Latest PIP Statistics 2026: Key UK Facts and Figures

This page pulls together the latest Personal Independence Payment statistics in one place, with every figure dated and sourced. The newest official figures, covering the period to July 2026 and published by the DWP on 15 September 2026, show a record 4.1 million people entitled to PIP in England and Wales, up from 3.8 million a year earlier. About 37% receive the highest possible award, and 67% of PIP appeals decided at a tribunal hearing in April to June 2026 went the claimant's way. Below you will find the numbers on claimants, conditions, award rates, waiting times, appeals, rates and spending, each linking to our full guide on that topic.

Latest release: DWP PIP statistics, figures to July 2026, published 15 September 2026. The next DWP release is due on 15 December 2026. All figures last checked: 24 September 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of the page. PIP statistics are published quarterly by the DWP, and tribunal figures quarterly by the Ministry of Justice, so some numbers move each quarter.

Latest PIP figures at a glance (to July 2026)

These are the headline numbers from the DWP release published on 15 September 2026, plus the latest Ministry of Justice tribunal figures published on 10 September 2026. All DWP figures cover England and Wales.

• 4.1 million people entitled to PIP at 31 July 2026, 2% more than at 30 April 2026 and up from 3.8 million at 31 July 2025
• 37% get the highest award (the enhanced rate of both parts), the same share as in April 2026
• 39% of claims under normal rules have a psychiatric disorder recorded as the main disabling condition
• 240,000 new claims registered and 240,000 cleared in the three months to July 2026, with registrations 17% higher than a year earlier
• 34% of normal-rules new claims cleared in that quarter were awarded PIP (excluding withdrawn claims), down from 41% a year earlier
• 18 weeks median wait from registering a new claim to a decision in July 2026, up from 15 weeks in July 2025
• 67% of PIP appeals decided at a tribunal hearing in April to June 2026 were overturned in the claimant's favour

Is PIP at a record high?

Yes. The 4.1 million people entitled to PIP at 31 July 2026 is the highest total yet. The DWP says the number of people entitled to PIP has increased steadily since PIP was introduced in April 2013, and the latest quarter added another 2%. Compared with a year earlier, the total is up from 3.8 million. Because the published figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000, the exact percentage rise over the year is best checked in the DWP's Stat-Xplore data rather than worked out from the rounded totals.

The rise is not only in people already on PIP. New claims are climbing too: 240,000 were registered in the three months to July 2026, 17% more than in the same quarter of 2025. Appeals are rising as well, with PIP appeals received by the tribunal in April to June 2026 up 52% on a year earlier.

How many people claim PIP in the UK?

As at 31 July 2026, 4.1 million people were entitled to PIP in England and Wales, a 2% increase on the figure at 30 April 2026. Of these, roughly 3.4 million (83%) were of working age and 690,000 (17%) were of State Pension age. About 2.7 million first claimed PIP as new claimants and 1.3 million moved across from Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Around 1.9 million (46%) had been entitled to PIP for five years or longer.

Two things are worth remembering when you read a "UK" figure. Scotland has replaced PIP with Adult Disability Payment (ADP), run by Social Security Scotland, which finished moving people in Scotland off PIP by the end of June 2025 - so DWP PIP figures cover England and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own PIP, delivered by the Department for Communities rather than the DWP, with the same rules and rates. So the true UK-wide disability-benefit caseload is higher than the England-and-Wales PIP number alone.

Previous figure, for comparison: at 30 April 2026 (DWP release of 16 June 2026) around 4 million people were entitled to PIP in England and Wales, 3.3 million (83%) of working age and 680,000 (17%) of State Pension age.

How the number of PIP claimants has grown

The PIP caseload has risen sharply in recent years. The DWP's own figures show the total number of people entitled to either PIP or DLA (adults and children together) rising gradually from 3.0 million to 3.5 million between February 2013 and February 2020, then much faster, from 3.5 million to 5.4 million, between February 2020 and March 2026. The DWP's spring 2026 forecast, which is consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2026 forecast, expects the average PIP caseload to reach about 5.4 million in 2030/31.

The DWP points to a few drivers: the upward trend accelerated from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people moving from DLA to PIP add to the PIP total and the number of PIP claimants over State Pension age rises naturally as the caseload ages. This growth is part of the reason PIP now has such a large planned-review backlog, and it is the backdrop to the ongoing review of the benefit.

It is worth being clear about what the growth does and does not mean for you. More people claiming does not make it harder to qualify, because PIP is not capped or rationed. Each claim is still assessed on its own facts against the same activities and descriptors. If your condition affects you in the ways those descriptors describe, the size of the national caseload has no bearing on your own entitlement.

Which conditions are most common on PIP?

The DWP records one main disabling condition for each claim - the one judged to have the most significant impact on how the person manages the PIP activities - although all of a person's conditions are considered in the assessment. Among claims under normal rules at 31 July 2026, the five most common main conditions were:

• Psychiatric disorder: 39% of claims
• Musculoskeletal disease (general): 19%
• Neurological disease: 13%
• Musculoskeletal disease (regional): 12%
• Respiratory disease: 4%

Award levels vary by condition group. At 31 July 2026, 42% of people whose main condition was a psychiatric disorder received the enhanced rate of both components, compared with 50% for neurological disease, 31% for respiratory disease and 26% for general musculoskeletal disease. If a mental health condition is behind your claim, our PIP for mental health guide covers how those needs are scored.

What share of PIP claims are successful?

There is no single "success rate" that fits every claim, because outcomes depend far more on how the functional impact is described and evidenced than on the diagnosis. What the official data does show is the shape of awards and how often each type of claim succeeds.

• Highest award: of everyone entitled to PIP at 31 July 2026, about 37% receive both the daily living and the mobility component at the enhanced rate. The rest hold some combination of standard and enhanced components.
• New claims over five years: from August 2021 to July 2026, 42% of normal-rules new claims were awarded PIP (excluding withdrawn claims). Of new claims that reached an assessment, 49% were awarded.
• Other claim types: over the same five years, 72% of people moving from DLA were awarded PIP, and 99% of claims under the special rules for end of life were awarded.
• Latest quarter: in the three months to July 2026 the award rate for normal-rules new claims fell to 34%, from 41% a year earlier, and 42% of new claims that had an assessment were awarded, down from 48%.

For more on the new-claim figures and what sits behind them, see our guide to the PIP approval rate in 2026. The single biggest driver of whether a claim succeeds is the descriptors you meet, applied through the reliability test.

How long do PIP claims and reviews take?

In July 2026 the median time from registering a new PIP claim to a decision was 18 weeks (normal rules), up from 15 weeks in July 2025. The median time from referral to the assessment provider to a decision was 12 weeks. For people moving from DLA the median was 21 weeks. Claims under the special rules for end of life were decided in a median of 3 working days.

Planned award reviews have slowed sharply. In the three months to July 2026, 42,000 reviews were registered, 71% fewer than in the same quarter of 2025, while 82,000 were cleared. In June 2026 the DWP took a new power to extend existing awards rather than review every one on its original date. For the current typical timescales, see our guides to PIP waiting times in 2026 and the PIP review backlog and delays. The reassuring headline: if your review is running late, your existing award simply continues at the same rate in the meantime.

PIP mandatory reconsideration and appeal success rates

If a decision goes against you, the numbers favour challenging it - but the two stages behave very differently.

• Mandatory reconsideration (MR): over the five years to July 2026, 27% of MRs cleared (excluding withdrawn) led to a change in award, and 26% in the three months to July 2026. The median MR took 45 calendar days for new claims in July 2026. Many people are refused at this stage and then win later.
• Appeal to a tribunal: in April to June 2026, 67% of PIP appeals decided at a tribunal hearing were overturned in the claimant's favour, according to Ministry of Justice figures published on 10 September 2026. The DWP's own tracking of initial decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026 shows a similar picture, with 65% of decisions cleared at a hearing overturned.
• Decisions changed before the hearing: for initial decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026, 17% of appeals lodged "lapsed" because the DWP changed its decision in the claimant's favour before the case reached a hearing.

The trade-off is time: across all social security appeals, the average case took 37 weeks from receipt to being decided in April to June 2026, 3 weeks longer than a year earlier. Demand is also rising, with PIP appeals received up 52% on a year earlier. For the detail and how to give yourself the best chance, see our guide to the PIP tribunal success rate and the full tribunal guide.

PIP payment rates in 2026

PIP has two parts, daily living and mobility, each paid at a standard or an enhanced rate. From 6 April 2026 the weekly rates are:

• Daily living, standard: £76.70 a week
• Daily living, enhanced: £114.60 a week
• Mobility, standard: £30.30 a week
• Mobility, enhanced: £80.00 a week

The maximum award, enhanced on both parts, is £194.60 a week - about £778.40 every 4 weeks (PIP is paid four-weekly) or roughly £10,119 a year. Rates rose by 3.8% in April 2026, in line with CPI inflation for the 12 months to September 2025. For every combination and what each is worth, see our PIP rates 2026 guide.

The April 2027 rates have not been announced yet. They will normally follow the September 2026 CPI figure, which the Office for National Statistics publishes on 21 October 2026, so any "new PIP rate" you see quoted before then is an estimate. Our PIP rates April 2027 page tracks the timetable and what is confirmed, and our PIP news page covers everything else.

Award lengths, reviews and the 2026 extension power

Since 2 June 2026, new regulations (SI 2026/457) have let the DWP extend existing fixed-term PIP awards instead of reviewing each one on its original date. Most claimants aged 25 and over are likely to benefit, receiving a letter that simply moves their review date later while their payments continue unchanged. The power cannot be used to cut or reduce an award. See the June 2026 extension rules and what a PIP extension letter means.

How much does PIP cost the government?

The DWP's spring 2026 benefit expenditure tables, published on 14 April 2026 and consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) March 2026 forecast, put PIP spending in England and Wales at about £25.9 billion in 2024/25 (outturn) and a forecast £28.5 billion in 2025/26. The forecast rises to about £32.1 billion in 2026/27 and £44.7 billion by 2030/31, with the average caseload reaching roughly 5.4 million by then.

Adding Disability Living Allowance (about £8.3 billion) and Attendance Allowance (about £8.5 billion) takes forecast spending on the three main disability benefits to around £45.3 billion in 2025/26. These are forecasts and are revised at each fiscal event; the OBR's next forecast is due alongside the Budget on 28 October 2026. This rapid growth is the backdrop to the Timms Review and the wider debate about the future of the benefit, though PIP itself has not been cut in 2026.

Citing these PIP statistics

You are welcome to link to this page. The figures here are drawn from official UK sources - DWP Personal Independence Payment statistics, DWP benefit expenditure tables and Ministry of Justice tribunal statistics - and the page is updated as new quarterly releases are published. Each figure is dated so you can see how current it is, and the original sources are listed below.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people are on PIP in the UK?

About 4.1 million people were entitled to PIP in England and Wales at 31 July 2026, according to DWP figures published on 15 September 2026. That is a record high, up from 3.8 million a year earlier, with about 83% of working age and 17% of State Pension age. Scotland uses Adult Disability Payment instead of PIP, and Northern Ireland runs its own PIP, so the UK-wide disability-benefit caseload is higher still.

What percentage of PIP claims are successful?

There is no single official success rate, because the outcome depends on how your condition affects you rather than the diagnosis. Over the five years from August 2021 to July 2026, 42% of normal-rules new claims were awarded PIP (excluding withdrawn claims), and 49% of those that reached an assessment. About 37% of people entitled to PIP receive the highest award (both components enhanced). See our PIP approval rate guide for more on the new-claim figures.

What percentage of PIP appeals are successful?

In April to June 2026, 67% of PIP appeals decided at a tribunal hearing were overturned in the claimant's favour, according to Ministry of Justice figures published on 10 September 2026. Mandatory reconsideration changes the award far less often: 27% of MRs cleared over the five years to July 2026 led to a change, so many people only win at the tribunal stage.

How much is PIP in 2026?

In 2026/27 the weekly rates are daily living at £76.70 (standard) or £114.60 (enhanced) and mobility at £30.30 (standard) or £80.00 (enhanced). The maximum, enhanced on both parts, is £194.60 a week, which is about £778.40 every 4 weeks or roughly £10,119 a year. The April 2027 rates have not been announced yet.

How long does a PIP decision take in 2026?

In July 2026 the median time from registering a new PIP claim to a decision was 18 weeks, up from 15 weeks a year earlier, and mandatory reconsiderations on new claims took a median of 45 days. If a review is delayed, your existing award continues unchanged. See our waiting times and review backlog guides for the current timescales.

Is PIP being scrapped?

No. PIP has not been scrapped or cut in 2026, and the rates, activities and descriptors are unchanged apart from the routine April uprating. The independent Timms Review is examining the future of the assessment and published an interim report in July 2026, with a full report due in autumn 2026, but any change would need new legislation after that.

How much does PIP cost the government?

The DWP's spring 2026 forecast puts PIP spending in England and Wales at about £28.5 billion in 2025/26, rising to about £44.7 billion by 2030/31. Adding Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, spending on the three main disability benefits is forecast at around £45.3 billion in 2025/26.