Glossary · UK
What is PIP Mobility Component?
One of the two elements of Personal Independence Payment, paid at a standard or enhanced weekly rate to help with the extra costs of getting around, assessed separately from the daily living component.
Full Definition
Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is gradually replacing Disability Living Allowance for working-age adults, is made up of two separate components that are each assessed and paid independently: the daily living component and the mobility component. The mobility component specifically addresses the extra costs a disabled person faces getting around -- whether planning and following a journey, or physically moving around -- and is paid at either the standard weekly rate or, for those with more severe mobility needs, the higher enhanced weekly rate, with the rates uprated each April in line with CPI inflation. Entitlement to the mobility component is decided through the same points-based assessment used for the daily living component, scoring the claimant against a series of descriptors covering activities such as planning and following journeys and moving around, with points awarded reflecting the level of difficulty, aid, or supervision needed; a claimant can qualify for the mobility component, the daily living component, both, or neither, entirely independently of the other, since the two components reflect different types of need. A claimant awarded the enhanced rate of the mobility component, and who meets the relevant additional criteria, becomes eligible to join the Motability Scheme, exchanging some or all of the enhanced mobility payment for a leased car, scooter, or powered wheelchair. PIP mobility component awards are for a fixed period (unless the claimant has reached state pension age or has a severe, lifelong condition qualifying for special rules), after which the claimant is reassessed, and awards can be backdated to the date of claim if the assessment process takes several months, which is common given assessment backlogs. Because the mobility component is not means-tested and is unaffected by savings, income, or National Insurance record, it can be paid alongside Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, or earnings from work without being reduced, though claimants should be aware that moving into a care home or hospital for an extended stay can affect ongoing entitlement to both PIP components.