Claiming Personal Independence Payment
Once you’ve decided that Personal Independence Payment (known as PIP) is right for you,
you can make a claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions.
Our freephone number for PIP new claims is 0800 917 2222.
If you can’t hear or speak on the phone you can claim using the Next Generation Text
service, a video relay service or you can claim by post.
The call should take around 15 minutes.
You can ask a family member, carer, support worker, friend or someone who helps you to
make the call but you’ll just need to be with them when they do.
If you don’t have anyone to help you with the call, you can still ring us
we ask everyone if they need any support during the call.
We will need some personal information from you, like your National Insurance Number,
bank details and health or care worker details. At this point, we won’t ask you for any information
about your long-term health condition or disability during the call.
After the call, we’ll send you a form called How your disability affects you,
along with an information booklet to help you complete it.
It can take up to 2 weeks for these to get to you.
Use this time to gather information to help support your claim, which you can send in
with your completed form.
When you get the form you will need to return it to us within a month
the exact date will be printed at the top.
If you need more time, give us a call or use the Next Generation Text or video relay services.
The form asks questions about your ability to carry out a range of day-to-day
activities and getting around.
Please give as much detail as you can. Your answers will really help us understand how
your long-term condition or disability affects you.
Most people will be asked to attend a face-to-face assessment with a health professional.
It’s very important that you attend if you’re asked to.
Once you have had your assessment DWP will usually write to you within a month to let
you know whether you have been awarded PIP.
You may not need a face-to-face assessment if your form and supporting information clearly
supports your claim.
If you are disabled or have a health condition, you may also be able to get help with employment
or financial issues like: - Housing Benefit or Universal Credit
- An ‘Access to Work’ grant to help cover the costs of practical support in the workplace
- or help with your Council Tax.
There’s also lots of useful information in the disabled people section on GOV.UK
If you are experiencing financial difficulties and you need urgent advice, you can contact
your local Jobcentre Plus office, your local council or a local support organisation.
You can find their contact details on GOV.UK
For more information online, go to: gov.uk/pip
This video is a guide only.
There are special processes for people who are terminally ill.
Some claims may also be more complex and take longer to process.