DWP four PIP rules that could give you £798 a month and not affect your savings

If you’re grappling with health issues, it can put a significant strain on your finances. However, the Department for Work and Pensions () suggests that if you have an illness, disability or mental health condition, you might be eligible to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Nearly 3.4 million people in the UK are currently claiming PIP allowance, as per the . This financial aid is designed to assist them in their daily lives, but the eligibility criteria are stringent.

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

You must also be under if you’ve not received PIP before. People living in Scotland must apply for a separate benefit – – instead.

But those who are eligible may be able to be paid up to £798.63 a month to help out with their costs. That is payable to those with higher level needs as a result of their disabilities and who need assistance with both general living needs and mobility.

What is PIP?

PIP is a benefit which aims to help people who face additional living costs because they live with long-term physical or mental health conditions or disabilities and because their conditions create difficulties doing everyday tasks or getting around. People can get PIP even if they are in work, have savings or are getting other benefit payments.

How PIP works

There are 2 parts to PIP:

• a daily living part – if you need help with everyday tasks
• a mobility part – if you need help with getting around

Whether you get one or both parts and depends on how difficult you find everyday tasks and getting around. If you’re nearing the end of life (for example, due to a life-limiting illness), you’ll automatically get the daily living part. Whether you get the mobility part depends on your needs.

Daily living part

You might get the daily living part of PIP if you need help with:

• preparing food
• eating and drinking
• managing your medicines or treatments
• washing and bathing
• using the toilet
• dressing and undressing
• reading
• managing your money
• socialising and being around other people
• talking, listening and understanding

Mobility part

You might get the mobility part of PIP if you need help with:

• working out a route and following it
• physically moving around
• leaving your home

The says you do not have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part. You might also be eligible if you have difficulty getting around because of a cognitive or mental health condition, like anxiety.

How difficulty with tasks is assessed

The Department for Work and Pensions () will assess how difficult you find daily living and mobility tasks. For each task they’ll look at:

• whether you can do it safely
• how long it takes you
• how often your condition affects this activity
• whether you need help to do it, from a person or using extra equipment

How much money can I get?

PIP is . There is a daily living component and a mobility component.

People claiming PIP can get payments for both daily living and for mobility. These people are assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions and are either paid the “higher” rate or the “lower” rate for both.

explains these are standard and enhanced rates: “If the decision maker decides that your ability to carry out the component is limited, you will get the standard rate. If it’s severely limited, you will get the enhanced rate.”

For daily living the £72.65 per week and the higher rate is £108.55 per week. For mobility the lower rate is £28.70 per week and the higher rate is £75.75 per week.

That means that somebody who gets the higher rate on both components will be receiving £184.30 per week (£108.55 + £75.75). Over a year that adds up to £9,583.60, and per month it is £798.63.

The money is paid every four weeks. It is tax free and will not be affected by the amount of money you have in savings or income.

What health issues are included?

According to the ‘s official guidelines, there are 57 main medical conditions that could qualify you for the benefit, however other less common ones might also be included. Those on the current list include:

• Arthritis
• Spondylosis
• Back pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified
• Disease of the muscles, bones or joints
• Trauma to limbs
• Visual disorders and diseases
• Hearing disorders
• Heart disease
• Respiratory disorders and diseases
• Asthma
• Cystic fibrosis
• Cerebrovascular disease
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Epilepsy
• Neurological diseases
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Motor neurone disease
• Chronic pain syndromes
• Diabetes mellitus
• Metabolic disease
• Traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
• Major trauma other than traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
• Learning difficulties
• Psychosis
• Psychoneurosis
• Personality Disorder
• Dementia
• Behavioural disorder
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Hyperkinetic syndrome
• Renal disorders
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Bowel and stomach disease
• Blood disorders
• Haemophilia
• Multi system disorders
• Multiple allergy syndrome
• Skin disease
• Malignant disease
• Severely mentally impaired
• Double amputee
• Deaf/blind
• Haemodialysis
• Frailty
• Total parenteral nutrition
• AIDS
• Infectious diseases: viral disease – -19
• Infectious diseases: viral disease – precise diagnosis not specified
• Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – tuberculosis
• Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified
• Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – malaria
• Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – other/precise diagnosis not specified
• Infectious diseases – other / precise diagnosis not specified
• Cognitive disorder – other / precise diagnosis not specified
• Terminally Ill

How can I claim?

To claim in England or Wales you can claim by phone or in writing. For full details .

If you live in:

• Northern Ireland – visit here to find out
• Scotland – you need to instead

There’s a (for example, due to a life-limiting illness).