What are the PIP and Universal Credit changes?

If you currently get PIP, the number of points you need to qualify and how much you get will not change. You will claim your payment as normal. The original proposals included a higher threshold to qualify, but this has been withdrawn.

If you get the health element of Universal Credit, the rules to qualify for it and the amount you’ll be paid are not set to change. The government had planned to freeze this amount but now it will keep on rising in line with other benefits. 

This will depend on your health condition and the outcome of a review into how PIP is assessed - which is likely to report in Autumn 2026.

If the rules then change, you might get paid a different amount and your condition might not meet any new assessment criteria.   

It is worth knowing that the review will be co-produced by disabled people and organisations that represent them.

If you live in Scotland, the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has replaced PIP, and the Scottish Parliament sets the rules and payments for this benefit, so any changes proposed for PIP won’t affect ADP. However, the rules for Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance do sit under UK government law, so you could be affected if you’re claiming these benefits.

The Northern Ireland Executive is responsible for setting welfare benefit legislation and can choose to implement its own policies, so you will need to look out for information from the Executive on what it plans to do.

• If you currently claim UC or PIP you should carry on claiming as before and make sure you respond promptly to any communications you get from DWP regarding your claim.
• If you’re worried about your claim, the impact on your family or you need more help understanding the changes, you should seek specialist Benefits advice.
• You can get local Benefits advice using the Advice Now portalOpens in a new window

• People with a limited capacity to work because of a disability or long-term sickness, get a universal credit top-up payment.
• But from April 2026, if you’re making a new claim, the payments will be cut in half, from £97 a week (2025-2026) to £50 a week in 2026-2027.
• While the top-up is being cut for new claims, the basic rate of universal credit will start to rise from around £92 a week in 2026 to £106 a week by 2030.
• Under the plans, under-22s will also no longer qualify for the health element of universal credit. However, they will still be able to claim Universal Credit and other benefits or elements they’re eligible for.

“Right to try” is a new guarantee meaning that trying out a job will never lead to your condition being reassessed or to a review of the benefits you’re getting. The guarantee, which hasn’t yet been finalised, will eventually apply to all Universal Credit, new-style Employment and Support Allowance and PIP claimants. We will update this blog once we know more about how this will work and when it will come into force.