Changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

A leaflet saying Personal Independence Payment next to the Houses of Parliament and a hand holding cash

What is Personal Independence Payment (PIP)?

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is the name of a benefit that some people with a disability or health condition get.

The money is to pay for extra help you might need to look after yourself and to get around.

A book called Assessment with a picture of a man writing things in a note book and a page of ticks and crosses

What happens now?

At the moment, when you apply for PIP, you have an assessment .

You can find out more about PIP assessments on our What happens in a Personal Independence Payment assessment easy read page.

A woman is standing up, writing with a pen in a file and smiling

At the moment, you have to score 8 points or more in the daily living part of your assessment to get the daily living part of PIP.

The points come from how much help you need with different things. For example:

getting dressed
cooking a meal
looking after your money.

Someone cooking at an oven with 0 points. A microwave with 2 points. A man helping a woman cook at an oven 4 points. A confused man next to an oven 8 points

If you do not need any help, you do not score any points.

If you need a bit of help, you score 2 points.

If you need more help, you score 4 points.

If you need a lot of help, you score 8 points.

You might score:

2 points for getting dressed
2 points for cooking a meal and
4 points for looking after your money.

What are the changes?

The Government want to change the rules for getting PIP from November 2026.

A lady looking at a clipboard with the number 8 beside her.

The new rules will say that you will still have to get 8 points in the daily living part of your assessment to get the daily living part of PIP.

A circle around images of 4 and 8 points.

But you will need to get at least 4 points for how much help you need with 1 thing.

A woman holding her thumbs up and smiling

What do the changes mean for people with a learning disability?

At the moment the DWP say that many people with a learning disability who get the daily living part of PIP already meet the new 4 point rule so they should not be affected, but

A red cross beside PIP daily living money.

the new rules might mean that some people with a learning disability will not get the daily living part of PIP.

A man in a suit reads from a piece of paper. He is smiling.

How can I check how many points I scored in my PIP assessment?

Your letter from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) which says you can have PIP will tell you how many points you scored for each thing in your assessment.

A man sat in a chair, reading from a sheet of paper.

Read the letter to see if you scored 4 points or more for 1 thing in the daily living part of your assessment.

If you scored 4 points or more for 1 thing, you might still get PIP when the rules change.

If you have your PIP letter, but you want some help with which bit is about the daily living points, you can contact the Learning Disability helpline:

phone 0808 808 1111
email helpline@mencap.org.uk
fill in our website form.

doctor talking to a patient on the phone

If you can not find your letter, you can contact the DWP to ask for a copy of it. You will need to ask for a copy of your award letter.

You can contact the DWP's PIP enquiry line:

Phone 0800 121 4433
Textphone 0800 121 4493
Relay UK 18001 then 0800 121 4433. Relay UK is for people who can not hear or speak on the phone.

A woman, a man, and a young man who is giving a thumbs up are sat around a table. A banner says "PIP Daily Living"

What do Mencap think about the changes to PIP?

We think that everyone with a learning disability who gets the daily living part of PIP now should still be able to get PIP when the rules change.

A man holding his hand to his chin thinking

We are worried that the Government might change other rules about how to get PIP.

We will keep campaigning, speaking up, and sharing your stories with the Government.