People receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) have to inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about any changes in their circumstances or could risk having their benefit entitlement revoked, resulting in their regular payments paused or halted.
You are not required to report changes to your name, medical provider, or address to the DWP as these changes will not affect your payments or your award.
However, if you leave the country or plan to be away for more than a month, even just for a holiday, it may impact your entitlement. The 2024 edition of the PIP Handbook on GOV.UK declares: “This change may affect the claimant’s entitlement to PIP. We will need to know the date the claimant is leaving the country, how long they are planning to be out of the country, which country they are going to and why they are going abroad.”
If you plan to enjoy an extended summer holiday over the coming months, make sure to update the DWP with the required details as soon as you can.
Reporting a Change of Circumstances to the DWP
In order to report a change of circumstances, call the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433, lines are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Here are the main changes you’ll need to inform the DWP About:
Changes to Daily Living or Mobility Requirements
The DWP should be informed if you require more or less assistance or support, or that your condition will last for a longer or shorter period than you initially told the DWP about. This change can impact your entitlement to PIP, as well as the amount and the period of the PIP payment.
Extended Foreign Travel
This change can impact your entitlement to PIP. The DWP needs to be aware of the date you are leaving the country, how long you are planning to stay abroad, which country you are heading to and the reason you are going abroad.
Hospitalization or Other Institutional Stays
According to the DWP guidance, both components of PIP will stop being provided 28 days after a claimant enters an NHS hospital.
Patients who opt for private institutions are not subject to these rules and can continue to receive either component of PIP.
If a recipient is in hospital or a similar institution at the start of their entitlement to PIP, payments will not be provided until they leave the hospital or institution.
Residential Care Facility
The daily living component of PIP is no longer provided after 28 days of residency in a residential facility, where the costs of the accommodation are settled by public or local funds. The PIP mobility component can still be provided.
People who cover their own expenses are not affected by these rules. If a recipient is in a care home at the start of their PIP entitlement, the PIP daily living component will not be paid until they leave.
Linking Hospital and Care home Stays
If a claimant has consecutive spells in hospital, they are linked if the gap is no more than 28 days. Similarly, spells in a care home are linked for the daily living component if the gap between them is 28 days or less.
There is no link for the mobility component, as payments are unaffected while in a care home. Both components of PIP will cease being paid after a total of 28 days is spent in hospital. The daily living component of PIP will stop being provided after spending a total of 28 days in a care home.
If a claimant is in both a hospital and care home, these periods will also be linked.
Imprisonment or Legal Custody
This change can impact the amount of PIP a claimant is getting. The DWP needs to be informed of the date the claimant entered prison or legal custody and the expected duration of their stay, if known.
Change of PIP Payment Account
The DWP requires complete information including the name, address, and details of the new bank o building society account, as well as specifics of the new account such as the name, account number, and sort code or roll number.
Change in Representative for the claimant
This refers to an appointee or an individual with power of attorney for the claimant.
This change is important for ensuring that the DWP can provide payments to the appropriate individual at the right time. The DWP requires the full name, address, and contact information of the new representative acting on behalf of the claimant.
If the representative has relocated or has different contact details, the DWP will need to be updated with the new details.
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