The Short Answer
PIP requires that you have lived in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years, and that you are living in England or Wales when you apply. Scotland has its own benefit, Adult Disability Payment, and Northern Ireland runs PIP through its own department. The residence test sits alongside the age, duration and functional tests rather than replacing any of them.
The Two Halves of the Test
The table below sets out the position, with each figure taken from the source named beneath it.
| Test | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Past presence | Lived in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years |
| Present residence | Living in England or Wales when you apply |
| Scotland | Claim Adult Disability Payment instead of PIP |
| Northern Ireland | PIP, administered by the PIP Centre rather than the DWP |
Last checked: 7 August 2026
Both halves must be satisfied. Someone who has lived in Great Britain for years but has moved to Scotland applies for Adult Disability Payment; someone who has just arrived in England may satisfy the second test and fail the first.
Why Scotland Is a Different Benefit
Adult Disability Payment replaced PIP for new claims in Scotland. The rates are identical — £76.70 and £114.60 for daily living, £30.30 and £80.00 for mobility in 2026/27 — and the assessment criteria are the same.
Last checked: 6 August 2026
The process differs. Social Security Scotland allows 42 calendar days to request a re-determination against the DWP's 1 month, uses consultations rather than assessments, and pays Short-term Assistance while a challenge is decided.
Northern Ireland
PIP applies, but it is administered by the Personal Independence Payment Centre rather than the DWP. The Department for Communities runs it, and the 2026/27 rates are identical to Great Britain.
The challenge deadline is the same: nidirect states that you must apply for a mandatory reconsideration within one calendar month of the date on your decision notice, and that the limit can be extended in exceptional circumstances.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
Moving Between Nations
A move is reportable, and it changes which benefit you receive. GOV.UK states that if you get PIP and move from England or Wales to Scotland you must tell the DWP and claim Adult Disability Payment, and that your PIP will stop 13 weeks after you move.
The 13 weeks is a runway rather than a guarantee. A claim made late in it risks a gap between PIP stopping and ADP starting, and the gap is not automatically made up.
Time Abroad
A period abroad longer than 4 weeks is reportable. The claim line asks for the dates of any such period and the countries visited, and it is one of the items GOV.UK lists among the information to have ready before calling.
Reporting it is a duty rather than a formality: an unreported absence that affects entitlement creates an overpayment to repay.
Where This Sits
Residence is one of four tests, and all of them apply together. Age, the required period condition and the functional test are the others, and the full set is on PIP Eligibility.