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Need to know
New figures from the DWP have been released
Need to know: PIP milestone reached for first time
- PIP claimants in England and Wales have exceeded four million for the first time, according to new DWP figures.
- The Department for Work and Pensions reported 4.01 million claimants in April 2026, representing a 7% increase from 3.74 million the previous year. The number has approximately doubled since records began in January 2019 when there were 2.05 million claimants.
- The Government has delayed reforms to the disability benefit system following the establishment of the Timms Review. A DWP spokesperson said they are “fixing the broken system we inherited by creating a welfare state that works for disabled people and taxpayers”.
- Data shows younger people are increasingly claiming PIP, with 16.6% of claimants aged 16-29 compared to 14.5% in 2019. Meanwhile, approval rates for new claims have declined to 36.6% in April, down from 46.2% in April 2024.
- The Government introduced the Right to Try scheme in April, allowing disabled claimants to seek work without automatically triggering benefit reassessments. Downing Street said the welfare system “has trapped people in poverty and kept them out of work for too long”.
- Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the Conservatives would “review the entire PIP system” and “remove eligibility for low-level mental health PIP claims”.
- READ THE FULL STORY: PIP update issued for England and Wales by DWP on Tuesday, June 16
