Those on Universal Credit with health issues could be eligible for additional support through the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is a disability benefit given to individuals who require assistance with daily tasks due to an illness, disability or mental health condition.
It’s not a means-tested benefit and doesn’t impact the benefit cap. PIP can also be claimed by those in employment, meaning it can be received alongside other benefits, including Universal Credit.
If you’re awarded the higher rates of PIP, you could receive up to £749.80 every four weeks, separate from other benefits. This would be in addition to your Universal Credit claim.
For single claimants over the age of 25, the standard allowance is £400.14 a month. When this is combined with PIP, this equates to a total benefit payment of £1,149.94 each month, reports the Mirror.
Naturally, your entitlement to Universal Credit may be more or less than this, depending on your eligibility for any extra elements, or if you’re subject to any deductions by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). PIP is awarded based on how your health condition impacts your life, rather than simply because you have a specific illness or disability.
The daily living rate is £73.90 a week if you’re awarded the standard rate, while the higher rate is £110.40 a week. There’s also the mobility rate, which is £29.20 a week for the standard rate, and £77.05 a week for the higher rate.
You may be eligible for both the daily living and mobility components of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – but proposed changes could affect the daily living part of PIP. To qualify for the standard rate of the daily living component of PIP, you need to score between eight and 11 points. If you score 12 points or more, you are entitled to the higher daily living rate.
However, under proposed changes, from November 2026, you would also need a minimum of four points in at least one activity to receive the daily living part of PIP. This means that those who currently qualify for PIP by scoring lower points across a range of tasks would no longer be eligible for the daily living part of PIP.
The assessment for the mobility component of PIP is not changing. If you’re terminally ill, you normally receive PIP automatically without needing an assessment. PIP is available if you are over the age of 16 but below state pension age.
