People can check to see if they qualify for the Personal Independence Payment - a benefit which can help with the cost of everyday life

People with a range of health conditions can check if they're eligible for a Personal Independence Payment, known as PIP.

The severity of a person's condition could see them receive the disability benefit which could be worth up to £627 from the DWP. The payment could go a long way to helping people with the cost of everyday living as well as mobility costs.

The latest research shows that the number of people claiming PIP for psychiatric disorders like anxiety, stress, depression and learning disorders has risen according to data for October 2022. Simultaneously, the amount of people claiming this disability benefit for musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, joint or back pain, and hip disorders is also rising, the DWP has confirmed.

A possible reason for the upturn could be that there is now more awareness of what conditions qualify for a PIP payment. There are at least 21 health conditions qualifying for PIP, although it's worth getting in touch with the DWP if one isn't on the list.

The 21 main disabilities that could see you qualify are:

Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders)
Cardiovascular disease
Diseases of the immune system
Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract
Endocrine disease
Gastrointestinal disease
Genitourinary disease
Haematological Disease
Hearing disorders
Infectious disease
Malignant disease
Metabolic disease
Multisystem and extremes of age
Musculoskeletal disease (general)
Musculoskeletal disease (regional)
Neurological disease
Psychiatric disorders
Respiratory disease
Skin disease
Visual disease
Unknown or missing
PIP isn't a means-tested benefits so it's not relevant how much someone earns or has in their savings. Macmillan Cancer Support recently shared five things people can do which may make a claim for Attendance Allowance or PIP successful.

The daily living component of the PIP has a lower weekly rate of £61.85 and a higher rate stands at £92.40 and the mobility component is £24.45 for the lower weekly rate and £64.50 for the higher rate. This essentially means that someone in receipt of the higher rate of both components would be eligible for £627.60 a month.

PIP also acts as a gateway benefit to 10 additional freebies from the DWP which is worth thousands, and these include:

Free prescriptions (depending on illness)
Free or reduced council tax bills
Capped water bills
Reduced price bus or rail fares
Motability scheme
Cost of living payments
Cold Weather Payments
Blue badge in England and Wales
Vehicle tax discount of up to 100 percent
Disabled Facilities Grant (up to £30,000)

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