PIP review recommendations due in November 2026 as DWP changes claim targets

The Department for Work and Pensions has changed the timeframe used to measure whether new Personal Independence Payment claims are handled “in a timely manner”, extending it from 75 days to 120 days. Neil Couling, the department’s director general for services and fraud, told the Commons Work and Pensions Committee he made the decision after judging that the former target could be met while leaving many claims unresolved.

The proportion of new PIP claims completed within the applicable timeframe rose from just over 60 per cent in 2024/25 to just over 80 per cent in 2025/26, figures discussed with MPs showed. Because the measure’s deadline changed from 75 to 120 days, the two figures use different time limits.

Mr Couling said he found no standards for timely benefit awards when he started his role in April 2025. He called the former PIP target “nonsense”, saying a target covering 75 per cent of cases could be met by dealing with that share and leaving the remainder behind.

He said he had set a 90 per cent target across major benefits in his area. In addition to PIP, he named Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Child Benefit. He told the committee the higher target was intended to make the system harder to game, rather than simply shifting the goalposts.

MPs also raised cases in which disability benefit claims can take up to six months to process and asked whether that was acceptable. Mr Couling said assessments and the need to handle vulnerable people carefully were among the reasons for delays.

He told the committee that 50 per cent of assessments are not attended, often for what he described as good reasons. The department allows for circumstances behind missed appointments because of claimants’ vulnerability, he said. He added that much of the waiting period is taken up by the assessment process and by trying not to rush people into assessments.

PIP is intended to help working-age people with long-term health conditions or disabilities meet additional costs. The payment level depends on how a person’s condition affects daily living and mobility.

A government review of PIP is under way, co-chaired by DWP minister Sir Stephen Timms. The review team is due to publish its final report and recommendations in November 2026. Ministers will then prepare a white paper and legislation the following year to enact any policy changes they decide are needed.

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