Guidance

What PIP means for local authorities

Updated 6 December 2018

This guidance was withdrawn on 15 April 2024

This guidance has been withdrawn as it is out of date. You can find information about Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in the PIP guidance and PIP handbook.

1. Overview

A brief explanation of how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) affects local authorities.

Please check the PIP toolkit for the latest version and for other information to adapt to your guidance and communications.

2. Data sharing

From 10 June 2013, the Local Authority Data Sharing (LADS) programme implemented an Automated Transfer to Local Authority Systems (ATLAS) notification for PIP data. As with the DLA ATLAS notification, this PIP one posts directly to local authority benefit systems.

More information about ATLAS changes is available through the Huddle LA Data Share workspace.

To download the ATLAS awareness pack and get access, contact your Local Authority Support Team (Local Authority Support Team) at la-sst.hdd@dwp.gov.uk.

3. How are other benefits and services affected?

Getting DLA is a commonly accepted and broad definition of disability that is used by other benefits and schemes as a way to identify people who need extra support. The government recognises that these arrangements are important to disabled people, their carers and in managing services within other government departments.

The government committed that PIP, as the replacement for DLA, would remain the main way of getting (‘passporting’ to) other disability benefits and services across the DWP and other government departments wherever possible.

Claimants receive a PIP award letter as proof of their entitlement, which can lead to entitlement to some other benefits and schemes.

DWP uses ATLAS notifications to deliver PIP customer award data directly to LAs to enable the quick and accurate calculation of Housing Benefit or Localised Council Tax reduction awards (or both).

In some cases, DWP shares information about PIP awards within the department and with other government departments to enable claimants to access other relevant support.

There are no changes to how the passporting arrangements for people who remain in receipt of DLA. All arrangements are listed in the PIP handbook.

4. How do passporting arrangements work?

Almost every passport arrangement under DLA continues under PIP.

In most cases, passports in DLA have been maintained in PIP as shown below. For example, if receipt of middle or highest rate care component DLA acted as the passport to a particular benefit under DLA, the equivalent passport under PIP would be receipt of either daily living component.

What PIP means for local authorities

4.1 Blue Badges

As with DLA, receiving PIP may provide access to other help, such as Blue Badges or access to a concessionary travel pass without further assessment.

The Department for Transport (DfT) and Scottish and Welsh governments have carried out consultations for some of these schemes.

England

In England, the DfT consulted from July to October 2012 on Blue Badge. On 25 January they announced a link in law between automatic entitlement to Blue Badge and a score of eight points or more on the ‘Moving Around’ activity. This is called the ‘without further assessment’ category.

Guidance for local authorities on running a Blue Badge scheme in England.

Wales

The Welsh Government consulted from August to October 2012 on changes to Blue Badge and PIP. On 12 December they announced that they would establish a link in law between automatic entitlement to Blue Badge and a score of eight points or more on the ‘Moving Around’, or 12 points on the ‘Planning and following a journey’ activity.

Guidance for local authorities on running a Blue Badge scheme in Wales.

Scotland

The Scottish Government consulted from June to September 2012 on changes to Scottish passported benefits as a result of introducing Universal Credit and PIP, including Blue Badge. On 25 February 2013 they laid regulations to establish the same link as the Welsh Government.

Guidance for local authorities on running a Blue Badge scheme in Scotland.

Local authorities can also issue the Blue Badge, subject to non-statutory guidance and further assessment. This is called the ‘with further assessment’ category.

4.2 Concessionary travel

In England, where concessionary travel is subject to non-statutory guidance, Department for Transport have announced that it will advise that applicants may be considered eligible for a concessionary travel pass without further assessment if they score eight or more points on either the ‘Moving Around’ activity or the ‘Communicating Verbally’ activity.

In Scotland any recipient of PIP is entitled to a disabled person’s bus pass without further assessment.

In Wales, applicants scoring 8 or more points on the ‘Moving Around’ mobility descriptor may be considered eligible for a concessionary travel pass without further assessment.

4.3 Council Tax

The Local Government Finance Bill introduced on 19 December 2011 paved the way for the implementation of localised Council Tax support schemes in England from April 2013.

The Department for Communities and local government (DCLG), Scottish government and Welsh government have all made separate but similar regulations on Council Tax reduction schemes.

For pension age claimants and working age claimants in England and Wales where local authorities are using the default scheme, local authorities offer reductions equivalent to existing localised Council Tax reduction schemes, including awards linked to receiving DLA and PIP.

In Scotland, all claimants receive reductions equivalent to existing localised Council Tax reduction schemes. For working age claimants in England and Wales, local authorities are free to set Council Tax reductions that are not linked to DLA or PIP.

Council Tax discount disregards apply for people with severe mental impairment.

In England, Scotland and Wales, receiving the PIP daily living component at either rate forms part of the qualification for this disregard.

A carer who provides live-in care is disregarded for Council Tax purposes in England if the person receiving care gets the PIP daily living component at either rate, subject to other qualifying criteria.

In Scotland, the person receiving care must receive the enhanced rate of the PIP daily living component for the carer to be disregarded.

In Wales, if the person receiving care receives the PIP daily living component at either rate, the carer may be disregarded for Council Tax purposes.

5. Exemption from the benefit cap

As with DLA and Attendance Allowance, households are exempt from the benefit cap where a claimant (of any of the benefits subject to the cap), partner or qualifying young person is entitled to PIP.

A qualifying young person is someone for whom the claimant or partner receives Child Benefit, because they are in full-time ‘non-advanced’ education at school or college, or starting an ‘approved’ training course.

An adult non-dependant in receipt of PIP living within the household does not exempt the household from the benefit cap. They are considered as a household in their own right.

5.1 Housing Benefit

Any component or rate of PIP means claimants are entitled to the disability premium. The standard or enhanced rate of the daily living component entitles claimants to the severe disability premium.

The enhanced rate of the daily living component provides entitlement to the enhanced disability premium.

5.2 Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has introduced Armed Forces Independence Payment, AFIP, a benefit that will provide financial support for injured service or ex-service personnel.

The benefit will simplify the financial support for members of the Armed Forces who have been seriously injured as a result of their service since the introduction of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in 2005 and in the future.

AFIP claimants will receive a flat-rate benefit which for passporting purposes is the equivalent of the enhanced rates of the daily living and mobility components of PIP.

Claimants who choose to claim AFIP will not be eligible for PIP, DLA or Attendance Allowance. Claimants who choose not to apply for AFIP will be treated as a PIP or Attendance Allowance applicant in the usual way.

6. Guidance and support

DWP issues Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Circulars that provide guidance on how PIP affects local authority processes.

More information about ATLAS changes is available through the Huddle LA Data Share workspace.

You can register for the Huddle LA Data Share workspace by emaiing: <la-sst.hdd@dwp.gov.uk?subject=Huddle%20request>.

DWP has produced a comprehensive PIP upskilling toolkit for organisations and advisers who may have contact with people who are claiming PIP or are being reassessed for PIP.

Your local DWP partnership manager may also be able to help.

6.1 Where to get more information

More information for claimants, you may want to link to this page from your own sites.

We welcome your feedback on this guide and how we can make sure you have the information you need – email: pip.feedback@dwp.gsi.gov.uk.

7. Key facts

• PIP will apply to all new claimants aged 16 to 64 (and 16 to the day before State Pension age from 6 December 2018 onwards) and existing DLA claimants who were aged 16 to 64 on 8 April 2013, or reach age 16 after that date.

• PIP is being introduced in stages over a number of years.

• From 28 October 2013, DWP invited some people who live in Wales, East Midlands, West Midlands or East Anglia to claim PIP.

• Existing DLA claimants will be asked to claim PIP at some point from October 2013 onwards, but most won’t be affected before October 2015.

• Getting DLA is a commonly accepted and broad definition of disability that is used by other benefits and schemes as a way to identify people who need extra support.

• Like DLA, PIP will be the main way of passporting to other disability benefits and services across the DWP and other government departments.

• Claimants receive a PIP award letter as proof of their entitlement.

• Almost every passport arrangement under DLA continues under PIP.

• From 10 June 2013, the Local Authority Data Sharing (LADS) Programme has implemented an Automated Transfer to Local Authority Systems (ATLAS) notification.

• As with the DLA ATLAS notification, this PIP one posts directly to local authority benefit systems.

• Details about the ATLAS changes are provided in the ATLAS Awareness pack, published on Huddle for local authorities to view.

• DWP issue a Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Circular that provides guidance on how PIP affects local authority processes.