PIP caseload hits 4.1 million; 27 percent of reviews change award

The caseload

Source: Department for Work and Pensions, 15 September 2026.

At 31 July 2026 there were 4.1 million claimants entitled to Personal Independence Payment in England and Wales. That is a 2 percent increase on the 30 April 2026 position. The figure comes from the Department for Work and Pensions accredited official statistics, Personal Independence Payment statistics to July 2026, published on 15 September 2026. The release is quarterly, and the next release is due on 15 December 2026.

The caseload divides by age. Some 3.4 million claimants, or 83 percent, were working age. A further 690,000 claimants, or 17 percent, were State Pension age. On award level, 37 percent received the highest level of award. That proportion is the same as at April 2026, so the mix of award levels did not shift over the quarter even as the overall number of claimants grew.

For claimants and families, the caseload figure sets the scale of the system. It describes how many people were entitled to PIP at a single point, not how many claims were decided in the quarter. The quarterly flows below cover registrations and clearances, which move at a different pace from the total caseload. Scotland is not included in these figures: Social Security Scotland replaced PIP with Adult Disability Payment from 2022 and completed the case transfer by the end of June 2025.

The quarter to July 2026

New claim activity in the quarter ending July 2026 was evenly matched. There were 240,000 new claim registrations and 240,000 clearances. Changes of circumstance were reported 40,000 times, with 38,000 cleared. DLA reassessments saw 25,000 registrations and 26,000 clearances. Planned award reviews were registered 42,000 times but cleared 82,000 times, so clearances ran well ahead of new registrations in that quarter.

Mandatory reconsiderations, the first stage of challenging a decision, recorded 86,000 registrations and 81,000 clearances. The gap between registrations and clearances matters for anyone waiting on an outcome, because it indicates the volume of work moving through the reconsideration stage in a single quarter. These are England and Wales figures and cover the three months to 31 July 2026.

Read together, the flows show a system handling a large volume of decisions across several routes: new claims, changes of circumstance, DLA reassessments, planned award reviews and mandatory reconsiderations. The award review figures are notable because clearances exceeded registrations by 40,000 in the quarter. For claimants, the practical point is that each route has its own registration and clearance count, and the odds of an award differ by route, as the next section sets out.

Award rates over five years

Over the five years from August 2021 to July 2026, award rates varied sharply by claim type. Some 42 percent of normal rules new claims received an award, excluding withdrawn claims. For normal rules DLA reassessment claims, the award rate was 72 percent. For Special Rules for End of Life claims, 99 percent received an award. The Special Rules route is for people who are terminally ill, and the near universal award rate reflects the different test that applies.

Reviews and changes of circumstance were more likely to leave an award in place than to remove it. Some 79 percent of planned award reviews resulted in an increase or no change to the award. For changes of circumstance, 89 percent resulted in an increase or no change. These figures cover the same five year period and exclude withdrawn cases where stated.

Mandatory reconsiderations produced a change in award in 27 percent of cleared cases, excluding withdrawn claims. That means most reconsiderations did not change the award, but more than a quarter did. For a claimant deciding whether to ask for a reconsideration, the 27 percent figure is the clearest published measure of how often the first challenge stage alters the outcome. The award rate figures and the reconsideration figure come from the same release and cover England and Wales.

Challenging a decision: the odds

For initial decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026, 35 percent of completed mandatory reconsiderations went on to lodge an appeal. Of the appeals lodged, 17 percent were lapsed by DWP in the customer's favour before reaching a tribunal. Some 3 percent of initial decisions were overturned at a tribunal hearing. The three figures describe different stages: asking for a reconsideration, appealing after a reconsideration, and the final tribunal outcome.

Award review decisions over the same period followed a different pattern. Some 38 percent of completed mandatory reconsiderations went to appeal. Of those appeals, 44 percent were lapsed in the customer's favour before a hearing. The lapse rate is much higher for award review appeals than for initial decision appeals, which means DWP changed the decision before the tribunal in a larger share of those cases.

For claimants and families, the numbers show that outcomes differ by the type of decision being challenged and by the stage reached. A mandatory reconsideration is not the end of the process: a share of completed reconsiderations proceed to appeal, and a share of appeals are resolved by DWP changing the decision before any hearing. The statistics do not predict an individual outcome, and the figures above are England and Wales only. The next release of these statistics is due on 15 December 2026.

Source: DWP: PIP statistics to July 2026.

Related coverage on Kael Tripton: PIP Claimants Can Request Key DWP Document Ahead of Benefit Reform: What It Covers, PIP award lengths: what DWP data shows and how the June 2026 extension rules work, DWP PIP Award Extensions 2026 - What the Changes Mean, PIP Reform 2026: What the Changes to Personal Independence Payment Mean for Claimants, Personal Independence Payment 2026: Eligibility, Rates, How to Claim and What the Reforms Mean.

Frequently asked questions

How many people were entitled to PIP at 31 July 2026?

4.1 million claimants were entitled to PIP at 31 July 2026, a 2 percent increase on 30 April 2026. Of these, 3.4 million (83 percent) were working age and 690,000 (17 percent) were State Pension age. Some 37 percent received the highest level of award, the same as at April 2026.

What were the new claim figures for the quarter to July 2026?

There were 240,000 new claim registrations and 240,000 clearances in the quarter ending July 2026. The same quarter recorded 40,000 changes of circumstance reported and 38,000 cleared, 25,000 DLA reassessment registrations and 26,000 clearances, 42,000 planned award reviews registered and 82,000 cleared, and 86,000 mandatory reconsiderations registered and 81,000 cleared.

What share of new claims received an award over five years?

From August 2021 to July 2026, 42 percent of normal rules new claims received an award, excluding withdrawn claims. The rate was 72 percent for normal rules DLA reassessment claims and 99 percent for Special Rules for End of Life claims.

How often does a mandatory reconsideration change the award?

27 percent of mandatory reconsiderations cleared, excluding withdrawn claims, led to a change in award. For initial decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026, 35 percent of completed mandatory reconsiderations went on to lodge an appeal, 17 percent of appeals lodged were lapsed by DWP in the customer's favour before tribunal, and 3 percent of initial decisions were overturned at a tribunal hearing.

Do award review appeals have different outcomes?

Yes. For award review decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026, 38 percent of completed mandatory reconsiderations went to appeal, and 44 percent of appeals lodged were lapsed in the customer's favour before a hearing. Over August 2021 to July 2026, 79 percent of planned award reviews and 89 percent of changes of circumstance resulted in an increase or no change to the award.