The Short Answer
Four changes to PIP are in force in 2026/27: higher rates from April, a work rule, award extensions and longer awards before a review. The rates rose automatically. Paid or voluntary work is no longer a reason on its own to reassess an award. The DWP can now extend a fixed-term award without a review, and most new awards run longer before one. Eligibility, the 12 activities and the points are unchanged. The Timms Review of PIP has not published its final report.
What Has Actually Changed
Four changes are in force, and each has a date and an official source. The Timms Review is listed separately because nothing it has published is law.
| Change | Legal basis | In force from | Effect on an award |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 uprating of all four rates | Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 | April 2026 | Every rate rose, applied automatically |
| Work is not a reason to reassess | S.I. 2026/395 | 30 April 2026 | Paid or voluntary work alone does not trigger a fresh determination |
| DWP may extend a fixed-term award | S.I. 2026/457, regulation 22A | 2 June 2026 | The end date moves later and the rate stays the same |
| Longer awards before a review | DWP award-length policy | April 2026 (new awards), 16 June 2026 (existing awards) | Most new awards to people aged 25 or over run 4 years, reviewed after 3 |
| Timms Review of PIP | Review, not law | Not in force | None |
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The April 2026 Uprating
All four PIP rates rose in April 2026, and the new figures apply to every award in payment.
| Rate | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Weekly increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily living standard | £73.90 | £76.70 | £2.80 |
| Daily living enhanced | £110.40 | £114.60 | £4.20 |
| Mobility standard | £29.20 | £30.30 | £1.10 |
| Mobility enhanced | £77.05 | £80.00 | £2.95 |
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For a claimant on both components at the enhanced rate, that is £7.15 a week more, or £28.60 every 4 weeks. Nothing needed to be claimed or reported, because uprating applies automatically to awards in payment. The rates for April 2027 have not been published, so this page states no figure for them.
The Work Rule: S.I. 2026/395
Since 30 April 2026, doing paid or voluntary work is not, on its own, a reason for the DWP to reassess a PIP award. The Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance (Amendment) Regulations 2026, S.I. 2026/395, added a new paragraph to regulation 11 of the PIP Regulations 2013. It reads: "doing work for payment or in expectation of payment, or doing voluntary work, is not a reason for a fresh determination."
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Starting a job does not, by itself, cause a PIP award to be looked at again. The duty to report other changes is unaffected. GOV.UK states that you must contact the PIP enquiry line straight away if, for example, you need more or less help with daily living and mobility tasks, or you plan to go abroad for more than 4 weeks. Scheduled reviews continue under the award reviews process.
Award Extensions: S.I. 2026/457
Since 2 June 2026, the DWP can extend a fixed-term PIP award in England and Wales without carrying out a review. S.I. 2026/457 inserted regulation 22A into the Decisions and Appeals Regulations 2013: "The Secretary of State may extend the length of a fixed term award of personal independence payment, where the Secretary of State considers it necessary to do so to safeguard the efficient administration of personal independence payment."
The explanatory memorandum to S.I. 2026/457 sets the limits. The power "cannot be used to increase or decrease the rate of PIP a claimant receives", and it cannot be used to "remove entitlement or reduce the length of an award". An extension carries a right of appeal after a mandatory reconsideration. What an extension letter means, and how to challenge one, is set out in PIP award extensions.
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Longer Awards Before a Review
Most new PIP awards to people aged 25 or over now run for 4 years, with a review after 3 years, according to DWP statistics published on 15 September 2026. The release states: "Subsequent awards following a successful review will be for 6 years with the review taking place after 5 years. The changes will also apply to the existing PIP caseload from 16 June 2026."
The explanatory memorandum to S.I. 2026/457 gives the same policy: the first review "will generally take place after three years, and subsequent reviews after five years". It adds that decision makers and tribunals "may still make awards for shorter or longer terms, depending on the individual's circumstances". The memorandum states that the DWP has to extend existing awards to apply the change to people already claiming, which is what regulation 22A allows.
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The Timms Review
The Timms Review of PIP has shared emerging recommendations but no final report, and none of its proposals is in force. Its interim report of 9 July 2026 states that it "does not make recommendations". On 9 September 2026 the co-chairs published emerging recommendations and wrote: "These are not our final recommendations."
The co-chairs said the review is moving "towards our final report later this autumn". No publication date has been announced. The review's current position, and what would need new law, is tracked under Timms Review status.
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What This Means for Your Payments
Only the April uprating changed how much PIP pays, and it was applied automatically. The other three changes affect when and why an award is looked at again, not its amount.
- Rates. Awards in payment are paid at the 2026/27 rates until the next uprating.
- Work. Starting paid or voluntary work does not, by itself, lead to a reassessment.
- Extensions. An extension letter moves your end date later at the same rate. GOV.UK states you usually need to ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the date of the decision if you disagree.
- Reviews. Many new awards now run longer before a review, but you must still report a change in the help you need.
- Timms Review. No change to payments. Proposals take effect only if the government accepts them and makes regulations.
How This Page Is Maintained
Each item is listed with its legal status and its date. Laws are cited by their statutory instrument number and commencement date, and proposals are marked as proposals.
Figures are checked against the source on the date stamped beneath them, most recently on 30 September 2026. The page is updated when a new instrument is made, a review reports, or rates change in April. The wider PIP news index carries the other items.
Related guidance: PIP Reform Proposals.