The Department for Work and Pensions is preparing to resume moving around 150,000 remaining adult Disability Living Allowance claimants in England and Wales onto Personal Independence Payment. The restart of the DLA to PIP transfers begins with a small pilot in September before any wider rollout is decided.
According to a report by the welfare rights website Rightsnet, a DWP stakeholder update confirmed the plans. The DWP had paused the final stage of transferring adult DLA claimants to PIP, leaving a group of people who were still due to be reassessed.
Ministers now want to test the impact of restarting the programme before committing to the full transfer of everyone affected.
What are the DLA to PIP transfers and why are they restarting?
PIP replaced DLA for working-age adults years ago, but a final group of adult DLA claimants was never moved across. The DWP paused that last stage, and this pilot is the first step towards finishing the job.
Rightsnet reported that the stakeholder update sets out an initial test before any decision on a broader rollout. The pilot is designed to gauge the effect on three things:
- Claimants: how the switch affects the people being invited to move.
- DWP operations: whether the department can handle the process smoothly.
- Benefit spending: the cost impact of moving people onto PIP rules.
Only after reviewing the pilot will ministers decide whether to resume the wider transfer programme for the full group of roughly 150,000 people.
Who is affected by the September pilot?
The initial test will involve around 3,000 claimants across England and Wales, drawn from the wider group of 150,000 adult DLA claimants still due to be reassessed.
- Pilot size: approximately 3,000 claimants.
- Total group affected over time: around 150,000 adult DLA claimants.
- Where: England and Wales only.
People in Scotland are not affected. Disability benefits are devolved there, and adult DLA claimants in Scotland are being moved under separate arrangements run by Social Security Scotland.
Will my DLA payments stop when I am moved to PIP?
No one selected for the pilot will be switched to PIP automatically. Instead, the DWP will send an invitation to make a claim for PIP, and entitlement will then be assessed under the PIP rules.
Your DLA payments should continue while your PIP claim is being considered. However, this protection depends on you acting within the required timescales and taking part in the assessment process.
In short, the money keeps coming as long as you respond and engage with the claim when invited.
How long do I have to start a PIP claim after being invited?
Adults invited to claim PIP are normally given 28 days to begin their application. Missing that window could put your existing DLA payments at risk, so anyone who receives an invitation should act quickly.
- Time to begin a PIP claim: 28 days from the invitation.
- Pilot start: September.
For example, if you are one of the 3,000 pilot claimants and receive a letter in September, you would need to start your PIP application within 28 days of that letter to keep your DLA payments flowing while the assessment takes place.
Where can I check the details?
The information about the restart comes from a DWP stakeholder update reported by Rightsnet, and was covered by the Daily Record. Because the September pilot is only a test, the DWP has not yet confirmed a timetable for the wider rollout to all 150,000 claimants.
If you are an adult DLA claimant in England or Wales, watch for any official letter from the DWP inviting you to claim PIP, and respond within the stated deadline. The full report is available on the Daily Record’s website at dailyrecord.co.uk. Because ministers have yet to decide on a broader rollout, further guidance is expected once the pilot has run.
