The Short Answer
PIP is usually paid every 4 weeks, in arrears, into a bank account. The payment day is set when the claim is decided and does not move. Each payment covers the 4 weeks before it rather than the 4 weeks ahead, which is why the first payment after a decision often looks like an odd amount. Bank holidays bring a payment forward without changing the cycle.
The Standard Pattern
Every 4 weeks, in arrears, on a fixed day. At the 2026/27 rates a full 4-week cycle is £306.80 at the daily living standard rate, £458.40 at the enhanced rate, £121.20 for standard mobility and £320.00 for enhanced mobility.
Last checked: 6 August 2026
Both components are paid together in one payment. The award letter states the date of the first payment and the day of the week you will usually be paid.
What a Full Cycle Pays
The table below sets out the position, with each figure taken from the source named beneath it.
| Award | Weekly | Every 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Daily living standard | £76.70 | £306.80 |
| Daily living enhanced | £114.60 | £458.40 |
| Mobility standard | £30.30 | £121.20 |
| Mobility enhanced | £80.00 | £320.00 |
| Both at the enhanced rate | £194.60 | £778.40 |
Last checked: 6 August 2026
Why "In Arrears" Matters
Each payment covers the 4 weeks that have already passed. That is the source of most confusion about amounts.
It also explains the gap after a decision: entitlement runs from the date it arose, but the first payment cannot be made until the first cycle has completed. Nothing is lost — the period before the first payment is covered by the arrears. GOV.UK describes the award letter as telling you "the date of your first payment" and "what day of the week you'll usually be paid".
Last checked: 7 August 2026
Bank Holidays
Paid before the holiday, then as normal. GOV.UK states that if your payment date is on a bank holiday you will usually be paid before the bank holiday, then as normal.
The cycle runs from the due dates rather than from the dates paid, so an early payment does not pull the following one forward. The next payment is 4 weeks after the original due date.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
The First Payment After a Decision
It usually includes arrears and is not a normal cycle. An award runs from the date entitlement arose, so the first payment commonly covers a longer period than 4 weeks, or arrives as two separate credits.
Where the arrears arrive separately, they often land before the letter explaining them. Checking the award letter's owed-from date against the amount received is the way to confirm the figure rather than assuming it: at the enhanced daily living rate of £114.60 a week, twenty weeks of arrears is £2,292.
Last checked: 6 August 2026
If a Payment Does Not Arrive
Allow the working day, then call. The PIP enquiry line is 0800 121 4433, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and it can confirm whether a payment was issued and on what date.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
That single fact separates a DWP problem from a bank one, which decides who can fix it.
Where This Sits
The payment day, the 4-week cycle and the bank holiday rule together decide every date in a PIP year. The remaining bank holidays in the 2026/27 year are 31 August 2026, 25 and 28 December 2026, 1 January 2027, and 26 and 29 March 2027.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
The full schedule, including the dated closures, is on how payment schedule works.