP payments, including the date payments will start and their frequency, will also be included in the letter sent to the claimant. PIP can be paid into a bank account, building society, or credit union. The claimant will be asked to provide these details when they make a claim to PIP.

"Payment will usually be made every four weeks in arrears. Awards of PIP under the special rules for end of life [for terminally-ill patients] will be made weekly in advance."

This means that when you are given the date your PIP payments will start, you can then count forward four weeks from that date to work out when the next amount is due. It also means there will be months when you are paid twice. This happens because most months of a year are spread across five weeks - so you will be paid in the first week and there will then be a second payment in the last week of that month.

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