Personal Independence Payment is a benefit that is generally paid to help with living costs
Those receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) could face penalties if they travel overseas for lengthy periods without notifying authorities. PIP is a benefit typically awarded to assist with living expenses for those with long-term health conditions or disabilities, as well as people who struggle with certain daily activities or mobility.
Whilst this provides crucial additional financial assistance for those requiring it, there are specific Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regulations that must be followed. Since PIP is calculated and assessed according to an individual’s particular circumstances, any alterations to these must be declared as they could impact your entitlement amount.
DWP guidance emphasises that certain circumstantial changes must be reported to the PIP enquiry line. One significant change that might influence your claim is planning to travel abroad for longer than four weeks, whether for leisure or other purposes.
GOV.UK guidance warns: “You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change straight away.”
Full list of changes in circumstances that must be reported
PIP claimants must report the following changes to avoid a potential penalty:
- You go into foster care or into the care of a local authority or health and social care trust
- Your husband, wife, civil partner or a parent you depend on starts or stops getting benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- You plan to go abroad for more than 4 weeks
- You’re imprisoned or held in detention
- You start or stop getting pensions or benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- You go into a residential school or college
- Your immigration status changes and you’re not a British or Irish citizen
- Your health professional tells you that your condition will last for a longer or shorter time than you reported before
- You go into a hospital, a hospice, a nursing home or a care home
- You need more or less help with daily living and mobility tasks
- A medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live (you could get PIP at a higher rate under ‘special rules for end of life’)
- Your personal details change such as name, address, phone number, bank account, doctor, etc
- The person acting on your behalf changes (where applicable)
You may also need to report a change if you go into a care home and:
- You were staying in the care home temporarily and you become a permanent resident
- You go into hospital
- There’s a change to the way your care home fees are funded (for example, you start or stop getting funding from the NHS or local council)
- You move to another care home
How to report a change in circumstances
If you have experienced a change in circumstances, you will need to call the PIP enquiry line. You can do this by dialling 08000 121 443 or 0800 121 4493 for a textphone. If you have difficulty speaking or hearing, you can dial 18001 then 0800 121 443 for Relay UK.
When contacting the enquiry line, you can also ask for someone else to be added to the call or ask someone else to call on your behalf if needed.
Full details on all the changes that could affect your PIP claim can be found here.