If you’re under State Pension age, you may be able to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and if your ability to work is limited due to your symptoms you could claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Arthritis is a common condition which causes joint pain and inflammation.
If you're over State Pension age and you need help with your personal care, such as washing, dressing and going to the toilet, because of your symptoms of arthritis, you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance.
If you’re under State Pension age, you may be able to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and if your ability to work is limited due to your symptoms you could claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
PIP is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and helps cover the extra costs you may face if you need help in taking part in everyday life or find it difficult to get around.
The latest figures from the DWP show that over 54,000 Scots are successfully claiming PIP for some form of arthritis including:
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spondyloarthropathies
• Lupus erythematosus
• Gout
• Infectious and reactive arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
It is the effect of arthritis on you, rather than the fact that you have been diagnosed with this condition, that is central to the benefit.
You do not need to have a carer or someone helping you to qualify for PIP and you could receive between £23.60 and £151.40 a week if you’re aged 16 or over.
PIP is not taxable or means-tested and you don’t need to have paid National Insurance contributions to get it - you can also claim whether you’re in work or not.
It doesn’t matter how much savings you have or if you are receiving any other benefits. In fact an award of PIP can lead to higher levels of certain benefits being paid and also open the door to other benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance and a Council Tax reduction.
Find out if you can claim PIP by looking at the criteria set out by the DWP below.
Who is eligible for PIP?
You don’t need to have worked or paid National Insurance contributions to qualify for PIP, and it doesn’t matter what your income is, if you have any savings or if you’re in or out of work - or on furlough.
You must also have a health condition or disability where you:
• have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for three months
• expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months
The DWP will judge the eligibility of your PIP claim on a period of 12 months, looking back for three months and forward for nine months - they must consider if your illness changes over time.
You usually need to have lived in Scotland for at least two of the last three years and be in the country when you apply.
PIP daily living and mobility test
If you get or need help with any of the following because of your condition, you should consider applying for PIP:
• preparing, cooking or eating food
• managing your medication
• washing, bathing or using the toilet
• dressing and undressing
• engaging and communicating with other people
• reading and understanding written information
• making decisions about money
• planning a journey or following a route
• moving around - inside and outside the home
What is classified as ‘help’ for a PIP claim
You are classified as needing help to do an activity if you need a person or a device to:
• Do it for you
• Do it with you
• Remind you to do it
• Watch you do it to keep you safe
You may also be classified as needing help if you do an activity yourself but:
• You aren’t safe
• You can’t complete the task well enough
• You can’t complete the task often
• It takes you a long time
PIP test scoring criteria
The PIP scoring criteria awards points for a statement which applies to you for each activity
The DWP will decide which statement best fits your situation most of the time. You will get a set amount of points ranging from 0 -12 points for each activity.
The total number of points you get for each group of activities will decide whether you are entitled to PIP, and how much money you will receive.
To get the standard rate daily living component, you need to score 8 to 11 points in total for the daily living activities. You need 12 points to get the enhanced rate.
To get the standard rate mobility component, you need to score 8 to 11 points in total for the mobility activities. You need 12 points to get the enhanced rate.
How is PIP paid?
PIP is usually paid every four weeks unless you are terminally ill, in which case it is paid every week.
PIP will be paid directly into your bank, building society or credit union account.
What are the PIP payment rates for 2020/21?
PIP is made up of two components - daily living and mobility.
Whether you get one or both of these and how much depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You can get the following amounts per week depending on your circumstances:
• Daily living : standard rate - £59.70
• Daily living: enhanced rate - £89.15
• Mobility: standard rate - £23.60
• Mobility : enhanced rate - £62.25
How you are assessed
You’ll be assessed by an independent healthcare professional to help the DWP work out the level of help you need.
Face-to-face assessments have been suspended since March 17 and continue to be replaced by telephone and paper-based assessments - we have a full guide on how to prepare for assessments here.
How do you make a claim for PIP?
You can make a new claim by contacting the DWP, you’ll find all the information you need to apply on the gov.uk website here.
Before you call, you’ll need:
• your contact details, for example telephone number
• your date of birth
• your National Insurance number - this is on letters about tax, pensions and benefits
• your bank or building society account number and sort code
• your doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
• dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent abroad, in a care home or hospital
Once you've contacted the DWP, they will send you a document to complete which consists of 14 questions and a section for any additional information.
The questions focus on how your condition affects you - put as much relevant detail in as you can to help the assessor understand your physical and mental health needs.
If you have difficulty filling in your form or understanding the questions, contact your local council and ask for help or Citizens Advice Scotland.
We have a breakdown of all 14 questions here and you can take an anonymous self-test online at Benefits and Work to see how many points you would be awarded for each response.
For more information about PIP, visit gov.uk here.

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