PIP Eligibility and Rates: The Points System Explained

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) pays disabled people aged 16 or over who first claim before State Pension age up to £114.60 a week for daily living needs and up to £80 a week for mobility needs, decided by a points system rather than by income, savings or National Insurance record.

The two components and how much they pay

PIP has a daily living part, for help with everyday tasks such as preparing food, washing, dressing, managing medicines and money, and a mobility part, for help with planning a route, moving around, or leaving home. You can get either part on its own, or both together, and you can get PIP even if you are working, have savings, or are getting most other benefits (gov.uk: PIP).

Source: gov.uk: how much you'll get. PIP is usually paid every 4 weeks, is tax free, and your income and savings do not affect the amount.

How eligibility is decided: the points system

Each activity within a component is scored against a set of descriptors, and the two scores for daily living and mobility are worked out independently. The legal thresholds, which gov.uk's own claimant facing pages do not spell out in points terms, sit in the regulations themselves: a claimant needs a score of at least 8 points in a component for the standard rate, and at least 12 points for the enhanced rate, for both the daily living component and the mobility component (legislation.gov.uk: Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, regulation 5; regulation 6).

To get PIP at all, you must expect to have difficulty with the relevant tasks "most of the time", meaning more than half of the days over a 12-month period (gov.uk: PIP). Disability Living Allowance, PIP's predecessor, can now only be newly claimed for children under 16 in England and Wales (gov.uk: DLA eligibility); adults who already get it keep it only if they were born on or before 8 April 1948, and if you were born after that date DWP will invite you to apply for PIP instead (gov.uk: PIP).

Who can claim

You must be aged 16 or over, have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around, and expect the difficulties to last at least 12 months from when they started. You must also usually be under State Pension age when you first claim; if you are over State Pension age, you claim Attendance Allowance instead, unless you are reapplying within 12 months of a previous PIP or Adult Disability Payment award (gov.uk: PIP eligibility).

PIP is payable alongside nearly every other benefit, with three exceptions: it cannot be paid at the same time as Armed Forces Independence Payment; Constant Attendance Allowance reduces the daily living part; and War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement blocks the mobility part.

What PIP can unlock beyond the weekly payment

Getting the mobility part of PIP can open the door to a Blue Badge, a vehicle tax discount or exemption, and, at the higher mobility rate only, the Motability Scheme. Getting either part can qualify you for a Disabled Persons Railcard, and may lead to a council tax or bus travel discount depending on your local council's own scheme (gov.uk: how much you'll get).

The four-point rule: proposed, then dropped

Commentary written while the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill 2024-25 was still going through Parliament describes a new requirement for PIP claimants to score at least 4 points in a single daily living activity, on top of the existing 8 and 12 point thresholds. That was in the Bill as introduced on 18 June 2025. At second reading on 1 July 2025, the government announced it would remove the PIP clause from the Bill entirely, deferring any change to PIP eligibility activities and descriptors until after the Timms Review reported (House of Commons Library: Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill 2024-25, research briefing CBP-10302).

The Bill's short and long titles were amended to remove every reference to PIP, and it became the Universal Credit Act 2025 rather than a combined UC and PIP Act. The enacted text, confirmed directly against its own contents, contains only Universal Credit provisions: the standard allowance and LCWRA element for tax years 2026-27 to 2029-30, a freeze on those elements, a protected LCWRA amount, legacy Employment and Support Allowance provisions, and a corresponding provision for Northern Ireland. There is no section on PIP anywhere in the Act (legislation.gov.uk: Universal Credit Act 2025).

The four-point rule is not current law and was never brought into force. Current PIP eligibility runs entirely on the unchanged 2013 Regulations points system described above. The Timms Review of the PIP assessment is ongoing; its interim report is an evidence gathering document rather than a set of firm proposals (gov.uk: the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment, interim report). In September 2026 the co-chairs published emerging recommendations for testing, stating they are not final; the steering group is due to report its recommendations to the Secretary of State by autumn 2026 (gov.uk: Timms Review co-chair update, September 2026). Any eligibility change the review leads to would need its own further legislation and its own commencement date.

If you disagree with a PIP decision

Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision, and if the outcome does not change, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) within one month of the mandatory reconsideration decision. A representative, including a friend or family member, can help you with the appeal. See how to challenge a benefit decision for the full timeline, the late request rules, and the separate Northern Ireland route.

PIP in Scotland: Adult Disability Payment

Scotland has replaced PIP with Adult Disability Payment (ADP), run by Social Security Scotland rather than the Department for Work and Pensions. ADP uses the same two components, daily living and mobility, and pays the identical current weekly rates: £76.70 or £114.60 for daily living, £30.30 or £80.00 for mobility. Your income and savings are not taken into account (mygov.scot: Adult Disability Payment). Social Security Scotland scores ADP across 12 activities (mygov.scot: Adult Disability Payment, the decision), and the Scottish regulations use the same thresholds as PIP: at least 8 points for the standard rate and at least 12 for the enhanced rate in each component (legislation.gov.uk: Disability Assistance for Working Age People (Scotland) Regulations 2022, regulation 8; regulation 9).

Challenging an ADP decision uses different names, a different tribunal and different time limits from the PIP route in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: a redetermination request within 42 calendar days rather than one month, then an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland within 31 calendar days of getting the redetermination decision (mygov.scot: how to challenge a decision). See how to challenge a benefit decision for a full comparison of the Great Britain, Scotland and Northern Ireland routes.

PIP in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland runs its own PIP, administered by the Department for Communities, in parity with the Great Britain scheme, meaning the same components and the same current weekly rates apply (nidirect: Personal Independence Payment). The same 8 and 12 point thresholds are set for Northern Ireland by regulations 5 and 6 of the Personal Independence Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 (legislation.gov.uk: regulation 5; regulation 6).

Getting help

Citizens Advice, Advicenow, and, in Scotland, CAB Scotland and Advocacy.scot, can help you understand the process and prepare for an assessment or an appeal, free of charge. None of them, and this page, can tell you in advance how a specific claim will be decided. For the full range of disability, carer and other benefits covered on this site, see the UK benefits hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many points do you need for PIP?

At least 8 points in a component for the standard rate, and at least 12 points for the enhanced rate, under regulations 5 and 6 of the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013. The daily living component and the mobility component are scored, and paid, independently.

What are the current PIP rates?

Daily living: £76.70 a week standard rate, £114.60 a week enhanced rate. Mobility: £30.30 a week standard rate, £80.00 a week enhanced rate. PIP is paid every 4 weeks, is tax free, and is not affected by income or savings.

Is the PIP four point rule in force?

No. It was proposed in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill 2024-25 but was dropped by the government before the Bill passed. The enacted Universal Credit Act 2025 contains no PIP provisions at all, so current PIP eligibility still runs on the unchanged 2013 points system.

What is the Timms Review?

A government commissioned review of the PIP assessment, co-chaired by Sir Stephen Timms, looking at PIP eligibility activities and descriptors. The review is due to report its recommendations by autumn 2026; its co-chairs published emerging, not final, recommendations in September 2026. Any resulting change to PIP eligibility would need its own further legislation.

What replaces PIP in Scotland?

Adult Disability Payment, run by Social Security Scotland. It uses the same daily living and mobility components and pays the same current weekly rates as PIP, but challenging a decision uses different time limits: 42 days to ask for a redetermination and 31 days to appeal after that.

How do I challenge a PIP decision?

Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision, then, if the outcome does not change, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) within one month of the mandatory reconsideration decision. A friend, family member or other representative can help with the appeal.