PIP: £76.70 or £114.60 a week and who can claim it

Personal Independence Payment, or PIP, helps with the extra living costs of a long-term illness or disability. Many who qualify never ask, assuming a working person with savings cannot be eligible. PIP is not means-tested, is tax free, and is paid alongside almost every other benefit.

The rates are £76.70 or £114.60 a week for the daily living part and £30.30 or £80 a week for the mobility part. You can get one part, both or neither — it turns not on your diagnosis but on how hard you find specific everyday tasks.

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Who can get PIP and from what age?

You can get PIP if you are 16 or over, have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, have difficulty with certain everyday tasks or with getting around because of it, and expect those difficulties to last at least 12 months from when they began. For a new claim you usually need to be under State Pension age.

Above State Pension age you cannot usually make a new claim — you apply for Attendance Allowance instead. One exception: you can claim again if you had PIP or Scotland's Adult Disability Payment in the last 12 months. Scotland has Adult Disability Payment instead; if you move from there to England or Wales, tell Social Security Scotland and claim PIP at once, or your payments could be affected.

Can I get PIP if I work or have savings?

Yes. GOV.UK states it plainly: you can get PIP even if you work, have savings or receive most other benefits. Three exceptions: it is not paid with Armed Forces Independence Payment; Constant Attendance Allowance reduces the daily living part; War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement removes the mobility part.

Which difficulties actually count?

The list is closed. Daily living covers preparing food; eating and drinking; medicines and treatments; washing and bathing; the toilet; dressing; reading; managing money; socialising; and talking, listening and understanding.

Mobility covers working out a route and following it, moving around physically, and leaving home. A physical disability is not required — a cognitive or mental health condition, anxiety included, can qualify.

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For each task the Department for Work and Pensions looks at three things: whether you can do it safely, how long it takes, and whether you need help from a person or equipment. There is also a frequency rule: difficulty is expected on more than half the days over 12 months.

How do I claim PIP?

The simplest route is by phone. The PIP new claims line is 0800 917 2222, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm; from abroad +44 191 218 7766; through Relay UK, 18001 then that number. Have ready your date of birth, National Insurance number, account number and sort code, your doctor's details, and dates of any hospital or care-home stays and of trips abroad over four weeks.

By post: write that you want to claim PIP, with your name and address, to Freepost DWP PIP 1 — no postcode, no stamp.

The form, "How your disability affects you", must come back within one month — a link is emailed after a phone claim, otherwise it arrives on paper within two weeks. Include prescription lists, care plans and your doctor's information, and call the PIP enquiry line if you need longer.

What happens at the assessment?

Not everyone is called in — only if more information is needed. A health professional asks how your condition affects daily living and mobility tasks and about your treatments, and may ask for simple movements. It happens at an assessment centre, at home, by phone or by video, usually takes an hour, and you can bring someone. The audio is recorded; to opt out, contact your assessment provider using the details in the letter.

How long is a PIP award?

Your first award will be between 9 months and 10 years, depending on how likely your needs are to change. PIP is usually paid every four weeks into a bank, building society or credit union account; a payment due on a bank holiday usually arrives earlier. Payments continue during a review: a Personal Independence Payment Review form arrives, goes back within a month, and PIP can then go up, down or stop.

What must I report to DWP?

Call the PIP enquiry line, 0800 121 4433, straight away if you need more or less help; if a health professional changes how long your condition is expected to last; if you go into hospital, a hospice, a care home or detention; if you go abroad for over four weeks; if your immigration status changes and you are not British or Irish; or if you or your spouse start or stop getting EU or Swiss benefits. Wrong information or silence can mean a penalty or court.

What else PIP unlocks

The mobility part opens the door to a Blue Badge, a vehicle tax discount or exemption and, at the higher rate, a Motability vehicle. Either part makes you eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard; council tax and bus discounts are checked with your council. A carer may get Carer's Allowance or Carer's Credit.

A decision is challenged through mandatory reconsideration, the compulsory DWP review you cannot skip. If an illness is limiting your life, the daily living part is awarded automatically and at a higher rate. Citizens Advice helps free, and the new claims line can arrange a home visit.