PIP Special Rules (SR1): About 3 Working Days

If a doctor or other medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live, you can claim PIP under the special rules for end of life (SREL) and get a decision in days, not months: new claims took a median of 3 working days from registration to decision in July 2026 (DWP). You need an SR1 form from a GP, consultant, specialist nurse or hospice doctor. There is no face-to-face assessment and no PIP2 form to fill in, and you automatically get the higher daily living rate of £114.60 a week. This applies whether the claim is for you, a family member or a patient you care for. This guide explains how the process works in 2026, who signs the SR1 form, what to do if it is refused and which other benefits it can open up.

If this is urgent: Ask the GP, hospital consultant, hospice nurse, palliative care team or specialist nurse to complete an SR1 form today. Most clinicians have access to it. Then call PIP on 0800 917 2222 and say the words "Special Rules" - the call handler will fast-track the claim. The patient does not have to be present or aware. A family member can register the claim.

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What Are PIP Special Rules?

Special Rules for End of Life (SREL), previously called Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI), is a fast-track PIP claim available to anyone with a progressive condition whose clinician believes their life expectancy is 12 months or less. For PIP, the 12-month test has applied since 3 April 2023. Before that date the threshold was 6 months.

Under Special Rules:

The enhanced daily living component is awarded automatically - that is £114.60 per week / £5,959.20 per year in 2026/27.
No PIP2 form is required - the long "How Your Disability Affects You" questionnaire is skipped.
No functional assessment - no phone, video or face-to-face assessment.
Fast decision. New claims took a median of 3 working days from registration to decision in July 2026 (DWP).
Mobility component is still considered separately on standard descriptors, but is usually decided alongside daily living using whatever evidence is provided.
Award length is typically 3 years with no review pressure during that time.

The SR1 Form - Who Completes It

The SR1 form (which replaced the older DS1500) is the medical evidence used by the DWP to confirm Special Rules eligibility. It is completed by any one of the following clinicians who knows the patient's prognosis:

GP
Hospital consultant or registrar
Specialist nurse (Macmillan, palliative care, condition-specific)
Hospice doctor or nurse
Community palliative care team member

The clinician describes the diagnosis, the prognosis (in their clinical opinion), the main symptoms and treatment, and signs the form. The form takes 5-10 minutes for the clinician to complete. There is no fee.

Practical tip. If your GP has not raised Special Rules yet but you believe the patient may qualify, you can ask directly: "Would you complete an SR1 form for Special Rules under PIP?" GPs are familiar with the form and often write it the same day. If your GP is unsure of prognosis, ask the hospital consultant or specialist nurse instead - their clinical opinion carries equal weight.

How to Make a Special Rules PIP Claim - Step by Step

Get the SR1 form completed. Ask the GP, consultant, hospice nurse, palliative care team or specialist nurse. Most clinicians have it on their system; if not, they can download it from gov.uk. The clinician signs and either gives it to the patient/family or sends it directly to the DWP.

Register the claim by phone. Call PIP new claims on 0800 917 2222 (textphone 0800 917 7777, video relay via Relay UK). Say "I am claiming under Special Rules for End of Life." The call handler will skip the standard questions and take only basic personal details. This takes 10-15 minutes. The patient does not need to be present - a family member, friend or professional can register the claim.

Send the SR1 form to the DWP. Either the clinician sends it directly, or the patient/family posts/uploads it. The DWP address is given on the phone call. Some hospices send all SR1 forms via internal liaison and the family does not have to do anything.

Mention mobility difficulties in the call or in a short note. Daily living is automatic, but mobility is decided separately. Describe how far the patient can walk, whether they need a wheelchair, whether they can use public transport, whether journeys are planned for them. Even one paragraph helps.

Decision, usually within days. New claims took a median of 3 working days from registration to decision in July 2026 (DWP). The DWP confirms the award by letter and starts payments. Payments are usually backdated to the date the claim was registered.

What Triggers Special Rules?

Any condition where the responsible clinician judges life expectancy to be 12 months or less qualifies. The condition does not have to be cancer. Common qualifying conditions include:

Advanced cancers (lung, pancreatic, ovarian, brain, stomach, colorectal at stage IV, etc.)
Motor Neurone Disease (PIP for MND)
End-stage organ failure (heart, liver, kidney, lung)
End-stage COPD or pulmonary fibrosis
Advanced dementia (when palliative phase is reached)
Advanced Parkinson's disease with severe complications
Advanced HIV/AIDS with treatment failure
Some progressive neurological conditions in their terminal phase
Conditions where treatment has been withdrawn in favour of palliative care

It is the clinician's prognosis that matters, not the diagnosis label. If a clinician is willing to sign an SR1 form, the DWP will accept it unless there is a clear contradiction with other records.

The Patient Does Not Have to Know

This is a frequent worry for families. The PIP claim can be registered and processed entirely without the patient being told they are claiming under Special Rules, or being told their prognosis. The DWP will not write to the patient explicitly stating that Special Rules apply or referring to a 12-month prognosis. The decision letter can be addressed to a nominated representative if requested.

To set this up, the family member or friend should:

Tell the call handler at registration that the patient is unaware
Provide their own address as the correspondence address
Ask the clinician to send the SR1 directly to the DWP rather than via the patient

What Other Benefits Special Rules Triggers

An enhanced rate Daily Living PIP award under Special Rules automatically triggers (or simplifies the route to) several other benefits:

Carer's Allowance - the unpaid carer (family member or friend) may claim £86.45 per week (2026/27) if they spend 35+ hours per week caring and earn £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and expenses.
Disability premiums on legacy benefits such as income-related ESA or Housing Benefit - extra weekly amounts added automatically (Universal Credit has no disability premiums).
LCWRA under Universal Credit without an assessment - if the patient is on UC, they are automatically placed in the Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity group, adding £429.80/month (2026/27, the terminal illness rate under the Universal Credit Act 2025).
Council tax reduction - apply through your local council, often a significant reduction or full exemption.
Blue Badge - automatic eligibility in most local authorities if mobility is also awarded.
Motability scheme - eligible if enhanced mobility is awarded.
Exemption from the benefit cap for any household receiving PIP daily living.
Free NHS prescriptions if not already exempt by age or condition.
Christmas Bonus (£10 one-off in December) and Cost of Living payments when announced.

Worth doing immediately: as soon as the PIP Special Rules decision arrives, ask the unpaid carer to apply for Carer's Allowance. If they claim within 3 months of the PIP decision, their Carer's Allowance claim is treated as made from the start of the week the daily living award became payable, for any weeks they met the conditions. Check first whether the patient gets a severe disability premium, because it usually stops when a carer is paid Carer's Allowance or gets the Universal Credit carer element for them. Carer's Allowance can be claimed free at gov.uk/carers-allowance, and our PIP and Carer's Allowance guide explains how the two link.

What If Special Rules Is Refused?

Refusals are uncommon when a valid SR1 is submitted, but they happen. Common reasons:

SR1 sections incomplete - particularly the prognosis statement or the clinician signature. The DWP cannot process an incomplete SR1.
SR1 not attached or lost in transit - the DWP claims it was never received. Ask the clinician to resend or upload directly.
Clinical contradiction - very rare, but if the DWP has medical records suggesting a longer prognosis they may pause the claim and ask for clarification.

If Special Rules is refused, you can:

Ask the clinician to amend or re-submit the SR1 - sometimes a sentence in the prognosis box is missing.
Request Mandatory Reconsideration within one month, asking for the SR1 to be reconsidered.
Continue the standard PIP claim in parallel - the patient is still entitled to PIP under normal rules based on functional impact.

⚠ If the patient passes away during the claim. A Special Rules PIP claim can still be processed and backdated after death. The estate or next of kin can claim arrears from the date of registration. Notify the DWP of the death and ask about the payment. You may need a death certificate.

Special Rules for Other Benefits

The same SR1 form triggers fast-track processing for several other benefits at the same time:

Universal Credit - LCWRA element added without a Work Capability Assessment.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - placed in the Support Group automatically.
Attendance Allowance - for claimants over State Pension Age, replaces PIP under Special Rules with the higher rate AA (£114.60/week in 2026/27).
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) - for children under 16, highest rate care component awarded automatically.

You only need one SR1 - the DWP can use the same form across multiple benefit claims. Mention every benefit being claimed when you register.

How to Help Faster If You're a Carer

If you are the family member, partner, friend or carer making the claim on the patient's behalf:

Call PIP at 0800 917 2222 first - the SR1 can follow within days, but the claim date locks in your backdating.
Ask the patient's main clinician (GP, consultant or specialist nurse) for the SR1 in writing or in person. Most hospices and palliative care teams will do this proactively if you mention PIP.
If you spend 35+ hours per week caring, plan your Carer's Allowance claim. You do not need to claim before the PIP decision: a claim made within 3 months of the decision is treated as made from the start of the week the daily living award became payable. Note the decision date when it arrives.
Notify the local council in writing of the claim - council tax reductions and other support can also be backdated.
Ask the hospital social worker or hospice family support worker - they often handle SR1 and benefit forms for families and may have a fast-track process locally.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are PIP Special Rules?

PIP Special Rules for End of Life (SREL, formerly known as Special Rules for Terminal Illness, SRTI) is a fast-track PIP claim process for people with a progressive condition whose clinician believes their life expectancy is 12 months or less. New claims took a median of 3 working days from registration to decision in July 2026 (DWP). There is no functional assessment and the enhanced daily living component is awarded automatically (£114.60 per week in 2026/27). Mobility is decided on the standard rules but can also be expedited.

What replaced the DS1500 form?

The SR1 form replaced the DS1500. The SR1 is completed by a registered doctor, nurse or other clinician who knows the patient's prognosis. The rules are now called Special Rules for End of Life rather than Special Rules for Terminal Illness, and for PIP the life expectancy test changed from 6 months to 12 months on 3 April 2023. The application process is otherwise the same.

How long does an SR1 PIP claim take?

New claims under the special rules took a median of 3 working days from registration to decision in July 2026, according to DWP statistics. That compares with a median of 18 weeks for a new claim under the normal rules. Payments can be backdated to the date the claim was made.

Does the patient have to know their prognosis to claim under Special Rules?

No. A family member, friend, GP, hospice nurse, social worker or another clinician can submit the claim on the patient's behalf without the patient knowing about the prognosis. The DWP will not write to the patient confirming Special Rules unless asked to. Decision letters can be sent to a nominated address.

What if Special Rules is refused?

If the DWP refuses Special Rules but the clinical situation worsens or you obtain a new SR1, you can apply again. You can also request Mandatory Reconsideration if you believe the SR1 evidence was misread. Many refusals come from missing or incomplete SR1 forms rather than from clinical disagreement.

Does Special Rules PIP affect other benefits?

Yes, in helpful ways. An enhanced daily living award can let an unpaid carer claim Carer's Allowance if they meet the conditions, can add disability premiums to legacy benefits such as income-related ESA or Housing Benefit, may help with a council tax reduction and exempts the household from the benefit cap. Blue Badge eligibility depends on the mobility points awarded. Special Rules claims also trigger similar fast-tracks for Universal Credit (LCWRA without assessment) and Attendance Allowance for over-State-Pension-Age claimants.

What happens if the patient lives longer than 12 months?

Nothing changes immediately. The award is reviewed when the SR1 is more than 3 years old (the longest typical Special Rules award length) or when a routine review is due. If the patient is still living and the prognosis has changed, a new SR1 may be required, or the case may move to standard PIP with an assessment. Payments are not clawed back retroactively if the patient lives longer than expected.

Can someone under Special Rules also apply for mobility?

Yes. Special Rules guarantees enhanced daily living automatically but the mobility component is decided on the standard descriptors. If the patient cannot walk safely or far, mobility (standard £30.30 or enhanced £80.00 weekly) is added. The DWP usually decides mobility quickly in Special Rules cases too, but a brief description of mobility difficulties should be included with the claim.

Caring for someone on PIP?

If you provide 35 or more hours of care a week, you may be able to claim Carer's Allowance. It is free to claim at gov.uk, and our guide explains how the two benefits link together.

PIP and Carer's Allowance guide Or help with a standard PIP claim

PIP Special Rules (SR1 / End of Life): Decided in About 3 Working Days