Getting PIP after you’ve reached State Pension age

This advice applies to Wales. See advice for See advice for England, See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland

If you’re already getting PIP, it will continue when you reach State Pension age. You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.

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

  • 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.

If your condition gets worse while you’re getting PIP after State Pension age, there are extra rules about getting more PIP.

Check if you can get other benefits

It might be worth applying for benefits like Pension Credit - or Universal Credit if you live with a partner under State Pension age. 

If you get Pension Credit or Universal Credit, you can get extra help with the cost of living - for example Winter Fuel Payments. You can:

Making a new PIP claim if your award ended in the last year

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

  • 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.

Check how to claim PIP.

Check the extra rules about how much PIP you can get

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

  • 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.

Find out more about the PIP components and how much you can get.

Making a new PIP claim if you’ve been getting DLA

You can claim PIP if both of the following apply:

  • you were born on or after 9 April 1948

  • you’re getting DLA now - or your last claim for DLA ended less than a year ago

When you first claim PIP, there are no extra restrictions on what you can claim for or how much you can get.

Check the rules about moving from DLA to PIP.

Getting more PIP if your condition gets worse

If you’re getting 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 if you aren’t already getting it

  • move from the standard rate of the mobility component to the enhanced rate

The rules apply even if your medical condition has got worse.

Find out more about the PIP components and how much you can get.

Check how long your PIP award will last

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.

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Page last reviewed on 02 March 2022