You must:

• have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for 3 months
• expect these difficulties to continue for at least 9 months
• have lived in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years.

PIP is not available to new claimants who are over the upper age limit (age 65 or State Pension age, whichever is higher) unless they:

• had a previous claim to PIP or DLA which ended within the last 12 months, or
• they applied before that age, but that claim was not decided.

Tab 8. Attendance allowance > is for people over 65 who need help at home because of an illness or disability and who aren’t receiving PIP.

You will be assessed by a health professional to work out the level of help you can get.

If you have substantial caring needs, your partner could still get Tab 6. Carer’s Allowance > .

If you are starting your claim online you will need your:

• National Insurance number
• Email address
• Mobile phone

You or another person can phone on your behalf. You will need to be with them when they call. There are also other ways to claim if you find it difficult to use a phone.

Before you call, you will need to have ready:

• your contact details, for example your phone number
• your date of birth
• your National Insurance Number
• your bank or building society account number and sort code
• your doctor or health worker’s name, address and phone number
• dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent abroad or in hospital

DWP – PIP claims
Freephone: 0800 917 2222
Freetextphone: 0800 917 7777
Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm
You will then be sent a ‘How Your Disability Affects You’ form to complete.

You will need to fill in the ‘How Your Disability Affects You’ form using the notes that come with it to help you. There is a lot of really good advice on a number of websites about this so we have not repeated it. It is well worth reading them through and thinking carefully about what you want to say before you fill out your form:

• Turn2Us: Get ready for PIP medical assessment >
• Disability Rights UK: Guide to making a claim > 
• Citizens Advice Bureau: PIP: your assessment > and their PIP assessment helpsheet > (pdf).

Some Local Authorities have a Welfare Rights Service which can be very helpful. Check your Local Authority website.

If you are having any difficulties or would like to discuss what you might say on your form get in touch with SMA UK >.

Once you have filled out your form, return it to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The address is on the form. Make sure to keep a copy.

The DWP will try to do the assessment by looking at your medical evidence and talking to you over the phone or by video call. It is important to send your medical evidence as soon as possible. If the DWP can’t assess you over the phone or by video call, they will invite you to a face-to-face medical assessment.

You will be asked questions about your ability to carry out activities and how your SMA affects your daily life.

The website links in Tab 4. Getting Ready’ tell you more about what to expect at an interview. The organisation Capita completes the assessments in some areas. See Capita – what to expect >.

You will get a letter some time after this that will tell you if you will get PIP. If you do, you will be told how much you will get and the date it will be reviewed. This is so that you continue to get the right support.

Appeals

If your application is turned down, you can appeal. Find out more:

• Citzens Advice > scroll down to PIP appeals
• Advicenow: How to win a PIP appeal >  and a PIP Mandatory Reconsideration Request Letter Tool>.  This aims to support you to ask the DWP to look again at their decision about your claim for PIP.

If you are having difficulties at any stage, get in touch with SMA UK’s Support Team >.