Personal Independence Payment if you have a terminal illness

What is PIP?

PIP is a benefit to help with extra living costs for people with a long-term illness or disability.

PIP is not means-tested. This means whether you can get PIP and how much you get, is not affected by your income, savings and investments.

Can I claim PIP?

You may be eligible to claim PIP if the following apply to you:

• You're aged 16 or over, and you usually have to be under State Pension age.
  
• You have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability.
• Your illness or disability has made daily living or getting around difficult.
• If you do not have a terminal illness, you need to have met the above disability conditions for at least the last three months, and are expected to meet them for at least another 9 months (this is called the qualifying period).
• You usually need to be living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Find out more about citizenship, residence and immigration criteria at GOV.UK.  

If you've reached State Pension age, see below. 

If you're under 16, read our information on Disability Living Allowance.

PIP in Scotland

In Scotland, PIP is being replaced by Adult Disability Payment (ADP). From 29 August 2022, you should apply for ADP instead of PIP if you live in Scotland. Find out more about Adult Disability Payment.

If you're State Pension age or older

Most people that are State Pension age or older cannot make a new claim for PIP, but you might be able to claim Attendance Allowance instead. Find out your State Pension age at GOV.UK.  

You might be able to make a new claim if:

• you had a PIP award that stopped in the last year
  
• you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or it stopped in the last year.

You will not be able to claim PIP if you were born before 9 April 1948.

The rules around getting PIP after you've reached State Pension age can be complicated – it's important you get the correct information and advice. Visit Citizens Advice for more information   or call the PIP claims line on 0800 917 2222 or if you live in Northern Ireland, call the PIP centre on 0800 012 1573.

Are there special rules for people with a terminal illness?

Yes – if you're living with a terminal illness, you may be able to claim PIP under the special rules for people with a terminal illness.

How will the special rules affect my claim?

If you're eligible for PIP under the special rules:

• your claim will be fast-tracked
• you will not have to show that you have difficulty with daily living or getting around
• you will not have to fill out the 'How your disability affects you' form
• you will not need any medical assessments
• you will receive the enhanced rate of the daily living component straight away, without having to wait three months for the PIP qualifying period to end.

A claim made under the special rules will be awarded for 3 years – after this, the claim will be reviewed.

Who can apply for PIP under the special rules?

You can apply for PIP under the special rules if you have a disease that gets worse over time, and your healthcare professional thinks you might have less than 12 months to live.

If you're claiming PIP under the special rules, you still have to meet the standard criteria to apply for PIP.

You can apply under the special rules if you have any illness or condition that is considered terminal, including cancer, organ failure, dementia, stroke, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. These illnesses are not always terminal. If you have questions about your illness, it's best to speak with your healthcare professional.

It's often very difficult to predict how long someone might live for. If your doctor or nurse has not talked to you about this, you can still ask them about supporting your claim under the special rules.

If you're likely to live longer than 12 months

You can still apply for PIP if you're expected to live longer than 12 months, but you will not be able to apply under the special rules. You can find out more at GOV.UK  if you live in England or Wales, or at nidirect if you live in Northern Ireland.

If the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or the Department for Communities (DfC) if you live in Northern Ireland, thinks you do not qualify for PIP under the special rules, they'll consider your claim using the standard process.

How much is PIP?

You could get between £28.70 and £184.30 a week.

PIP has two parts – a daily living component and a mobility component. You could get money from one or both of these. Each component has a standard rate and an enhanced rate.

Daily living component for help with everyday activities:

• standard rate: £72.65 a week
• enhanced rate: £108.55 a week

Mobility component for help with getting around:

• standard rate: £28.70 a week
• enhanced rate: £75.75 a week.

If you have a terminal illness and you make a claim for PIP under the special rules, you'll automatically get the enhanced rate of the daily living component.

For the mobility component, the amount you get depends on how much help you need with moving around. You will not automatically get the mobility component if you're claiming under the special rules – it depends on your needs.

PIP is not taxed.

Mobility component

When you're applying under the special rules and you make a claim for the mobility component, the Department for Work and Pensions or Department for Communities will need to know your ability to:

• plan and follow journeys
• move around.

Under the ordinary rules, this is usually assessed during a face-to-face assessment. If you're claiming under the special rules, you will be assessed over the phone. Visit the PIP handbook at GOV.UK to see the list of questions you'll be asked.  

If you get the mobility component of PIP, you could be eligible for a:

• Blue Badge  
• vehicle tax discount or exemption  
• Motability Scheme vehicle   – if you get the enhanced rate of the mobility component.

Visit GOV.UK to see what other help you could get if you're eligible for PIP.  

How do I claim PIP

1. Check you're eligible for PIP.

2. Call to make your claim – you cannot apply online at the moment. If you're applying under the special rules, tell them this during the call.

• In England or Wales, start your claim by contacting the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP): call 0800 917 2222 (+44 191 218 7766 if you're calling from abroad), textphone 0800 917 7777, Relay UK 18001 then 0800 917 2222, or visit GOV.UK   to access the British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service.
• In Northern Ireland, contact the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) centre: call 0800 012 1573, textphone 0800 587 0937, or visit nidirect   to access the British and Irish Sign Language video relay services.
• If you're in Northern Ireland and are transgender, you can also email: knockbreda.makethecall.scr@dfcni.gov.uk if you want to claim PIP.

3. If you're applying under the special rules, ask your healthcare professional to send an SR1 medical report form to support your claim.

If you need help to claim

• If you have someone to help like a family member or friend, you can ask for them to be included in your call (you cannot do this if you use textphone).
• You can ask someone else to call on your behalf – you'll need to be with them when they make the call.
• In some cases, someone from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or a community outreach officer if you live in Northern Ireland, can visit you to help you with your benefit claim. This is only if you are eligible. Find out more about support visits at GOV.UK.  
• You can also get help from benefits advisers at organisations like Macmillan Cancer Support  , Age UK   or Maggies Centres  .

Can I claim for someone else?

If someone needs help with their benefits claim, or they don't know or wish to know if their illness is terminal, you can claim on their behalf. You should tell the person that you're making a claim and you'll need their personal details. You do not need to tell them you're making a claim under the special rules for people with a terminal illness, and the Department for Work and Pensions will not mention this in any communication with them.

You can also apply to become someone's appointee. Being an appointee lets you deal with the person's benefits if they are mentally incapable or severely disabled. Find out more about being an appointee at GOV.UK.  

What happens if I'm claiming PIP and I go into a hospital or hospice?

If you go into an NHS hospital, your PIP payments normally stop after 28 days. Payments can begin after you are discharged, without you having to make a new claim. You would just need to let the relevant department know that you've been discharged. 

If you're terminally ill and receive PIP under the special rules, you will still get PIP if you go into a hospice. However, this only applies if the Department for Work and Pensions or Department for Communities have been informed in writing that you're terminally ill. Although they should already have this information on file, it's best to notify them again if possible, to avoid any potential delays with your payments.

If you are not eligible for PIP under the special rules, the rules on whether you can receive it while in a hospice are different. Find out where you can speak to a benefits advisor below.

Queries about existing claims

If you have any queries about an existing PIP claim or need to report a change of circumstances, you will need to contact the relevant PIP line:

• In England, Wales and Scotland, contact the PIP enquiry line: call 0800 121 4433, textphone 0800 121 4493, Relay UK 18001 then 0800 121 4433, or visit GOV.UK   to access the British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service.
• If you're in Northern Ireland, contact the PIP centre: call 0800 587 0932, textphone 0800 587 0937, or visit nidirect to access the British and Irish Sign Language video relay services.
• If you're in Northern Ireland and are transgender, you can also email: knockbreda.makethecall.scr@dfcni.gov.uk with any queries about PIP.

Disability Living Allowance

PIP is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for most adults. Adults currently receiving DLA who were under 65 on 8 April 2013 will be invited to claim PIP instead. Visit our page on Disability Living Allowance for more details about moving from DLA to PIP.

Does claiming PIP affect other benefits?

If you are on Universal Credit, qualifying for and claiming PIP should not affect the amount of Universal Credit you get. Find out more about Universal Credit.

Claiming PIP might also entitle you to extra money or help. You might be able to get a reduction in council tax or road tax, or discounts on travel. If you are already getting certain benefits, you could get a top-up (sometimes called a premium). Find out more about extra help and benefits top-ups on the Citizens Advice website.

If you live in Northern Ireland, find out more about extra help and benefits top-ups on the nidirect website.

Where can I get more help?

Some benefits can affect the other benefits that you or the person you care for get, so it's important you have the right information and advice. Here are some organisations that can provide further support:

• Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309 provides general information about benefits and finances.
• Citizens Advice   has trained advisers you can speak to and provides information on your rights, including benefits, housing, employment, debt, consumer and legal issues. Search the site for your nearest bureau in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• Turn2us   has a search function to find benefits advisers in your area, and provides people with financial support and information on benefits and grants.
• Macmillan Cancer Support   has welfare rights advisers you can speak to, and provides practical, medical and financial support for people affected by cancer.

Here at Marie Curie we cannot provide information about your specific benefit claim. For all queries about claims, you'll need to contact the relevant government department. Click here for the contact details for new PIP claims. Click here for the contact details for existing PIP claims.

See our list of useful organisations for more places to go for benefits advice and information.

Useful websites

• GOV.UK   – PIP in England, Wales and Scotland
• nidirect   – PIP in Northern Ireland
• Citizens Advice   – information about and help with your PIP claim

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