Full list of people on PIP most at risk of payment cut under new DWP welfare reforms
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates that proposed eligibility rule changes to the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will result in 370,000 existing claimants losing their entitlement when their award is reviewed during the 2029/30 financial year.
The impact assessment, published in March, also estimates that 430,000 future PIP claimants will not qualify for the disability benefit once the reforms come into force, with an average loss of £4,500 each year.
The DWP has now conducted analysis of PIP claimants who did not score four points in at least one daily living activity in 18 of the most common disabling conditions. These conditions have been chosen as they make up the highest proportions of PIP caseloads.
Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms, shared the analysis findings in a written response to Liberal Democrat MP Victoria Collins.
Sir Stephen said: 'A breakdown of the impact of the reforms on disability overall has been published as part of an Equality Analysis of the Spring Statement package of measures
'Data on the health conditions of Universal Credit claimants being placed in the LCWRA has been published and will continue to be taken into account in the future programme of analysis.'
The DWP Minister continued: 'Analysis of those who do not score four points in at least one daily living activity for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has now been undertaken.'
He added that the table of findings 'shows the volume of claimants with the 18 most common disabling conditions in receipt of the PIP daily living component in January 2025, as well as the volume and proportion of these claimants who were awarded less than four points in all 10 daily living activities.'
DWP analysis of current daily living awards
DWP notes on the analysis state that the health condition category is based on primary health condition as recorded on the PIP Computer System at time of latest assessment. Many claimants have multiple health conditions but only primary condition is available for analysis.
The list below shows PIP health conditions, the number of comments in receipt of PIP daily living component and the number of claimants awarded less than four points in all daily living activities at the end of January 2025.
Back Pain - 194,000 claimants, 154,000 (79%) scored less than 4 points
Arthritis - 279,000 claimants, 13,000 (6%) scored less than 4 points
Other Regional Musculoskeletal Diseases - 136,000 claimants, 97,000 (71%) scored less than 4 points
Chronic Pain Syndromes - 173,00 claimants, 97,000 (71%) scored less than 4 points
Cardiovascular Diseases - 61,000 claimants, 38,000 (62%) scored less than 4 points
Respiratory Diseases - 83,000 claimants, 45,000 (55%) scored less than 4 points
Multiple Sclerosis and Neuropathic Diseases - 80,000 claimants, 38,000 (48%) scored less than 4 points
All Other Conditions - 272,000 claimants, 126,000 (46%) scored less than 4 points
Other Neurological Diseases - 97,000 claimants,35,000 (36%) scored less than 4 points
Cerebrovascular Diseases - 56,000 claimants, 19,000 (34%) scored less than 4 points
Cancer - 70,000 claimants, 23,000 (33%) scored less than 4 points
Epilepsy - 36,000 claimants, 11,000 (30%) scored less than 4 points
Other Psychiatric Disorders - 90,000 claimants, 25,000 (28%) scored less than 4 points
Cerebral Palsy and Neurological Muscular Diseases - 47,000 claimants, 11,000 (24%) scored less than 4 points
Psychotic Disorders - 112,000 claimants, 26,000 (23%) scored less than 4 points
ADHD / ADD - 75,000 claimants, 14,000 (19%) scored less than 4 points
Autistic Spectrum Disorders - 206,000 claimants, 13,000 (6%) scored less than 4 points
Learning Disabilities - 188,000claimants, 7,000 (3%) scored less than 4 points
Other disabling condition groups which cover smaller proportions of the PIP caseload are covered in the 'Other Conditions' category.
This includes:
Visual Diseases
Other General Musculoskeletal Diseases
Endocrine Diseases
Hearing Disorders
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Genitourinary Diseases
Skin Diseases
Autoimmune Diseases (Connective Tissue Disorders)
Infectious Diseases
Diseases of the Liver, Gallbladder or Biliary Tract
Haematological Diseases
Metabolic Diseases
Multisystem and Extremes of Age
Diseases of the Immune System
Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety disorders - Other / type not known
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Stress reaction disorders - Other / type not known
Generalised anxiety disorder
Phobia - Specific
Phobia - Social
Agoraphobia
Panic disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Anxiety and depressive disorders - mixed
Conversion disorder (hysteria)
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
Dissociative disorders - Other / type not known
Somatoform disorders - Other / type not known
Depressive disorder
Bipolar affective disorder (Hypomania / Mania)
Mood disorders - Other / type not known
Daily living component for PIP
You might get the daily living component of PIP if you need help with:
eating, drinking or preparing food
washing, bathing, using the toilet, managing incontinence
dressing and undressing
talking, listening, reading and understanding
managing your medicines or treatments
making decisions about money
mixing with other people
How difficulty with tasks is assessed
The DWP will assess how difficult you find daily living and mobility tasks.
For each task, the DWP will look at:
whether you can do it safely
how long it takes you
how often your condition affects this activity
whether you need help to do it, from a person or using extra equipment
The descriptors
Your ability to carry out each activity is measured against a list of standard statements describing what you can or cannot do.
These are known as the descriptors. The health professional will advise the DWP which descriptor applies to you for each activity.
The Citizen's Advice website has a whole section dedicated to this along with a downloadable guide to all the points awarded for each response - you can view this here. An example they use is there are six descriptors for 'Dressing and undressing', ranging from 'Can dress and undress unaided' to 'Cannot dress or undress at all'.
Each descriptor carries a points score ranging from 0 to 12.
Using aids or appliances
Your ability to carry out the daily living activities and the mobility activities will be assessed as if you were wearing or using any aids or appliances it would be reasonable for you to use.
This applies whether or not you normally use those aids or appliances. However, if you use or need aids and appliances, this can help you to score more points - find out more here.
Citizens Advice explains: 'An aid is any item which improves, provides or replaces impaired physical or mental function. It doesn't have to be specially designed as a disability aid. Examples include a stool you need to sit on when cooking, or a walking stick to help you stand.'
Daily living scores
Citizens Advice explains to get the daily living component of PIP, you must have a physical or mental condition that limits your ability to carry out some or all of the activities below.
The maximum amount of PIP points that can be awarded for that question are shown.
Daily living activity:
Preparing food - 8
Taking medication - 10
Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition - 8
Washing and bathing - 8
Managing toilet needs or incontinence - 8
Dressing and undressing - 8
Communicating verbally - 12
Reading and understanding symbols and words - 8
Engaging with other people face to face - 8
Making budgeting decisions - 6
Points and payment rates
After answering all the daily living activity questions:
If you get between 8 and 11 points in total - you will be awarded the standard rate of PIP
If you get at least 12 points in total - you will be awarded the enhanced rate of PIP
After answering all the mobility activity questions:
If you get between 8 and 11 points in total - you will be awarded the standard rate of PIP
If you get at least 12 points in total - you will be awarded the enhanced rate of PIP
The latest DWP figures show that at the end of January there were 3.7 million PIP claimants across Great Britain.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has previously said more than 1,000 PIP claims are being awarded per day, making the argument for welfare reforms to ensure the system is sustainable for the future.
The proposed changes will come into force in November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.
Reforms also include increasing the number of face-to-face assessments. At present, most are being conducted remotely over the phone, by video call, or paper-based.
However, there will be no freeze on PIP payments, which will continue to be non-means-tested, and rise in-line with the September inflation rate.
There will be no changes to the mobility component.
You can complete the UK Government's consultation on proposed changes to PIP and the benefits system on GOV.UK here.
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Her brothers are impacted – they're always looking out for her, making sure she is safe. But now, in Amsterdam at a special conference for FOXP1, we were connecting with families like us from all over the world - even the UK. Meeting them and their children, I cried tears of joy. It had taken us a decade and we'd had to fly across Europe but, finally, it was like the pieces of our jigsaw were slotting together. After 10 years of me feeling lost, afraid and alone, we were part of a community. I couldn't believe it when we met Zahra, from Hampshire, with her 13-year-old boy Oscar, who has FOXP1 and was diagnosed three years ago – six weeks after his dad died suddenly and unexpectedly. Her feelings echoed my own, when she said: 'Finally meeting other children and adults with FOXP1 and their parents and carers was the best decision I've made.' When Annabelle was born on 23 December 2014, I knew something was wrong. She had a squint and was floppy. She had a strange cry – and while her head was on the 90th centile, her body was on the 9th. She choked on my milk and didn't make eye contact. But I could never have imagined the journey that lay before us – the hospitalisations, the battle for therapy and support, the loneliness and isolation, the fears for her future that would keep me from sleeping. As she continually missed milestones, I raised my concerns with the medical profession. After months of being dismissed as neurotic, things unravelled quickly when Annabelle got a cold at 10 months and ended up in intensive care with bronchiolitis and RSV, covered in wires and fighting for her life. Suddenly the hospital doctors started listening. After a barrage of treatment and recovery, a doctor diagnosed developmental delay, and hypotonia (decreased muscle tone), saying she was 'catastrophically' disabled and may never walk or talk.' 'Buy a calendar - you are going to have a lot of appointments,' said the consultant. A neurologist showed me her brain MRI and explained that Annabelle had an abnormal brain with enlarged ventricles and loss of white matter. I burst out crying and was told I was upsetting other patients. When I asked the same neurologist if she might eventually have a relationship, she replied: 'If she ever has sex, it will be rape, because she will lack the mental capacity to consent.' I was utterly shell-shocked. As our life became a whirlwind of hospitalisations and medical appointments, consultants knew no more than their belief she had a genetic condition. Not knowing what either Annabelle's – or the rest of our family's future looked like was agony. Years of battling for support, paying for private therapies we could ill afford and struggling for any positives followed. Finally, in 2018, we celebrated the birth of our twins, Alexander and Oliver, and - having signed up to the 100,000 genome project - Annabelle's geneticist told us she had FOXP1, before discharging her. Through it all, I had no FOXP1 families to meet up with, have a coffee with – with whom to share our woes. But now, in Amsterdam, we were joining 75 families like ours from 15 countries across the world - including 5 from the UK - at the two day conference. In all, we met 49 children and adults with FOXP1 – ranging in age from 2 to 46. Meeting scientists and hearing about new research and treatments was awesome. But nothing beats meeting other people like Annabelle and other mums like me. To my astonishment, I even met another family from London who are only about 10 miles away from us. At last, I was making connections. People I could laugh and cry with. People who understood. And as we talked, I finally started getting answers to questions that haunted me. What will Annabelle's future look like? Will she continue to progress? Will she ever live independently? Will she ever have a job? Make friends? How do I cope with her challenging behaviour? What will happen when I die? Until this moment, I hadn't realised that feeling lost, frightened and lonely had become my normal. I felt like I'd known these families for years. I particularly loved seeing all the teenagers hanging out together, forming friendships. It gave me hope for Annabelle. Zahra agreed, saying: 'Meeting so many FOXP1 families was mind blowing, overwhelming and emotional at times, but I felt so comfortable talking and sharing our stories. 'We laughed and we cried as we shared stories of life with our Foxes.' I also met Karl Whitney – co-founder and co-president of the International FOXP1 Foundation, whose 20-year-old son, Jonah, has FOXP1 and whose YouTube video I found when Annabelle was first diagnosed. I'd connected with some people on FOXP1 Facebook and WhatsApp groups, but it's no substitute for face-to-face contact. It was truly magical for me and worth all the nerves and the special assistance we needed with the flights. When it was time to leave Amsterdam, I cried. I didn't want to leave the families I'd connected with behind. Annabelle has taught me to reassess what actually matters in life and to see the world in a different way. I feel incredibly lucky to have her. Now, at last, we have found people just like her. We were no longer alone.
