The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that a key payment currently valued at £790 will increase significantly from April 2025, bringing welcome financial relief to thousands of recipients across the UK.
This uplift, part of the annual benefits uprating process, represents one of the more substantial increases in recent years for this particular payment and comes at a time when many households continue to navigate challenging economic circumstances.
This article examines what payment is changing, who will benefit, how the increase will be implemented, and what recipients should know to ensure they receive their full entitlement.
The Payment in Focus: What’s Changing
The £790 figure refers to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) enhanced rate for the daily living component, one of the most significant disability-related benefits administered by the DWP.
This payment, which supports individuals with conditions that impact their ability to perform everyday activities, is currently set at £101.75 weekly (approximately £5,291 annually) for those qualifying at the enhanced rate.
From April 2025, this enhanced daily living component will increase to £108.75 weekly, creating an annual payment of approximately £5,655.
This £7 weekly increase translates to an additional £364 annually for recipients—a 6.9% rise that exceeds the standard benefits uprating, which follows September’s inflation figure of 3.2% for most other benefits.
The enhanced mobility component of PIP, which supports individuals with conditions affecting their ability to move around, will also see a comparable percentage increase.
Currently set at £71.00 weekly (approximately £3,692 annually), it will rise to £75.90 weekly (approximately £3,947 annually)—an additional £4.90 weekly or £255 annually.
For those receiving both enhanced components, the combined annual increase approaches £620, though this falls short of completely offsetting the additional costs many disabled people face due to rising prices for specialized equipment, energy, transportation, and care services.
Minister for Disabilities, Health and Work, Sarah Thomson, explained the above-inflation increase as “recognition of the disproportionate impact of rising costs on disabled people, who often face unavoidable additional expenses directly related to their conditions.”
Who Benefits: Eligibility and Distribution
The increase directly affects current and new PIP recipients who qualify for the enhanced daily living rate, either alone or in combination with mobility components. According to recent DWP statistics, this encompasses:
Approximately 1.4 million people currently receive the enhanced daily living component of PIP
Of these, roughly 850,000 also receive the enhanced mobility component
Around 550,000 receive the enhanced daily living component combined with either the standard mobility rate or no mobility component
Demographic analysis shows that the largest recipient groups include those with:
Mental health conditions (particularly severe anxiety, depression, and psychotic disorders)
Neurological conditions (including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease)
Musculoskeletal conditions with significant impact on daily activities
Learning disabilities that substantially affect self-care and daily living tasks
Multiple or combined conditions creating complex support needs
Geographically, the impact varies considerably. Regions with higher disability prevalence, including parts of Wales, Northern England, and Scotland, will see more significant aggregate benefit from the increase due to their higher concentration of PIP recipients.
The age distribution of recipients peaks in the 45-65 range, though PIP supports eligible adults from 16 up to State Pension age.
Those who began receiving PIP before reaching State Pension age can continue receiving it beyond that threshold, meaning many older people also benefit from this increase.
Implementation Process and Timeline
The increased payments will follow a structured implementation timeline designed to manage the substantial administrative task of uprating benefits for millions of recipients:
The new rates officially take effect from April 7, 2025 (the first Monday of the new tax year)
For existing PIP recipients, the increase applies automatically with no need to contact the DWP or submit new information
Payment dates will not change, but the amount received will increase starting with the first regular payment after April 7
Due to different payment cycles, some recipients will see the increase in mid-April while others may not see it reflected until early May
New claimants whose applications are approved after April 7 will automatically receive the new higher rates
The DWP will not send individual notifications about the increase, but it will be reflected in regular payment statements
For the approximately 15% of recipients who have their PIP paid to an appointee who manages their financial affairs, the DWP recommends checking that contact details and payment information remain current to avoid any disruption during the uprating process.
Context: Rising Costs and Disability Expenses
This above-inflation increase comes against a backdrop of substantial evidence about the additional costs faced by disabled people—costs that have grown disproportionately during recent inflation spikes.
Research by the disability charity Scope indicates that disabled people face average additional costs of approximately £975 monthly due to their conditions, with this figure having increased by about 12% since 2020. These expenses include:
Specialized equipment and assistive technology
Higher energy consumption for medical equipment and heating needs
Adapted clothing and footwear
Transportation costs due to inaccessible public transport
Additional laundry and cleaning requirements
Care and support services not fully covered by local authorities
Against this context, the increase to the £790 payment (rising to approximately £847 monthly) represents a meaningful though partial response to these financial pressures.
While the 6.9% increase exceeds current inflation, it follows a period where benefit increases sometimes lagged behind the actual inflation experienced by disabled people, particularly for energy and food costs.
Economic analysis by the Resolution Foundation suggests that even with this increase, the real-terms value of PIP remains approximately 4% below its 2019 level when measured against the specific inflation experienced by disabled households rather than the general Consumer Price Index.
Complementary Support Measures
The increase to the PIP rates comes alongside several related developments in the disability support landscape:
The Health and Disability White Paper implementation continues, with streamlined assessment processes being introduced for PIP from late 2024.
These aim to reduce waiting times and improve the assessment experience, potentially benefiting new applicants who would receive the increased payment.
A new Adjustment Passport scheme launches nationally in June 2025, helping disabled people document their reasonable adjustment needs when moving between education, employment, and other services. While not directly financial, this aims to reduce barriers to employment that affect many PIP recipients.
Local authority Disabled Facilities Grants will see increased funding from April 2025, potentially helping some PIP recipients with home adaptations that complement the daily living support provided by their benefit payment.
The Access to Work scheme, which supports disabled people in employment, will increase its payment caps in line with the PIP uprating, benefiting those who combine benefits with employment.
These complementary measures aim to address different aspects of the challenges faced by disabled people, recognizing that financial support alone cannot eliminate all barriers to full participation in society.
Reactions from Stakeholders
The announcement of the increase has generated varied responses from organizations representing disabled people:
Disability Rights UK cautiously welcomed the above-inflation increase while emphasizing that it “represents recovery of ground lost rather than a real-terms improvement” when measured against the cumulative impact of recent years’ price increases on disabled people.
The Disability Benefits Consortium, representing over 100 organizations, described the uprating as “a step in the right direction” while continuing to advocate for a more fundamental review of how disability benefit rates are calculated to better reflect actual costs.
Mental health charities have been particularly positive about the increase, noting that people with severe mental health conditions—who constitute the largest group of PIP recipients—often face “invisible costs” that have been historically underrecognized.
Economic think tanks have provided mixed assessments, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies noting that while significant, the increase should be viewed in the context of “substantial real-terms erosion of benefit values during the 2010s” rather than as an unprecedented enhancement.
What Recipients Should Know
For those currently receiving the enhanced daily living component of PIP or considering applying, several practical considerations merit attention:
No action required: Existing recipients will receive the increase automatically without needing to contact the DWP or submit additional information.
Payment dates: The payment schedule remains unchanged, with recipients continuing to receive their regular payments on the same dates but with increased amounts starting from the first payment after April 7, 2025.
Bank account verification: Recipients should ensure the DWP has their correct bank details to avoid any payment disruptions during the uprating process. This is particularly important for anyone who has recently changed banks.
Combined benefits: For those receiving PIP alongside other benefits, the interaction between different elements of the welfare system remains unchanged. PIP continues to be non-means-tested and does not affect entitlement to Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, or other income-related benefits.
Pending applications: New PIP applicants whose claims are in process during the transition will receive the applicable rate based on when their payment begins, not when they applied. Claims approved for payment after April 7 will automatically receive the new higher rates.
Reviews and reassessments: The increase applies regardless of when a recipient’s next PIP review is scheduled. Those undergoing reassessment around the implementation date will have any continued award calculated at the new rates.
Looking Ahead: Future Developments
The April 2025 increase may signal a shifting approach to disability benefit uprating, with several potential developments on the horizon:
The government has indicated that future PIP uprating may follow a distinct formula from general benefits, potentially with a more explicit link to costs specifically faced by disabled people rather than general inflation or earnings measures.
Administratively, the DWP is developing a more streamlined assessment process scheduled for fuller implementation by 2026, which aims to reduce the burden on claimants while maintaining appropriate verification of support needs.
Longer-term, ongoing assessment of the Health and Disability Green Paper proposals continues, with potential for more substantial reforms to disability benefit structures over the coming years, though the current payment structure remains in place for 2025.
The devolution of disability benefits to Scotland continues to create some divergence, with potential implications for claimants moving between different UK nations. Similar discussions about devolution to Wales remain ongoing but without immediate implementation timelines.
DWP £790 Payment Increasing in April 2025
The increase to the £790 monthly PIP enhanced daily living component represents a significant adjustment that will tangibly benefit hundreds of thousands of disabled people across the UK.
The above-inflation uprating acknowledges the disproportionate impact of rising costs on those with disabilities and the substantial additional expenses many face as a direct result of their conditions.
While not addressing all the financial challenges facing disabled people, the increase provides meaningful additional support at a time when many households continue to experience economic pressure.
For individual recipients, the additional £364 annually for the enhanced daily living component—or potentially £620 for those receiving both enhanced components—provides welcome relief that can help maintain independence and quality of life.
As implementation approaches, understanding the timeline and process helps recipients plan effectively, though the automatic nature of the increase means most will need to take no specific action to benefit from this enhanced support.
This represents one of the more substantial improvements to this specific benefit element in recent years, reflecting increased recognition of the genuine additional costs faced by many disabled people in their daily lives.