PIP claimants can also claim multiple different freebies and extra support to help them with their daily lives. This can include Blue Badges, capped water bills, and Council Tax discounts
There is a range of freebies, discounts, and extra support you claim if you get Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
PIP is a benefit given to people with long-term health conditions or disabilities. It is not an out of work benefit and it’s intended to help with the extra costs people can face due to their condition – this means you can claim it whether you are working or not.
The disability benefit is paid across two components, with each of these components containing two different rates depending on how much help you need. The maximum weekly payment you can get sits at £184.30 a week. Alongside the benefit, claimants can also claim multiple different freebies and extra support to help them with their daily lives.
This can include Blue Badges, capped water bills, and Council Tax discounts. Here we highlight just some of the freebies, discounts, and support you can get.
Blue badges
Blue Badges help people with disabilities or health conditions park a car closer to their destination and you can use your PIP award letter to get one. You can apply for Blue Badges from your local council and some can be free, however, some do charge. The most they can charge sits at £10.
To be eligible, you’ll need to have a disability that limits your movement and ability to walk – you can also get one if you are registered blind. Other benefits which could get you a blue badge include;
- Disability living allowance
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- Lump sum payment as part of the Armed Forces Compensation scheme
Capped water bills
Some people who claim PIP or DLA can eligible for help with paying their water bills through the WaterSure Scheme.
To be eligible, you’ll need to consume – or someone in your household consumes – a lot of water due to your medical condition Eligibility varies from water supplier to water supplier, so to get the help you should get in touch with your supplier to see if they’re offering any support.
Council Tax discounts
You might also be able to get a council tax discount if you claim the living or mobility part of PIP. Again, you will need to contact your local authority to find out whether you could be entitled to a discount. How much you’ll get off widely depends on what your personal situation is and how much PIP you’re claiming – so it’s best to call up and have a discussion.
If you’re classed as “severely mentally impaired”, you could be eligible for a complete exemption, meaning you’ll be disregarded from paying any council tax at all. Usually, you will need to show your PIP award letter to prove you are claiming the discount.
Disability premium
If you claim PIP and qualify for a disability premium, you could receive one of the following amounts as an additional payment:
- £39.85 a week if you’re single (disability premium)
- £56.80 a week if you’re in a couple (disability premium)
- £76.40 a week if you’re single (severe disability premium)
- £152.80 a week if you’re in a couple and are both eligible (severe disability premium)
- £19.55 a week if you’re single (enhanced disability premium)
- £27.90 a week if you’re in a couple and at least one of you is eligible (enhanced disability premium)
To be eligible for a disability premium, you’ll also need to receive one of the following benefits alongside PIP:
- Housing Benefit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (only if you get the daily living component of PIP)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit (only if you get the daily living component of PIP)
- Working Tax Credit
Disabled Facilities Grant
You can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home to suit your needs. For example, you might need to widen doors and install ramps or rails. However, you need to be assessed to check your eligibility for the support, so not everyone claiming PIP can be eligible.
You can get different amounts of money depending on whether you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. The grants are not available for households in Scotland. If you live in Wales you can get up to £36,000 worth of support, £30,000 in England and up to £25,000 in Northern Ireland. You can apply through your local council which must give you a decision within six months.
Free prescriptions
If you have a disability that entitles you to PIP, you may be able to get free NHS prescriptions, although this is not always guaranteed. Some medical conditions and disabilities can get you a Medical Exemption Certificate which allows you to get free prescriptions. These are credit-card-size cards which you can get after speaking to your doctor or GP. According to the NHS website, the conditions which are eligible for a medical exemption card include:
- a permanent fistula (for example, caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) which needs continuous surgical dressing or an appliance
- a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison’s Disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential
- diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism
- diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone
- hypoparathyroidism
- myasthenia gravis
- myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism which needs thyroid hormone replacement)
- epilepsy which needs continuous anticonvulsive therapy
- a continuing physical disability which means you cannot go out without the help of another person
- cancer and are undergoing treatment for either cancer, the effects of cancer, or the effects of cancer treatment
Motability Scheme vehicle
If you’ve been awarded the enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP and have 12 months or more remaining on your current allowance, you could be eligible to join the Motability Scheme. This is where you can trade some or all of your PIP earnings from this component towards the cost of a brand-new car, wheelchair-accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair.
Through the scheme, you have over 2,000 cars to choose from, with insurance, tax and servicing all included. You can look into the scheme and the selection of the vehicles available through the Motability Scheme website.
Vehicle tax reduction
If you’re receiving the standard rate mobility component of PIP you can get a 50% reduction in vehicle tax. Vehicle tax – also known as road tax – is what you have to pay to use your car on the roads. To get the discount, the vehicle you’re getting reduced tax on must be registered in the disabled person’s name or their nominated driver’s name.
You can claim this discount when applying for vehicle tax. If you’re applying for the first time, you should be able to do it at your local Post Office branch. To find your nearest branch, you can go on the Post Office’s website and use its branch finder.
If you receive the mobility component at the enhanced rate, you can apply for a complete vehicle tax exemption instead – meaning you get a 100% discount.
Toll roads and travel discounts
The majority of toll roads and congestion schemes in the UK offer a concession to disabled people, such as those who claim the enhanced rate mobility component of PIP. This discount includes river crossings, bridges and tunnels.
People who claim PIP can also get a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass and a Disabled Person’s Railcard. The bus pass is managed by local councils as part of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. You can contact your local council on how to get one. The railcard costs £20 per year or £54 for three years. It gives you a third off rail travel and the average annual savings are around £91 – but this will depend on how often you get the train.
