Understanding PIP: Key changes you don't need to report to the DWP and those you must

Linda Howard & Shannon Brown
·2-min read
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Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit available to individuals over 16 and under State Pension age who require additional assistance with daily living activities or mobility due to a long-term illness, disability, or mental or physical health condition.

Successful claims for PIP can provide individuals with an extra £28.70 to £184.30 per week in financial support. Many claimants may be familiar with the list of changes in circumstances that must be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ensure uninterrupted payments, reports the Daily Record.

However, as PIP is not a means tested benefit, there are some changed that do not need to be reported to the DWP, including job-related changes. Other circumstances, including a change in personal details, must always be reported.

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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

  • 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 cautions: "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 it is essential to promptly communicate any such changes as Social Security Scotland will rely on the DWP's data on you when processing benefits. To inform the DWP about a change in circumstances, ensure you have your National Insurance number, bank account details, and your GP's contact information to hand. This allows the DWP to confirm who you are.

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