Reporting changes that affect your PIP
This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland, See advice for Wales
You need to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about changes as soon as possible because they can affect your PIP.
Check what changes you need to report
Tell the DWP if your condition gets better or worse - or if the level of help you need changes. This might affect how much PIP you can get - check how the DWP decides how much PIP you can get.
You should also tell the DWP if your personal details change. This won’t usually affect how much PIP you can get. For example, tell them if you change your:
name
address
bank account details
GP or specialist
If you go abroad
The DWP will usually stop your PIP if you leave Great Britain for more than 13 weeks - or 26 weeks if you leave to get medical treatment. Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland.
It's worth telling the DWP if you're going abroad for less than 13 weeks, in case they try to contact you while you're away.
If you move to the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein
You might be able to keep getting the daily living component of PIP - this is for the extra help you need with everyday tasks. You still need to tell the DWP that you’re moving. You can find out more about claiming benefits if you move or travel abroad on GOV.UK.
Claiming PIP when you come back to Great Britain
If the DWP stop your claim because you go abroad, you’ll need to make a new claim when you come back to Great Britain.
If you come back within 12 months, contact the DWP and ask to make a ‘rapid reclaim’. This usually means you:
get paid more quickly
won’t have to complete the ‘How your disability affects you’ form again
won’t have to go to another medical assessment
Personal Independence Payment claim line
Telephone: 0800 917 2222
Textphone: 0800 917 7777
Relay UK - if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0800 917 2222
You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.
Video relay - if you use British Sign Language (BSL).
You can find out how to use video relay on YouTube.
Calling from abroad: +44 191 218 7766
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
If you go into hospital or a care home
The rules are slightly different for hospitals and care homes.
If you’re in hospital for more than 28 days, the DWP will usually pause your PIP claim and stop paying you. Going into hospital won’t affect your PIP if you’re either:
aged under 18 when you go in - even if you turn 18 while you’re there
paying for your stay privately
If you’re in a care home for more than 28 days, the DWP will usually stop paying you the ‘daily living component’ of PIP. The daily living component is for the extra help you need with everyday tasks. Going into a care home won’t affect your PIP if you’re paying for your stay privately.
It also won’t affect your PIP if you’re terminally ill and you go into a hospice - unless it’s an NHS hospital.
If you go back into hospital or a care home within 28 days of leaving, it counts as part of the same stay.
Elizaveta gets PIP. She is 25 years old. She is in hospital for 20 days then goes home. After 10 days at home, she goes into hospital again.
28 days minus 20 days is 8 days.
The DWP will stop paying Elizaveta’s PIP if she is in hospital for more than 8 days.
If you’re staying in hospital or a care home for longer than 28 days, tell the DWP when you get home. They should start paying you PIP or the daily living component again. Tell them even if you only go home for part of a day - they should pay you for that day.
If you go into prison or custody
The DWP will pause your PIP award and stop your payments if you’re in prison or custody for more than 28 days.
If you go back into prison or custody within a year of leaving, it counts as part of the same stay.
Morgan gets PIP. They’re 30 years old. They’re in custody for 10 days then they go home. After 6 months at home, they’re sent to prison.
28 days minus 10 days is 18 days.
The DWP will pause Morgan’s PIP after they’re in prison for 18 days.
If you’re in prison or custody for longer than 28 days, tell the DWP when you get home - they should start paying you PIP again.
If your immigration status changes
Your PIP will only stop if you become ‘subject to immigration control’. If you become subject to immigration control, get help from an adviser.
Changes you don't have to report
You don’t have to tell the DWP if:
you get a job, return to work or leave work
there’s a change in your earnings or other income
someone joins or leaves your household
If you’re not sure whether to tell the DWP about a change
There are a number of other changes you should tell the DWP about because they might affect your PIP. If you’re not sure, it’s worth telling them anyway.
Keep a record of the change
It is a good idea to keep a written record of the fact that you’ve reported the change to the DWP. For example, in case the DWP disagrees that a change has been reported.
If you report the change by phone, make a note of what you said and when you called. If you write to report the change, keep a copy of the letter. Ask the Post Office for free proof of postage - you might need to show when you sent it.
How to contact the DWP to report a change
Report a change as soon as possible. You can call or write to the DWP to tell them about the change.
When you report the change, the DWP will let you know if it affects your PIP.
You’ll need to include these details when you report a change:
your full name
your date of birth
your national insurance number
the date the change happened or will happen
the thing that has changed
Calling the DWP
You’ll need to call the PIP helpline. Someone else can call on your behalf but you need to be with them so that you can give permission for them to speak for you.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) enquiry line
Telephone: 0800 121 4433
Textphone: 0800 121 4493
Relay UK - if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0800 121 4433
You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.
Video relay - if you use British Sign Language (BSL).
You can find out how to use video relay on YouTube.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
Writing to the DWP
You can find the address on your PIP letters. If you can’t find it, call the PIP helpline and ask for the address.
Reporting changes on time
Once you know about a change that might affect the amount of PIP you get, tell the DWP as soon as you can.
The change might increase your payment and you might miss out on extra money if you tell the DWP late.
You should still tell the DWP if you think a change might reduce your PIP - you won't save money by reporting it later. If you tell the DWP late you could get paid too much and have to pay your benefits back to the DWP. This is called an overpayment - check how the DWP deals with overpayments.
If the DWP wants to assess you again
The DWP will send you a new ‘How your disability affects you’ form to complete. You should fill in the form and send it back by the date given on the front page - check how to complete the PIP form.
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Page last reviewed on 03 March 2022