High Rate, Middle Rate and Lowest PIP Payment Explained (2026/27)

High rate PIP is the enhanced rate, which the GOV.UK PIP guide calls the higher weekly rate. In 2026/27 it pays £114.60 a week for the daily living part and £80.00 a week for the mobility part, or £194.60 a week if you get both. There is no middle rate of PIP: each part has only two rates. The lowest PIP payment is £30.30 a week, the standard rate of the mobility part on its own.

The Short Answer: Two Rates in Each Part, Not Three

PIP is made up of two separate parts, called components: daily living and mobility. You can be awarded one part or both, and each part is paid at one of two rates. That gives four weekly amounts in 2026/27:

These are the rates confirmed in the DWP's Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 and shown on GOV.UK. PIP is usually paid every 4 weeks. It is tax free and the amount you get is not affected by your income or savings.

So when people talk about "high rate", "low rate", "top rate" or "middle rate" PIP, they are always describing some mix of these four figures. The rest of this guide explains which name means which rate, how points decide your rate and what each rate can unlock beyond the weekly payment. For the full table with monthly averages and last year's figures, see our PIP rates 2026/27 guide.

Enhanced vs Standard Rate: Why the Same Rates Have Two Names

Much of the confusion comes from official sources using two sets of names for exactly the same money:

• The law. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 says each component is paid at "the standard rate" or "the enhanced rate". The DWP's yearly rates table uses the same two words.
• The GOV.UK PIP guide. The "How much you'll get" page lists a "lower weekly rate" and a "higher weekly rate" for each part.
• Other GOV.UK pages. The vehicle tax guidance talks about the "enhanced rate mobility component", and the disability premiums guidance refers to the daily living component at the higher ('enhanced') rate, which confirms that the two names mean the same thing.

Everyday speech then adds its own labels on top. This is how they translate:

Your decision letter sets out which part or parts you have been awarded, how long the award lasts and when your first payment is due. If the wording on your letter does not match what you have read online, the table above is usually the reason.

How Much Is High Rate PIP?

High rate PIP means the enhanced rate of one or both parts. In 2026/27 the amounts are:

Yearly figures are the weekly rate multiplied by 52. Averaged over a year, the enhanced rate of both parts works out at about £843.27 a month, enhanced daily living alone at about £496.60 and enhanced mobility alone at about £346.67. Because PIP is paid every 4 weeks you receive 13 payments a year, not 12, so in most years one calendar month contains two payments. That is why the total on your bank statement is not the same every month.

The enhanced daily living rate is also what someone receives under the special rules for end of life. GOV.UK says you'll get the higher daily living part of £114.60 per week if a medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live, while the mobility part depends on your needs. There is no face-to-face assessment under these rules. Our guide to PIP under the special rules for terminal illness explains how to claim with form SR1.

Getting the high rate in one part does not mean you get it in the other. Each part is scored on its own, so it is common to have enhanced daily living with standard mobility, or enhanced mobility with no daily living award at all.

Is There a Middle Rate PIP?

No. PIP has no middle rate. If you have seen "middle rate" mentioned, it almost certainly comes from Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the benefit PIP replaced for most working-age adults and which is still paid to children. The DLA care component has three rates, while the PIP daily living part has two. In 2026/27 the money lines up like this:

So the question "how much is middle rate PIP?" usually has one of two answers:

• If you mean the PIP rate that pays the same as DLA middle rate care, that is the standard rate of daily living: £76.70 a week, or £306.80 every 4 weeks.
• If you mean an award somewhere between the lowest and the highest, PIP has several combinations in the middle of the range, from £107.00 a week (standard rate of both parts) to £156.70 a week (standard daily living with enhanced mobility). They are all in the table further down this page.

DLA mobility has a lower rate of £30.30 and a higher rate of £80.00, which match the PIP mobility rates. Attendance Allowance, the disability benefit for people over State Pension age, also has two rates: a lower rate of £76.70 and a higher rate of £114.60.

Matching figures do not mean matching rules. PIP is decided under its own points test, so an earlier DLA award does not decide your PIP rate, and the two benefits look at different things. Our PIP vs DLA guide sets out the main differences.

What Is the Lowest PIP Payment?

The lowest PIP award is the standard rate of the mobility part on its own: £30.30 a week, which is £121.20 every 4 weeks or £1,575.60 a year. The lowest award that includes daily living is the standard rate of that part, £76.70 a week.

There is no partial PIP below these amounts. You need at least 8 points in a part to be awarded it, so someone who scores 7 points for daily living and 6 for mobility gets nothing, even though they clearly have real difficulties. Points from the two parts are never added together.

A few situations can mean you receive less than the normal rate, or nothing for a time. GOV.UK says:

• If you get Constant Attendance Allowance, you'll get less of the daily living part of PIP.
• If you get War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, you will not get the mobility part of PIP.
• Going into hospital, a hospice, a care home or prison must be reported straight away, and depending on the change your PIP could go up, go down, stay the same or stop.
• If you have been paid too much in the past, you may have to repay it.

From Lowest to Highest: All Eight PIP Awards Side by Side

Putting the two parts together gives eight possible awards. This is the full range, with the rate names for each:

Yearly totals for each award, and how your back payment is worked out from the date you claimed, are on our how much PIP will I get page.

How Many Points Do You Need for the High Rate?

The rate in each part comes from points. The PIP Regulations 2013 set the same two thresholds for daily living and for mobility:

• 8 to 11 points: standard rate ("limited ability" in the regulations).
• 12 points or more: enhanced rate ("severely limited ability").

Daily living points come from activities 1 to 10: preparing food, eating and drinking, managing treatments, washing and bathing, toilet needs, dressing, communicating, reading, engaging with other people and budgeting. Mobility points come from activity 11 (planning and following journeys) and activity 12 (moving around). Within each activity only one descriptor counts. It is the one that applies on more than 50% of days, or the highest-scoring one if several do.

Some single descriptors are enough for the enhanced rate on their own. In mobility, being able to stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres scores 12 points, and so does being unable to follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. In daily living, being unable to express or understand verbal information at all, even with communication support, scores 12.

Most people reach a rate by adding descriptors together. Four examples, using the real descriptor scores from the regulations:

• Standard daily living (9 points): needs supervision or assistance to prepare or cook a simple meal (4) + needs assistance to get in or out of a bath or shower (3) + needs assistance to dress the lower body (2).
• Enhanced daily living (13 points): the same three, plus needs social support to be able to engage with other people (4).
• Standard mobility (8 points): can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres (8).
• Enhanced mobility (14 points): cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid (10) + can stand and move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres (4).

Our guide to the PIP points system goes through every activity, and you can check which descriptors match your own difficulties before you fill in the form.

What the High Rate Unlocks, and What the Lower Rate Does

The rate matters beyond the weekly payment, because several other kinds of help depend on which part and which rate you get:

• Motability Scheme vehicle: enhanced (higher) rate of mobility only. GOV.UK lists a Motability Scheme vehicle "if you get the higher mobility rate of PIP". Enhanced daily living on its own does not qualify. See our PIP and Motability guide.
• Vehicle tax: enhanced rate mobility can give a full exemption for one vehicle, and standard rate mobility can give a 50% reduction.
• Blue Badge: GOV.UK says you might be eligible if you get the mobility part. In some cases it is automatic, depending on your points in moving around or planning journeys. Our PIP and Blue Badge guide explains the points that count.
• Disabled Persons Railcard: available with either part of PIP, at either rate.
• Enhanced disability premium: if you get income-related ESA, or Housing Benefit with the disability premium, and you are under Pension Credit age, this extra amount can be added when you get the daily living part at the higher ('enhanced') rate.
• Severe disability premium: can be added with the daily living part at either rate, as long as the other conditions are met, such as nobody getting Carer's Allowance for looking after you.
• Help for your carer: if someone helps to care for you, GOV.UK says they may be able to get Carer's Allowance or Carer's Credit.

Councils may also offer discounts on Council Tax and local bus travel to people getting PIP, so it is worth contacting your local council once your award comes through.

Can You Move Up to the Higher Rate?

Yes. There are two main routes, and which one fits depends on whether the decision was wrong or your needs have changed since:

1. The decision was wrong. If you think the DWP missed points you should have scored, ask for mandatory reconsideration. GOV.UK says you usually need to ask within one month of the date of the decision. Say which descriptors you think apply and why, with the evidence that supports it. Our mandatory reconsideration guide walks through it step by step.
2. Your needs have increased. If your condition has got worse since the decision, you must tell the PIP enquiry line (0800 121 4433). GOV.UK lists needing more or less help with daily living and mobility tasks as a change to report straight away. Our guide to reporting a PIP change of circumstances explains what to send.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, PIP has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which is run by Social Security Scotland. ADP uses the same two-rate structure and the same amounts: £76.70 or £114.60 a week for daily living, and £30.30 or £80.00 a week for mobility. mygov.scot calls them a "standard award" and an "enhanced award", and says that if you are terminally ill you automatically get the enhanced daily living award. Our guide to PIP in Scotland and ADP covers the differences in the assessment.

In Northern Ireland, PIP is still called PIP but is run by the Department for Communities rather than the DWP, with its own phone lines and forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is high rate PIP?

In 2026/27 the high (enhanced) rate is £114.60 a week for the daily living part and £80.00 a week for the mobility part. If you get the high rate of both, you receive £194.60 a week, which is £778.40 every 4 weeks or about £10,119 a year.

How much is middle rate PIP?

There is no middle rate of PIP. Each part has a standard rate and an enhanced rate. The middle rate is a DLA care rate (£76.70 a week in 2026/27), which pays the same as PIP standard rate daily living.

What is the lowest PIP payment?

The lowest PIP award is the standard rate of the mobility part on its own: £30.30 a week, or £121.20 every 4 weeks. The lowest daily living award is £76.70 a week. If you score fewer than 8 points in both parts, no PIP is paid.

Is the enhanced rate the same as the higher rate of PIP?

Yes. The law and the DWP rates table call it the enhanced rate, while the GOV.UK PIP guide calls it the higher weekly rate. They are the same money: £114.60 for daily living and £80.00 for mobility in 2026/27.

How many points do you need for high rate PIP?

You need 12 points or more in a part for the enhanced (high) rate of that part. 8 to 11 points gives the standard rate. Daily living and mobility are scored separately and their points are never added together.

Do you get a Motability car on high rate PIP?

Only with the high (enhanced) rate of the mobility part. GOV.UK says a Motability Scheme vehicle is available if you get the higher mobility rate of PIP. The enhanced rate of daily living on its own does not qualify.

Is high rate PIP affected by income, savings or work?

No. GOV.UK says PIP is tax free and the amount you get is not affected by your income or savings. You can get PIP while working, at the high rate or the standard rate.