Of the 721,100 claimants who had their PIP claim cleared between 2023-2024, 332,800 – around 46% – were rejected by the benefits department
Nearly half of all Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims were rejected last year new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures reveal.
Of the 721,100 claimants who had their PIP claim cleared between 2023/24, 332,800 – around 46% – were rejected by the benefits department. The data was shared by Work and Pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms in response to a parliamentary question asked by Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling.
He asked: “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment requests that were initially refused were subsequently accepted after appeal in the latest period for which data is available.”
Of the claims rejected by the DWP between 2023 and 2024, 13,500 were later awarded the disability benefit following an appeal against the decision. Sir Stephen Timms said this was roughly around 4% of all claims that were “initially disallowed.” The data included appeal outcomes up to the end of September 2024, and Timms noted that more appeals could be made and completed after this date, meaning the numbers may change. He added: “18,900 appeals have not been cleared yet.”
He added that the figures should “be used with caution” as they represent unpublished data that “may be subject to future revision.” The high rejection for the PIP comes as the benefits department faces criticism for providing “unacceptably poor service” to claimants.
A recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report highlighted significant concerns about the department’s handling of disability benefit applications. Over the last few years, Brits have reported longstanding issue with the PIP assessment process with many leading disability charities describing the process as “flawed”.
Shelley Hopkinson, head of policy and influencing at Turn2us, criticised the impact of DWP delays on vulnerable claimants. She said: “DWP delays and poor communication disrupt claims, causing hardship for Disabled people who depend on these benefits for financial security. People we speak to tell us that when payments are delayed, they struggle to afford basic essentials and care, their health deteriorates, and the stress can affect their ability to work.”
Hopkinson urged the Labour Government Government to prioritise creating a “fair, efficient, and accessible social security system” and called on the DWP to “act now to fix failings that leave people without support”. The charity itself says the government must work with disabled people to ensure the system “truly meets the needs of those it serves.”
