The Short Answer
If a PIP payment has not arrived, check the due date against your decision letter and any bank holiday first, then call the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433. The line can confirm whether a payment was issued, when, and to which account, which separates a DWP problem from a bank problem. Allow for bank processing on the day itself. A payment that has stopped rather than run late follows a change to the award, such as a reported change or the award reaching its end date.
Key facts
What to Check First
Four things, in order, before calling. Most queries resolve at one of the first three. 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 expected date. PIP is paid every 4 weeks on a fixed weekday. Count 28 days from the last payment rather than from the same date last month.
- Bank holidays. A payment due on one is normally made before it, which can put the money in your account earlier than expected and make the following gap look long.
- Recent changes. A review, a reported change of circumstances or a change of bank details can all interrupt a cycle while they are processed.
- The account. Check the account named in your decision letter, not the one you use most.
The check payment schedule page sets out how the payment date is fixed and how the cycle runs, and you can work out your payment dates for the next 12 payments from one date you know. A new award starts with an irregular sequence, covered in first payments.
When to Call
A few working days past the expected date. That allows for ordinary bank processing, which sits between the DWP issuing a payment and the money appearing.
Calling earlier rarely helps, because a payment issued on the due date will not show as a problem in the DWP's system. Calling later than a week risks letting a genuine fault run.
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| PIP enquiry line | 0800 121 4433 |
| Opening hours | Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm |
| Relay UK | 18001 then 0800 121 4433 |
| British Sign Language | Video relay service available |
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What to Ask
Two questions, and they distinguish every case. Ask when the payment was issued, and to which account. The DWP's PIP enquiry line is 0800 121 4433, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
A payment issued to the correct account several days ago is a bank matter, and your bank can trace it. A payment not issued is a DWP matter, and the reason will be on the record: a review in progress, a suspended award, or an administrative fault.
Note the date and time of the call and the name of the person you spoke to. Where a second call is needed, that record shortens it considerably.
The Common Causes
Each has a different next step. Knowing which one applies is most of the work.
| Cause | What happens | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Bank holiday | The payment was made early | Nothing: the next payment is on the normal cycle |
| Changed bank details | The change has not yet applied | Confirm the account on record with the enquiry line |
| Review in progress | Payments should continue at the existing rate | Query any interruption, because payments continue during a review |
| Change of circumstances | The award is being recalculated | Ask when the recalculated payment is due |
| Award ended | The award period expired | Ask whether a review was started, and when |
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The third row is worth emphasising. GOV.UK states that "you will continue to get PIP while your claim is being reviewed", so payments stopping during a review is not the expected behaviour and should be queried the week it happens.
Why would PIP payments stop?
PIP payments stop when something changes the award itself, not the payment cycle. GOV.UK lists the changes you must report to the PIP enquiry line straight away, and states that, depending on the change, your PIP could go up, go down, stay the same or stop. The causes and the next step for each:
| Cause | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A reported change in your needs or circumstances | The DWP looks at the award again, and it can go up, go down, stay the same or stop | Wait for the decision letter, and ask for mandatory reconsideration within one month if you disagree |
| A hospital stay, as an NHS in-patient aged 18 or over | PIP continues for the first 28 days, then neither part is payable until you leave | Report the stay to the enquiry line when it starts |
| A care home stay funded from public or local money | The daily living part stops being payable after the first 28 days; mobility continues | Report the move, and any change in how the fees are funded |
| Going abroad for more than 4 weeks | A change you must report, because it can affect the award | Report it before you travel |
| A review form not returned in time | PIP can be stopped | Call the enquiry line straight away and ask for more time to return the form |
| A missed assessment | PIP can be stopped until an assessment takes place | Call the DWP, explain why you missed it and ask to book another |
| The award reaches its end date | Your decision letter gave the end date; payments stop unless a review continues the award | Check the date in the letter, and call if a review form was sent and returned |
| An overpayment being taken back | The DWP reduces your PIP until the overpayment is repaid | Ask how much is being taken and for how long |
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The hospital and care home limits come from regulations 28 to 30 of the PIP Regulations 2013, which also make exceptions, for example for someone terminally ill in a hospice. The review form, missed assessment and overpayment rows follow Citizens Advice guidance. A review on its own does not stop payment: GOV.UK states that you will continue to get PIP while your claim is being reviewed. Where a stopped award is restored after a challenge or a late form, Citizens Advice notes that the DWP pays the money you would have received.
If a Payment Is Genuinely Missing
Escalate rather than repeat the same call. The sums justify it: a missed 4-week cycle is £306.80 at the daily living standard rate and £778.40 where both components are paid at the enhanced rate. Where a payment has not been issued and no reason is given, ask for the matter to be escalated and note that you were told nothing was outstanding.
A welfare rights adviser or Citizens Advice can take this further where calls do not resolve it. Persistent non-payment of an award in force is a complaint matter, and the DWP has a published complaints process.
Where hardship follows a missed payment, say so on the call. It does not change the entitlement but it can affect how the query is prioritised.
Keeping the Right Numbers
The enquiry line handles payments, changes and general queries about an existing award. New claims use a different number and the appeals process uses a third: 0800 121 4433 for enquiries, 0800 917 2222 for new claims, and 0300 123 1142 for the benefit appeals helpline.
The full list, with the hours and accessibility routes for each, is on the PIP Contact Numbers page.