PIP rates increase in 2024: how can I apply and does it affect universal credit?

Beril Naz Hassan and Tamara Davison
·4 min read
Personal Independence Payments aim to help those with an illness. disability or mental health condition (PA Archive)
Personal Independence Payments aim to help those with an illness. disability or mental health condition (PA Archive)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has increased personal independence payment (PIP) rates for 2024, meaning millions will receive extra cash this year.

Amid the soaring cost of living, monthly PIP payments will increase by 6.7 per cent from the upcoming financial year starting in April 2024.

The DWP said: "We will continue to support vulnerable people with the cost of living from April this year."

So, what is the personal independence payment, how can you apply for it, and does it affect the amount you receive in universal credit?

Here is everything we know, including the difference between daily living PIP and mobility PIP.

What is the personal independence payment?

The personal independence payment is a welfare benefit in the UK which more than 3.4 people claim.

It is designed to help people with the extra costs associated with long-term illness, disability, or mental health conditions.

PIP replaced the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people between 16 and state pension age in April 2013.

It is not means-tested, so it does not matter how much income or savings you have. PIP is based on how your condition affects you, not the condition itself.

The amount you receive depends on how your condition affects your ability to carry out certain daily living activities and mobility tasks.

How much is PIP in 2024? 

The UK Gov website says the new PIP rates from April this year are as follows:

Daily living component

Standard 2024/25: £72.65

Enhanced 2024/25: £108.55

Mobility component 

Standard 2024/25: £28.70

Enhanced 2024/25: £75.75

Who is eligible for PIP?

PIP eligibility is based on how a person's condition affects their ability to carry out certain daily living activities and mobility tasks.

The Government website says you can get PIP if all of the following apply to you:

  • you’re 16 or over

  • you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability

  • you have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around

  • you expect the difficulties to last for at least 12 months from when they started

You must also be under state pension age if you’ve not received PIP before.

If you live in Scotland, you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead.

If you’re over state pension age, you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead. Or if you’ve received PIP before, you can still make a new claim if you were eligible for it in the year before you reached state pension age.

How to claim PIP

Once you’ve checked if you’re eligible, you can start your claim by calling the PIP new claims phone line on 0800 917 2222.

You’ll be asked about your contact details, national insurance number, bank account, and medical history.

You will then be sent a form that will ask you questions about your condition. In some cases, you might need to have an assessment if more information is needed to make a decision.

Alternatively, you can start a claim by post by sending a letter to the personal independence payment new claims office. However, receiving a decision will take longer this way.

For more information, visit the Government website here.

Does receiving PIP affect universal credit payments?

Being eligible for PIP isn’t dependent on your income, savings, working status, or other benefits. So, those who are getting employment and support allowance or other benefits can still get PIP.

The payment is also tax-free.

What’s the difference between daily living PIP and mobility PIP?

How much PIP you receive depends on two things: how difficult you find daily living and how much you struggle with mobility. You will receive an amount of money assigned for each of these factors.

For daily living struggles, the payments range from £68.10 to £101.75. Mobility payments range from £26.90 to £71.

If you’re granted mobility PIP, you might also be eligible for a Blue Badge, vehicle tax discount or exemption, or a Motability Scheme vehicle.

If you receive either the daily living or the mobility PIP, you will become eligible for a disabled person’s railcard. You might also be able to receive a discount on your council tax and local bus travel.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Taxes 2024: With the deadline approaching, be aware of these tax changes

    Understanding this year's tax changes will help ensure Canadians make the most of their returns.

  • Netflix 'Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver': Zack Snyder on 'outrageous' critical response to films

    Zack Snyder has legion of supporters, but just as many harsh critics for Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver on Netflix.

  • Intermittent fasting is ‘nothing magical’, research shows

    Fashionable intermittent fasting diets are no better than standard calorie cutting for shedding the pounds, scientists have found.

  • Alberta municipalities, farmers agree to cut water use as drought persists

    Municipalities and irrigation districts in the western Canadian province of Alberta have agreed to use less water this summer to combat a severe ongoing drought, the provincial government said on Friday. Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said water license holders had signed news memorandums of understanding covering four river basins in the southern half of the province. Alberta, which produces most of Canada's oil, natural gas and beef, plus big wheat and canola harvests, opened water-sharing negotiations among licence-holders for the first time in two decades as it entered its fourth year of drought this year.

  • Butler Hall Capital urges Vanda to engage in sales discussions

    On April 17, Vanda rejected a takeover proposal from Future Pak and adopted a shareholder rights plan to reduce the likelihood of a hostile takeover. Vanda had said Future Pak, a privately held contract manufacturer and packager of pharmaceutical products, had made an offer of $7.25 to $7.75 per share in cash, which significantly undervalued the company and was not in the shareholders' best interest.

  • Extremist Israeli settlers hit by EU and US sanctions

    Far-right group Lehava and several individuals accused of violence targeted in dual announcements

  • September Fed cut will help ease mortgage rates: Economist

    Thirty-year mortgage rates have hit above 7% with some experts believing it could hit 8% pretty soon. With US housing pricing and demand remaining high while supply remains low, it seems hopeless for many potential homebuyers. Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni joins Wealth! to give insight into the housing market and why home buyers should have a little hope on the horizon as he believes mortgage rates will gradually decline. Fratantoni explains that he feels confident the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year, which will trickle down into the rest of the economy: "Mortgage rates, which I'll call it 7.25 [percent], in the most recent data, we think will be down to about 6.5 [percent] by the end of the year. It really is going to be reflecting a gradual slowdown in the strength of the economy and we expect the unemployment rate is going to rise not very much. We know they are calling for a recession but we do think there is going to be enough of a slowdown that the Fed should feel comfortable cutting rates by September of this year." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Potential jurors express anxiety about deciding Trump hush money case as jury selection nears close

    NEW YORK (AP) — Potential jurors expressed anxiety Friday about deciding Donald Trump’s hush money case, with one woman breaking down in tears, as lawyers worked to round out the panel that will hear the first-ever trial of a former U.S. president. After a jury of 12 New Yorkers was seated Thursday, lawyers turned their attention to picking alternates who can vow to impartially judge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Two more alternates were chosen Friday, with four others still n

  • Stabbed Iranian journalist was attacked by eastern European mercenaries, investigators believe

    Three men who attacked an Iranian journalist outside his London home were mercenaries from eastern Europe hired by Tehran, investigators believe.

  • Anti-Semitic hate is surging. It’s time to take a stand

    Many records were broken in 2023. The World Health Organisation celebrated a landmark year for disease elimination. Advancements in artificial intelligence now empower us to do anything from writing a Beatles-inspired song to identifying individuals at high risk of pancreatic cancer. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift made music history by simultaneously charting 10 albums on the US Billboard 200, and Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare” secured the title of the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever.

  • Canadian influencer Sarah DeMelo says 'cancer really does change your life' as she marks 1 year since diagnosis

    A year after her cancer diagnosis, Sarah DeMelo has a "whole new outlook" on life, she says.

  • Jets GM Joe Douglas calls QB Zach Wilson an 'asset.' But the team remains open to trading him

    FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Zach Wilson remains a member of the New York Jets. For now, at least. General manager Joe Douglas was non-committal on the future of the quarterback, who received permission by the Jets during the offseason to seek a trade after a disappointing three years since being the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. “Zach is an asset and at that same time we’re obviously open to trading Zach,” Douglas said Thursday during his annual predraft news conference. “There have been di

  • Irish premier ‘eager to be in a position to apologise’ over Stardust tragedy

    Simon Harris said he hopes to meet with the families on Saturday.

  • BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana town

    HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys are expected to argue before jurors Friday that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program. Attorneys for the company say the corporate predecessors of the railroad, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, didn't know the vermiculite they hauled over decades from a nearby mine

  • UPDATE 1-Mexico's Galvez says Pemex should focus on exploration, consider geothermal business

    Mexican opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Galvez on Friday said state oil firm Pemex should focus on its exploration arm and could look at new business opportunities, such as geothermal energy. "Pemex should start entering into the (broader) energy sector," Galvez said, speaking at a banking convention in Acapulco on the country's Pacific coast. Separately, Galvez said a scrapped Texcoco airport project could be used to store and process water for the capital, which is facing water shortages, and that a joint customs agency could be set up with the U.S. to tackle gun and drug trafficking.

  • Mother defends asking birthday party guests to bring money for yard work instead of gifts for her daughter

    ‘Never host a party and ask for money!!’

  • Report suggests little progress in first year of Alberta's emissions reduction plan

    EDMONTON — A survey from a clean energy think-tank says Alberta has done little to implement its plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The Pembina Institute has examined the measures included in the province's plan released one year ago. It says it found no evidence the government has begun the sort of public consultations required to move Alberta's economy towards the goal of net zero emissions. Despite the plan's promise to keep reducing Alberta's methane emissions, the institute points

  • IMF urges Bank of Japan to tread cautiously in raising interest rates

    The Bank of Japan (BOJ) must tread cautiously in raising interest rates, as some indicators of inflation expectations remain short of its 2% target, the International Monetary Fund's Japan mission chief Nada Choueiri said on Friday. Choueiri told Reuters that a weak yen had a net-positive impact on Japan's economic growth, and signaled the IMF's preference for the country to allow exchange rates to move flexibly.

  • A first for state water board: Probation for Tulare Lake subbasin, will require pump flow meters

    Water board member said the move was needed because “we don’t have a choice.”

  • 7 best things to do in Colorado this weekend: April 19-21, 2024

    Every weekend, Denver7 compiles a list of some fun events you might enjoy. Here are our picks for the 7 best things to do in the Denver metro area and beyond this weekend