The Timms Review of PIP explained

The Timms Review is the first full review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) since the benefit began in 2013. It is named after Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, who is one of its 3 co-chairs.

This article explains what the review covers, who is running it, what disabled people have told it, what it has recommended so far, and what happens next. We will update it as new information is published.

Why the review is happening

PIP replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults in 2013. There were reviews of the PIP assessment in 2014 and 2016, but they only looked at how decisions and claims were handled. PIP itself has never been fully reviewed.

The Timms Review came out of a debate in Parliament in July 2025, when the Universal Credit Act was being passed. The government had planned changes to who could get PIP, but Parliament did not support them. So the government set up a review to look at PIP more fully.

The government says it wants PIP to stay:

• not means-tested, so your income and savings do not matter
• open to people in or out of work
• a cash payment towards the extra costs of disability

In April 2026, about 4 million people in England and Wales were entitled to PIP.

What the review covers

The review's terms of reference set out what it will look at. These include:

• the activities, descriptors and points used in the PIP assessment, for both the daily living part and the mobility part
• whether other evidence should be looked at alongside the assessment, such as your personal circumstances and where you live
• how the assessment could give people fair access to the right support at the right level
• how the assessment could help people get other support

The government plans to remove the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). After that, the PIP assessment will become the single gateway to extra money for health conditions and disability in the benefits system. This makes the PIP assessment even more important.

The review will also look at how its recommendations might apply to reassessments for people who already get PIP.

The terms of reference say the review is not there to find more savings. But its recommendations must stay within the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts for future PIP spending, so that PIP is there for future generations.

The steering group has said it may also comment on wider issues where the evidence shows they affect PIP or independent living.

The 4 themes

The steering group shaped its work around 4 themes:

1. The role and purpose of PIP
2. Eligibility, fairness and equity in who gets PIP
3. The experience of claiming PIP, from applying to getting or challenging a decision, and award reviews
4. The changing context, meaning how society, health and work have changed since 2013, and what that means for PIP

Who is running it

The review is led by 3 co-chairs:

• Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability
• Sharon Brennan
• Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE

Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson were appointed in October 2025. More than 340 people applied to join the steering group, and 12 members were appointed in January 2026. With the 3 co-chairs, that makes a steering group of 15. Almost all of its members have lived experience of disability or long-term ill health.

Big decisions are made by a vote of the steering group. Two organisations, The PSC and WECIL (a disabled people's organisation), help run the co-production. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does the admin.

How it is being carried out

The review is being co-produced. This means disabled people help decide how the review works and what it recommends, not just answer questions. The government says this is the first time it has used co-production on this scale.

The review is guided by core principles of dignity, rights, independent living, equity, accessibility and participation.

The steering group agreed a working statement of what PIP is for:

The purpose of PIP is to assist D/deaf and disabled people and people with long-term conditions to reduce the inequalities they face in participating in everyday life through a contribution towards the extra costs of disability.

The 6-part plan

The review is gathering evidence in 6 ways, so people can take part in a way that suits them:

1. A call for evidence, open to anyone, which ran from 19 March to 28 May 2026
2. Existing data and research, from government, charities and experts
3. A new survey, a nationally representative survey of working-age disabled people, run by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen)
4. Workshop in a Box, free materials so charities and community groups could run their own sessions and send in what they heard
5. Evidence sessions with experts, including people with lived experience
6. Shaping recommendations workshops, to test and improve the review's ideas (these were first called "deliberative events")

What people told the review

The call for evidence got 38,713 responses. About 70 to 75% came from disabled people and people with long-term conditions. Others came from carers, charities, clinicians, academics and MPs. People could reply without giving their name.

DWP used an AI tool to help sort the responses, with people checking the results at every stage.

PIP is valued, but the process is not

About 54% of responses about PIP as a benefit were positive. People said PIP helps with the extra costs of disability and supports survival, stability and dignity. Many said it helps them stay in work.

But over 90% of responses about the process of claiming PIP were negative. Only about 5% were positive.

People often described the assessment as "dehumanising", "soul destroying" and "degrading". Many said they felt they were not believed and had to prove they were disabled.

The main problems people raised

• The assessment: raised in about 70% of responses
• Fluctuating conditions: about 45% said the system struggles with conditions that change from day to day
• Effects on wellbeing: about 60% described stress, anxiety or exhaustion, and some said the process made their health worse
• Paperwork: about 28% said forms and evidence were too much
• Delays: about 25% raised long waits for decisions, reconsiderations and appeals

People also said:

• assessments are a "snapshot" of one moment, and miss conditions that change or build up over time
• assessors often ask whether you can do a task, not whether you can do it safely, as often as you need to, well enough and in a reasonable time (the law says they should check this, read about doing things reliably)
• conditions you cannot see, such as mental health conditions and neurodivergence, are often misunderstood
• coping well on the day can be taken as a sign you do not need help
• medical evidence is not always given enough weight
• reasonable adjustments were not always offered
• people with lifelong conditions are reassessed again and again, even when nothing will change
• many people now use PIP for essentials, because of the rising cost of living

Some people said they were afraid to work, volunteer or exercise, in case it was seen as proof they no longer needed PIP. As one person put it: "You are punished for coping."

A smaller number of responses raised other concerns. About 10% mentioned fraud or misuse, and about 6% said PIP was too generous, mostly about the Motability scheme.

The interim report

In July 2026 the steering group published its interim report. It does not make recommendations. It gives a clear message: while PIP is widely valued, it is no longer fit for purpose.

The co-chairs wrote: "Our message is simple: PIP is not working. It is not working for the people that go through the process, nor for a government committed to supporting disabled people."

In their September 2026 update, the co-chairs added that while many disabled people say PIP is vital for meeting the extra costs of disability and taking part in everyday life, others said PIP creates barriers to taking part fully in work, social and community life.

The report also says:

• the problems are built into the system, not one-off mistakes
• the process can feel complex, repetitive and hard to navigate, especially for people whose needs change or are less visible
• PIP is often filling gaps left by other services, such as mental health services, social care and housing
• the purpose of PIP is not widely understood
• there is low trust in PIP, from claimants and the public

The emerging recommendations

In September 2026 the steering group published its emerging recommendations. These are not final. The review calls them "a starting point that we now want people to test, challenge and help us to improve".

They come in 2 parts:

• improvements to PIP as it is now
• principles for a reformed benefit, which could guide bigger changes in future

The review is clear that PIP should stay a flexible, non-means-tested cash benefit towards the extra costs of disability. Its recommendations must also stay within the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts for future PIP spending, as its terms of reference require. You can read the recommendations in full on the Timms Review page on GOV.UK.

Improvements to PIP as it is now

Making it easier to apply for and get PIP:

• fewer award reviews for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions, where no improvement is expected, and clearer letters so reviews cause less worry
• a simpler PIP2 form ("How your disability affects you") and guidance, which explains what evidence matters most and works better for conditions that change from day to day
• clearer, more respectful letters from DWP, including decision letters
• a better way to ask for reasonable adjustments across DWP and the assessment companies, so they are agreed, delivered and checked. They already have a legal duty to make these under the Equality Act 2010
• an advocacy service for people who find it hard to explain how their condition affects them
• more joined-up support for people with the highest needs, which could include a team that stays with you through your claim

Changing assessments and decisions:

• clear rules for how decisions are made, challenged and put right, with stronger checks on the companies that carry out assessments
• learning from mandatory reconsiderations and appeals, so decisions are more consistent and assessors are held to account, with complaints data used to measure how well assessment companies are doing
• better use of supporting evidence, including deciding claims on paper where that is right
• reviewing the 28-day hospital rule, to cut stress for people who are in hospital during serious illness or recovery
• a better way to assess fluctuating conditions, so the assessment is not just a snapshot of one day
• the right type of assessment for each person, with a choice of formats and more face-to-face assessments where the evidence is limited, contradictory or needs exploring further

Building for the future:

• more digital services, including an online portal where you own your personal data, but always with options that are not online
• better data on who applies for PIP, including protected characteristics (such as age, sex, race and disability) and health conditions beyond the main one, so DWP can understand and tackle unfair differences between groups, with safeguards for your data

Principles for a reformed benefit

These are ideas for how a future version of PIP could work.

The overall aim:

• the benefit would support independent living, choice and control, and taking part in everyday life, including work, volunteering and caring
• cash would stay the main part of the award, and it would stay not means-tested
• you would be at the centre of a fair process, with the same rights as everyone else but support that fits your needs
• the process would be trusted and supportive, and help people explain their needs and fill gaps in their evidence
• it would be designed with disabled people, and tested before it starts

A new way of assessing people:

• a short, light-touch first assessment, kept as simple as possible, to understand your situation and send you down the right route
• different routes for different people, so people with clear evidence need fewer assessments, and others get a fuller conversation
• a fast-track route for people with well-evidenced, serious conditions, including people receiving end-of-life care
• flexible routes, including a fuller "person-shaped" interview where things are complex, evidence is missing or you need extra support
• every route would look at how your condition changes over time and builds up, not just how you are on one day

Evidence and support:

• reasonable adjustments at every stage
• a "Tell Us Once" approach: with your permission, a single digital profile would hold your evidence, so you do not have to give the same information again and again
• with your permission, DWP could use evidence it, the NHS or social care already hold
• a wide range of evidence would count, including reports from mental health professionals or social workers, and what carers, family and friends say
• you would not need to know what to ask for or find all the evidence on your own, and the process would help fill gaps
• advocacy and support throughout for people who find it hard to explain their needs, such as people with a learning disability

The award:

• cash would stay the main part of the award, but some awards could also include services or other help that is not money
• the award would contribute fairly to the extra costs of disability, and reflect conditions that change or build up over time
• your award could be worked out by talking about types of extra costs, such as equipment and aids, mobility and transport, and clothing and bedding
• you would be pointed to other information and support

Testing the ideas

The review is testing its ideas in 15 shaping recommendations workshops across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, starting on 15 September 2026. Nearly 4,000 people registered an interest in taking part. Each workshop is co-hosted with a local disabled people's organisation or charity.

The review says this stage is not just about whether people agree or disagree. People are asked what could work, what might not, what unintended effects there could be, and what would need to change for the ideas to work fairly in real life. The steering group has promised to explain what it took forward from the workshops, and why.

The review is also holding roundtables with disabled people's organisations, charities and other experts, to spot gaps and unintended effects and work out what would be needed for the ideas to work in practice.

Timeline so far

• July 2025: the review is promised during a debate on the Universal Credit Act
• October 2025: terms of reference published, and Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson appointed as co-chairs
• November 2025: applications to join the steering group close, with more than 340 received
• December 2025: first co-chair update published
• January 2026: 12 steering group members appointed
• February 2026: detailed policy work begins
• 19 March to 28 May 2026: call for evidence (38,713 responses)
• 8 June to 17 July 2026: Workshop in a Box (feedback from over 130 workshops)
• July 2026: interim report and call for evidence findings published
• 17 August 2026: survey closes (about 2,000 responses)
• September 2026: emerging recommendations published, and shaping recommendations workshops begin on 15 September
• Autumn 2026: final report due to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

What happens next

The steering group will use what it hears at the workshops and roundtables, along with all its other evidence, to agree its final recommendations. It will send its final report to the Secretary of State later in autumn 2026. The co-chairs say they will test whether the ideas are fair, workable and able to improve people's experience of PIP, and that accessibility, fairness and accountability will stay central.

The survey closed on 17 August with about 2,000 responses, and analysis is under way. The results are due to be published in the autumn.

The Secretary of State will then decide what to do. The government has said it will report the outcome to Parliament. Changes could mean new laws, new regulations, or changes to how DWP works that do not need a new law.

What this means for you now

• Nothing changes yet. Claim PIP in the usual way if you think you qualify.
• If you already get PIP, keep reporting changes to DWP as normal.
• If you disagree with a decision, you can still challenge it.
• Check how the activities apply to you with our free PIP points self-check, and read about the PIP activities.
• You can follow every official update on the Timms Review page on GOV.UK.