Benefit paperwork can shape years of your life. New data hints some people face fewer reassessments and longer support.
Fresh Department for Work and Pensions figures show a surge in Personal Independence Payment claims and a clear pattern in award length. For many people with certain conditions, the chance of a five-year-plus decision looks markedly higher than average.
What the new numbers reveal
Across Great Britain, 3,744,671 people now receive PIP, a record high for a working-age disability benefit. The latest snapshot, using data to the end of April 2025, shows that award length varies widely. Some claims run for nine months. Others are classed as ongoing with a light touch review just once a decade.
More than four in ten PIP claimants have awards of five years or longer, and a light touch applies to over 1.6 million people.
The DWP says award length reflects how a condition affects daily life and independence. Most awards still come up for review to keep support aligned with a person’s needs. Limited-term decisions of up to two years can be set without review when improvement is reasonably expected.
Six conditions most likely to secure a five-year-plus award
The share of people getting awards of at least five years is not uniform. The categories below show the highest proportions receiving longer decisions as of April 2025.
| Condition category | Total claimants | Light touch reviews | Share with 5+ year awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual disease | 58,539 | 38,112 | 65.0% |
| Musculoskeletal disease (general) | 697,476 | 365,238 | 52.0% |
| Neurological disease | 472,121 | 252,214 | 53.4% |
| Respiratory disease | 137,957 | 66,647 | 48.3% |
| Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders) | 19,921 | 9,310 | 46.7% |
| Musculoskeletal disease (regional) | 440,684 | 202,317 | 46.0% |
Why these conditions lead to longer awards
Longer awards tend to appear where needs are stable, progressive or unlikely to improve quickly. Visual impairments often place long-term demands on daily living and mobility. Many neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, can be unpredictable but enduring. Musculoskeletal disorders frequently cause chronic pain and functional limits that persist even with treatment.
Decision makers weigh medical evidence, functional impact and prognosis. A consistent picture of ongoing need can tip a case towards a longer award or an ongoing award with light touch review.
How PIP award length really works
PIP awards fall into several broad types:
- Fixed term with review: most common, set for a defined period and checked before expiry.
- Limited term without review: up to two years when improvement is reasonably expected within that time.
- Ongoing with light touch: usually reviewed only once every 10 years.
Light touch review markers often apply if a person has very stable needs that are unlikely to change, high-level needs likely to remain the same or worsen, or a planned award review around State Pension age. Special rules for end of life also intersect with this approach when people are at or over State Pension age.
Claimants given light touch status are not normally called to a face-to-face assessment at review.
What you could be paid in 2025/26
PIP has two components: daily living and mobility. Each can be paid at standard or enhanced rate depending on how your condition limits day-to-day activities and getting around.
- Daily living: £73.90 (standard) or £110.40 (enhanced) per week.
- Mobility: £29.20 (standard) or £77.05 (enhanced) per week.
Payments usually arrive every four weeks. People receiving both enhanced components can receive up to £187.45 per week.
The combined maximum reaches £749.80 over a four-week pay cycle if you qualify for both enhanced rates.
Who might qualify and what the DWP assesses
You must have faced difficulties with daily living, mobility, or both for at least three months, and expect those difficulties to continue for at least nine months. Most people must also meet residence rules in Great Britain.
Assessors look at the detail of how you manage key activities and whether you can do them safely, as often as needed, within a reasonable time, and without help or aids. The list below indicates areas that commonly count towards points.
- Preparing, cooking and eating food.
- Managing therapies and medicines.
- Washing, bathing, using the toilet and managing incontinence.
- Dressing and undressing.
- Communicating and understanding information.
- Mixing with other people.
- Making budgeting decisions.
- Planning and following journeys.
- Moving around.
- Leaving the home.
Practical steps to improve your claim
Before you call
- Have your National Insurance number, date of birth and contact details ready.
- Keep bank or building society details to hand.
- List your GP or health professional’s name, address and phone number.
- Note any hospital stays, time abroad or time in care, with dates and addresses.
During the assessment
- Describe your worst days and how often they occur, not only your best days.
- Explain risks you face when attempting tasks, and any assistance or aids used.
- Provide recent clinic letters, test results and prescriptions demonstrating ongoing need.
- Use a symptom diary covering fatigue, pain flare-ups, seizures, breathlessness or falls.
If your situation changes
- Report changes that increase or reduce your needs. Reviews can adjust awards up or down.
- If your condition stabilises at a high level of need, ask about light touch review markers.
Worked examples that mirror real decisions
A person with advanced sight loss who cannot read standard print and needs help to plan unfamiliar routes might receive enhanced daily living and mobility. Medical evidence that the visual impairment is permanent supports a longer or ongoing award with light touch review.
Someone with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who needs supervision when preparing meals and uses mobility aids outdoors could receive mixed rates. A neurologist’s letter about disease progression and a physiotherapy report on mobility aids can justify a five-year review cycle.
A claimant recovering from major joint surgery who currently relies on aids to bathe and dress may get a limited-term award without review for up to two years, reflecting an expectation of improvement through rehabilitation.
What this means if you are applying now
If your condition sits within the categories above, you are statistically more likely to see a longer award, provided evidence shows sustained needs. That does not guarantee an outcome, because PIP awards hinge on functional impact, not diagnosis alone.
Reforms to disability benefits are due next year, but current rules still apply. Existing awards continue until reviewed. Keep your evidence current, detail your functional limits clearly, and think about how often difficulties arise, how long tasks take, and whether you can complete them safely and reliably.
Finally some clarity! Does the five-year-plus category mean you won’t get dragged into constant reassessments, or can DWP still call you in earlier if circumstances change?