Personal Independence Payment (PIP): The top 5 conditions that make you eligible (2024)

Personal Independence Payment, also known asPIP, is a benefit available to people who have a long-term health condition or disability. It is intended to help cover the extra costs that people can face due to the impact of their condition.

There are two components to PIP:

• Daily Living component
• Mobility component

If you are eligible for Personal Independence Payment, how much you receive will be based on which component is most relevant to you and your needs.

The Daily Living component is aimed at people who require additional assistance in everyday life such as with eating and drinking, washing and other personal tasks, communicating with others or handling money, for example.

The Mobility component is based on providing assistance to those who find it difficult to get out and about due to their condition. This could be because they need physical help when outside of their home or require assistance with planning a trip, for example.

What are the PIP rates for 2024?

PIP rates are reviewed in April each year.

The current PIP rates (from April 2024) are:

Daily Living component

Mobility component

What are the success rates for PIP?

As of October 2023, there were around 3 million people claiming PIP across England and Wales and 250,000 in Scotland. Despite these numbers, recent statistics shared by the DWP show that the majority of claims for PIP aren’t accepted.

In the last five years (2018-2023), only 41% of new claims for PIP have been successful, meaning that over half of new applications during this period were rejected.

What are the top 5 conditions that qualify for PIP?

PIP is currently available to people with a wide range of health conditions and disabilities, whilst this is advantageous to many people it can also mean that it can be difficult to determine whether or not you could be eligible for the additional financial assistance being offered.

Although there is no definitive list of conditions that qualify for PIP, to help people to better determine their chances of eligibility before they make an application, The Department of Working Pensions (DWP) highlights the top 5 recorded conditions that people claim PIP for.

Psychiatric disorders

With 37% of people receiving PIP having a psychiatric disorder, it is the most common condition people receiving PIP claim for. Psychiatric disorders are mental health conditions that can affect how a person thinks and feels about themselves and/or the world around them. They can be completely debilitating and often manifest in a range of different ways.

There are many conditions that fall under the umbrella of a psychiatric disorder.

Musculoskeletal disease (general)

Musculoskeletal diseases affect the connective tissues within the body, including bones, muscles and tissues as well as tendons and ligaments. People with the condition can experience anything from mild aches and pains to severe and debilitating pain, they may also experience flare ups where their condition worsens during certain periods of time.

A general musculoskeletal disease usually refers to when the condition affects the whole body or large parts of it.

Musculoskeletal conditions (regional)

As opposed to a general musculoskeletal disease which affects the whole body, a regional musculoskeletal condition affects a specific part of the body and is usually isolated to that area.

Like with general musculoskeletal disease, people often experience regional musculoskeletal disease differently, with varying symptoms and severities which can get better or worse at different points of time.

Neurological disorders

Neurological disorders affect the brain and the nervous system. One of the most commonly known neurological disorders is dementia, but there are many other examples which could qualify a person for PIP.

Like the other conditions covered, neurological conditions vary in terms of severity and how a person experiences the disorder, this will affect the level of support they need in their day-to-day life.

Respiratory diseases

A respiratory disease is a condition that affects the system of organs and tissues that help us to breathe. Common symptoms include a tight chest, breathlessness, coughing and wheezing.

Commonly known respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis or the flu, are short term conditions that will improve within weeks or months, but chronic respiratory conditions can be lifelong with varying symptoms and severities.

Whilst the conditions listed above are those most commonly claimed under for PIP, they each differ in terms of severity and different people will require differing levels of help and support.

This means that you may not be automatically eligible for PIP if you have one or more of the conditions listed above as each application is assessed on an individual basis.

Similarly, if your health condition isn’t listed or doesn’t fit into the categories above, it doesn’t mean you won’t be eligible for PIP.

Help and support

You can find more information about Personal Independence Payment in our articlehere.

In Scotland, PIP has been replaced with the Adult Disability Payment, more information can be foundhere.

Related Articles

Paying for care at home

Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Rates and eligibility

Read article on Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Rates and eligibility

Paying for care at home

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) | Eligibility and rates

Read article on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) | Eligibility and rates

Disabilities

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS) | Symptoms and treatment

Read article on What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS) | Symptoms and treatment