AFA Personal Independence Payment
On this page
- A disability benefit for working age people who need extra money because of an illness or long term health condition.
- The criteria is split into Daily Living (e.g. preparing food, washing and bathing, communicating etc) and Mobility (e.g. navigating or physically mobilizing).
- As a disability benefit, people receiving PIP are also exempt from the Benefit Cap (a government policy restricting the amount of money a person can claim in Benefits)
- It is non means-tested, meaning income, savings and investments do not affect eligibility
- A person can be in or out of work and claim PIP
- Age 16- 66 (working age)
- A person must have a long-term illness or health issue
- April 2025- April 2026 weekly rates:
| Daily Living component | Mobility Component | |
| Standard Rate | £73.90 | £29.20 |
| Enhanced Rate | £110.40 | £77.05 |
Claim Process
- To make a claim for PIP, call the new claims phone line on 0800 917 2222
- A person is then sent out a form to fill in and return asking about how they manage various activities
- A telephone or face-to-face health assessment may be arranged once the form is received by PIP (It can take several weeks between sending the PIP form and receiving a health assessment date)
- A decision will be made on the claim)
Things to consider
- There are long waiting times between the stages of the PIP Application process
- The Application process itself is lengthy
- Medical Evidence is key
- There is a low rate of success with applications and people are stringly advised to challenge and appeal the decision – Citizens Advice can help
- PIP has a high rate of refusal so it is worth challenging a negative decision
- Challenging a decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions is called a “Mandatory Reconsideration”. Usually this should be done within 1 month of the decision.
- Clients can request this themselves by calling the PIP helpline and requesting a review- 0800 121 4433
- It is more likely to be successful if extra medical information can be submitted.
- More information can be found below
- If a client wants to challenge a decision made by PIP
- If a client needs assistance to make a claim for PIP
- Please note – we prioritize ongoing casework for emergency and complex cases, when capacity is limited we may provide advice only to either the referrer or directly to the client

