The Short Answer
A PIP award that stops has either reached a decision or hit an administrative problem, and the two need different responses. Where a decision letter exists, the one-month clock for a mandatory reconsideration is already running. Where no letter exists, it is a query for the PIP enquiry line. Establishing which it is, on day one, is the whole of the first step.
The Common Causes
The table below sets out the position, with each figure taken from the source named beneath it.
| Cause | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The award reached its end date | Payments simply end on a known date | Check the decision letter; a new claim may be needed |
| A review or change decision | A letter reducing or ending the award | One month to ask for a reconsideration |
| The review form was not returned | Payments end after a reminder | Contact the DWP immediately and explain |
| Hospital, care home or detention | Payments suspended after a reportable change | Check the rules for that situation |
| More than 4 weeks abroad | Payments suspended | Report the return |
| Bank or administrative fault | No letter, no reason | Call the enquiry line |
Last checked: 7 August 2026
Step One: Is There a Decision?
Everything turns on that. A decision carries a one-month deadline from the date on the letter; an administrative problem carries none but needs chasing.
Where no letter has arrived, the DWP's PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) can confirm whether a decision was made, on what date, and what it said. If one was made, the clock runs from that letter's date whether or not it reached you — which is why the call matters even when the post has failed.
A late request can still be accepted up to 13 months from the decision where there are reasons for the delay. Acceptance is not automatic, so the 1-month route is the one to aim at.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
Reviews Should Not Interrupt Payment
GOV.UK states that "you will continue to get PIP while your claim is being reviewed". Payments stopping during a review is not the expected behaviour, and it is worth querying the week it happens rather than assuming a decision has been made.
When an Award Ends by Expiry
A new claim starts a new date. Where an award has expired without a review being started, there is no way to continue it: a fresh claim is required, and it runs from the new claim date rather than from the end of the old award.
A new claim also rejoins the queue. The DWP's published median at January 2026 was 20 weeks end to end for a normal rules new claim, so the gap is measured in months rather than weeks.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
That gap is not recoverable, which is why acting on a review letter promptly is worth more than anything that can be done afterwards.
Challenging a Decision to Stop or Reduce
One month, and the points section is where the disagreement lives. Of mandatory reconsiderations cleared in the quarter ending January 2026, 27% changed the award.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
There is no equivalent in England and Wales of Scotland's Short-term Assistance, so payments do not continue during the challenge. A successful challenge is backdated instead, to the date the reducing decision took effect.
Reporting While It Is Sorted Out
The duty to report changes continues whether or not payments are in issue. The form that follows depends on the change: the DWP issues the AR2 for a routine award review, and uses the AR1 for more complex changes such as changes to medical conditions or the needs arising from them.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
The list, and what each change does, is on check award reviews, and the challenge route is on check challenging decisions.