More than 400,000 people across the UK could be entitled to extra cash from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), new research has shown. A fraud and error report found that as many as 402,500 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants are not receiving the right amount of financial support.
The most recent data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) indicates that a total of 3.7 million individuals in Great Britain are now on the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) books. However, as reported by the Daily Record, fresh statistics from the 2024/25 Fraud and Error in the Benefit System report shows that 11% of claimants – that’s 11 in every 100 – are actually under-claiming PIP by not reporting changes to their situation.
PIP stands as the benefit with the second largest rate of unclaimed entitlement due to unnoticed changes, often termed as claimant error, with substantial costs involved, contributing to 30% of all undetected entitlement in the last year. The latest unfulfilled eligibility figures for PIP stand at £1,060m, marking a 4.1% rate, an elevation from £870m (4%) reported back in 2023/24.
According to the DWP, this identified shortfall is solely attributable to claimants “failing to inform the Department they needed more help, or their condition had deteriorated.”
In terms of expenditure, the report reveals that PIP payments surged to £25.8bn last year, showing a significant leap from the previous year’s £21.6bn. Beneficiaries receive between £29.20 and £187.45 per week, with the amount hinged on the impact their condition has on their ability to manage daily activities and mobility, rather than the diagnosis alone.
PIP is intended as financial aid for those facing additional costs stemming from a disability, a long-term illness or any form of physical or mental health condition.
The Adult Disability Payment has now taken over all new claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in Scotland, with the remaining existing claimants set to transition from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) system to Social Security Scotland in the forthcoming months.
The report clearly indicates that as many as 402,500 PIP claimants are not receiving the correct amount of financial support to which they are now entitled.
PIP and ADP payment rates 2025/26
People on the standard or higher daily living or mobility component now receive:
- Standard daily living rate – £73.90 per week, £295.60 per pay period
- Enhanced daily living rate – £110.40 per week, £441.60 per pay period
- Standard mobility rate – £29.20 per week, £116.80 per pay period
- Enhanced mobility rate – £77.05 per week, £308.20 per pay period.
Changes you do not need to report to DWP
PIP is not a means-tested benefit and can be paid whether the claimant is working or not, so there is no need to inform the DWP if you:
- Start a new job
- Stop claiming other benefits
- Change roles at work – unless the amount of help you need has changed
- Leave a job
- Are made redundant
- Take retirement.
Changes you must report to DWP
However, guidance on the GOV.UK website states you must contact the PIP enquiry line if:
- Your personal details change – for example, your name, address or doctor
- The help you need or your condition changes
- Your condition has worsened and you’re not expected to live more than six months
- You go into hospital or a care home
- You go abroad (for more than four weeks)
- You are imprisoned or held in detention.
The GOV.UK website goes on to warn: “You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.”
So, if you have recently moved home or switched to a new doctor, don’t put off reporting the change any longer – especially if you are on PIP living in Scotland as Social Security Scotland will use the information the DWP holds on you when you are transferred over the new devolved benefits system.
