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PIP and Universal Credit Reform:
What You Need to Know (2025 - 2026)

This guide explains upcoming changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit (UC) that may significantly affect disabled claimants. 

 

It is designed to help those who are thinking about claiming, or are already receiving, disability benefits. 

 

The aim is to help you:

  • understand what’s changing,

  • how it might impact you, and 

  • how to give yourself the best possible chance when applying under the new rules.

What Is Changing and When? 

Here are key dates and changes that will affect benefit claimants in the UK:

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Present – November 2026: 

  • You can apply under current PIP rules. 

  • You only need a total of 8 points for the daily living component (or 12 for enhanced). 

  • There is no requirement to have 4 points in a single activity.


April 2026: 

  • Changes to Universal Credit begin. 

  • New claimants qualifying for the LCWRA element will get a reduced rate (falling from £97/week to £50/week by 2026-27). 

  • Existing claimants will keep their current rate.

  • Following a government U-turn, this amount will no longer be frozen, as originally planned.


November 2026: 

  • New PIP applications must include at least one descriptor scoring 4 or more points in a daily living activity.


2028: 

  • The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is planned to be phased out. 

  • Instead, PIP assessments are expected to determine whether a person qualifies for extra support under UC.

  • This will likely increase pressure on PIP eligibility, as access to both benefits will be closely linked.

  • Scotland no longer uses PIP—it replaced it with the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP).

  • Scottish ministers have stated they won’t adopt Westminster’s changes to add the 4-point threshold or other cuts.

How Will This Change Affect Scotland?

What This Means

Impact on Claimants

The changes are expected to result in:


  1. Around 800,000 people losing PIP entitlement by 2030 due to failing the new 4-point rule.


  2. Claimants on the standard rate of PIP daily living being most at risk—87% could lose entitlement.


  3. New UC claimants from April 2026 receiving less financial support (~£3,000/year loss).


  4. Claimants with fluctuating or non-visible conditions like anxiety and autism are at greater risk without strong, functional evidence.

If you apply before November 2026, you will be assessed under the current rules. 
 
This is an important opportunity because you won’t need to prove that you score 4 points in one specific daily living activity. 
 
If you can show that you meet the 8-point threshold across either component, you qualify.
 
This is especially beneficial for people who are neurodivergent or have a mental health condition, whose functional difficulties may be spread across several areas—like communication, social interaction, or managing therapy—without meeting high scoring criteria in any one activity.

What Current Applicants Should Know

Implications for Applicants

People with fluctuating, misunderstood and neurodivergent conditions, often experience challenges across multiple areas of life, but may not have one dominant difficulty that scores 4 points, or are not given the points they deserve. 

 

For example, they might need:


  • Supervision or prompting to prepare meals (2 points)

  • Reminders to take medication (1-2 points)

  • Help managing money (2 points), or


  • Support with engaging socially (2 points).




If none of these activities score 4 or more points, they will not qualify after November 2026—even if their total is 8 or more.

New rules are expected to require:


  1. A total score of at least 8 points (for the standard rate, and 12 points for the enhanced rate) in either component, AND

  2. At least 4 points in a single activity in the daily living component.

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What this means:

  • Simply collecting multiple 2-point descriptors across different activities will no longer qualify.

  • Originally planned for both existing and new PIP claimants, the new 4-point rule will now only apply to new claimants from 2026.

  • These changes, while not yet law, are strongly backed by current government policy and appear likely to go ahead unless reversed by incoming leadership or legislation.

New Descriptor Point Criteria 

The New Descriptor Points Criteria From November 2026

Which Activities Will Give 4 Points or More?

Under current guidance, it is believed the below descriptor points will reflect 4 or more points in PIP activities for new applicants from 2026.

 

However, this is all subject to approval and confirmation as we hear updates from the government. 

 

Please keep checking back on this page. 

  • 4 points – needing supervision or assistance to prepare or cook.
     

  • 8 points – unable to prepare/cook

Preparing food

Taking Nutrition

  • 4 points – needs prompting.
     

  • 6 points – needs assistance to manage a nutritional therapy source (such as a feeding tube).

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  • 10 points - cannot eat or drink at all.

  • 4 points – needs supervision, prompting or assistance for more than 3.5 hours but less than 7 hours a week.

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  • 6 – needs supervision, prompting or assistance for more than 7 but less than 14 hours a week.

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  • 8 points – needs supervision, prompting or assistance for more than 14 hours a week

Managing Therapy or Monitoring a Health Condition

Washing and Bathing

  • 4 points – needs prompting or help washing between the shoulders and waist

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  • 8 points - cannot bathe at all.

  • 4 points – needs assistance to manage toilet needs (e.g. help to get on or off the toilet safely)

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  • 6 points – needs assistance to be able to manage bladder or bowel incontinence (e.g. managing a catheter or stoma bag) 

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  • 8 points – needs assistance to be able to manage bladder and bowel incontinence (e.g. managing a catheter and stoma bag)

Managing Toilet Needs or Incontinence

Dressing and Undressing

  • 4 points – needs assistance to dress or undress the upper body (such as shirts, jumpers, coats).
     

  • 8 points - cannot dress or undress at all.

  • 4 points – needs communication support to express or understand complex verbal information.

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  • 8 points – needs communication support to express or understand basic verbal information

​

  • 10 points – cannot understand or express verbal information at all.

Communicating Verbally

Reading and Understanding Signs, Symbols and Words

  • 4 points – needs prompting or reminding to read or understand basic written information.

​

  • 10 points – cannot understand or read written information at all.

  • 4 points – needs social support to be able to engage with others.

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  • 8 points – cannot engage with others, as it would lead to either:

  1. overwhelming distress

  2. behaviour causing substantial harm to them, or someone else

Engaging with Other People Face to Face

Making Budgeting Decisions

  • 4 points – needs prompting or assistance to make basic budgeting decisions.
     

  • 6 points – cannot make any budgeting decisions at all.

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Evidence to Maximise Your Chance of Success

The upcoming changes to PIP and Universal Credit will make it harder for many disabled people to qualify—especially those with non-visible or fluctuating conditions. 

 

To meet the 2026 4-point rule, new applicants will need to clearly show that they need supervision, prompting, assistance, or support for at least one daily living activity.

Evidence options:

  • Symptom diaries, tracker app or logs

  • Wearable data (e.g. Visible tracker, Fitbit watches)

  • Falls alert or incident logs (e.g. seizures or fainting when unsupervised)

  • Social care assessments 

  • Assistance dog documentation 

  • Letters from people who supervise you (family, PA, partner)

For Supervision

  • To avoid harm while doing tasks like preparing food, washing, or taking medication.

  • This means someone must be present to watch over you—but not doing the task for you. 

  • They are there to keep you safe and to take over in case something goes wrong.

For Assistance

  • This means you need someone to physically or verbally assist you.

  • Examples include helping you get dressed or reading out instructions

  • They don’t just completely do the activity on your behalf, they help you to do it.

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  • A support table: 

    • who helps you?

    • for which activities?

    • how often?

    • what happens if you don’t get the help?

  • Letters from carers, PAs, family members, partners, or friends who assist you

  • Care plans or direct payment records 

  • PA contracts or insurance documents

  • Access to Work grant for support workers 

  • Evidence of difficulty such as joint pain, fatigue, or mobility issues

  • Consultant letters confirming physical or cognitive impairments

Evidence options:

Evidence options:

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  • Diagnosis letters mentioning conditions like ADHD, autism, depression, or a brain injury

  • Medical reports mentioning issues like forgetfulness, low motivation, apathy, executive function issues.

  • Care plans outlining need for reminders

  • Screenshots or logs from apps used for:

    • Medication tracking

    • Hydration reminders

    • Activity prompts

    • Smart home reminder routines

  • Diary entries showing missed tasks and what the impact or consequence is.

  • Supporting letters from people who regularly remind or encourage you.

For Prompting

  • Someone has to remind, encourage, or prompt you to start or complete tasks. 

  • This applies to things like eating, taking medication, doing therapy, or washing..

Communication Support

  • Needing support to understand, process or express information.

  • For instance, from a BSL interpreter, Communication Support Worker (CSW), or Personal Assistant (PA).

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  • Invoices from interpreters, lipspeakers, speech to text reporters, CSWs, or PAs

  • Council or Access to Work funding documentation for communication support

  • VRS (Video Relay Service) call logs

  • Letters or care plans showing need for structured communication support

  • Medical history logs noting requests for interpreters, speech to text reporters, lipspeakers or notetakers at appointments or assessments.

Evidence options:

Evidence options:

  • Table showing:

    • Who supports you (e.g. friend, partner)

    • What support they give (e.g. company)

    • Frequency of support (e.g. once a week)

    • What happens if they’re not there (e.g. shutdowns, panic attacks)

  • Letters from people who support you

  • Evidence of social anxiety, trauma, or neurodivergence

  • Mental health care plans or psychological assessments

Social Support

  • If you need someone to help engage with other people face-to-face.

  • This might be due to anxiety, distress, or difficulty navigating social situations.

Advice and Tips

Get Support From a Disability Benefits Adviser

We can: 

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  1. Help you write strong supporting statements

  2. Review your evidence

  3. Support you with assessments and appeals

  1. Don’t assume the assessor understands your condition, most likely they won't.

  2. If unsure how to explain it, use examples and anecdotes to illustrate the issue.

  3. Explain what support you need, why you need it, and what happens if you don’t receive it.

  4. Use our Disability Glossaries to explain terms in everyday, plain language to assessors.

Use Clear, Plain Language

Avoid General Time References or Terms

Instead of “sometimes I struggle", use specific times and DWP phrases.

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For example:

  • “I need supervision on a daily basis to prepare meals because I forget what I’m doing, get distracted, and burn myself.”

  1. Apply before November 2026 to avoid the new criteria rules.

  2. Don’t downplay difficulties. 

  3. Get lots of evidence ready.

  4. If you’re unsure, reach out for help.

Final Tips

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