DWP handing 700,000 state pensioners extra perk worth £1,600

DWP data shows more than 3.7 million people throughout Great Britain are on PIP.DWP handing 700,000 state pensioners extra perk worth £1,600

The Department for Work and Pensions is giving 700,000 state pensioners an extra perk worth up to £1,600. DWP data shows more than 3.7 million people throughout Great Britain are on PIP. And DWP figures show 709,710 people aged 65 to 79 collecting this disability benefit, which could enhance their monthly earnings by up to £1,670.80.

If you’re already getting PIP, it will continue when you reach State Pension age. Most people can’t make a new claim for PIP after they reach State Pension age. You might be able to make a new claim if you had a PIP award that stopped in the last year or you’re getting Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – or it stopped in the last year.

You can’t claim PIP if you were born before 9 April 1948. If you can’t claim PIP, you might be able to get Attendance Allowance instead – check if you can claim Attendance Allowance.

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If your condition gets worse while you’re getting PIP after State Pension age, there are extra rules about getting more PIP. It might be worth applying for benefits like Pension Credit – or Universal Credit if you live with a partner under State Pension age.

You might be able to make a new claim for PIP if your last PIP claim ended less than a year ago. You can only claim PIP for a medical condition if either you claimed for the same condition as part of your last PIP claim or it developed out of a condition you claimed for as part of your last PIP claim.

For example, if your last claim was for diabetes and your diabetes has now made it harder for you to see, you can now claim PIP for your diabetes and your sight loss.

If you claim PIP after State Pension age, there are extra rules about the ‘mobility component’. The mobility component is for the extra help you need getting around.

You can’t start getting the mobility component unless you got it in your last PIP claim or get the enhanced rate of the mobility component if you only got the standard rate in your last PIP claim.

These rules apply even if your medical condition has got worse. If you claim PIP after State Pension age, the DWP will usually give you an ‘indefinite award’. This means there’s no end date. They will usually review the award every 10 years.

If you’re already getting PIP when you reach State Pension age, the DWP will turn it into an indefinite award.