DWP payments of £1,149 for those with certain health issues | Personal Finance | Finance

Universal Credit recipients with health issues could be entitled to additional support through the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is a disability benefit awarded to individuals who need help with daily tasks due to an illness, disability or mental health condition.

It’s not means-tested and doesn’t affect 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 granted 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 – combined with PIP, this equates to a total benefit payment of £1,149.94 each month, reports the Mirror.

Of course, 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 might be entitled to both the daily living and mobility components of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – but proposed alterations could impact the daily living part of PIP.

To be eligible for the standard rate of the daily living component of PIP, you need to accumulate between eight and 11 points. If you amass 12 points or more, you are entitled to the higher daily living rate.

However, under suggested changes, from November 2026, you would also require a minimum of four points in at least one activity to receive the daily living part of PIP.

This implies that those who currently qualify for PIP by scoring lower points across a variety of tasks would no longer be eligible for the daily living part of PIP.

The assessment for the mobility component of PIP is not being altered. 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.