The Department for Work and Pensions has slowed the increase in health and disability benefit caseloads, and in welfare spending as a proportion of GDP compared to the last Government.

The Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, was launched to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater in-dependence, including through employment.

The steering group is now moving towards designing and testing its recommendations for change, which will be published in a final report in due course.

DWP is committed to expanding its digital services enabling more customers to engage with us online. Although some benefits, such as Universal Credit, can be claimed online and any further communications can also be conducted digitally through the use of the customer journal, applying online does not automatically mean all subsequent communications will be digital.

DWP operates a multi-channel approach to ensure customers receive important information in a way that is accessible, secure and inclusive. In some cases, letters remain the formal method for notifying customers of a decision or providing information about their award and appeal rights. Postal notifications also support legal, policy and accessibility requirements for certain decisions and customer groups.

Our approach is to expand digital services while maintaining alternative channels so that no customer is excluded. We also remain committed to ensuring that customers have a choice of those alternative channels.

All claimants, regardless of their nationality, must demonstrate that they are resident in the UK and have an immigration status that qualifies them to receive taxpayer-funded benefits.

Migrants with recourse to public funds are subject to the same eligibility criteria as any other claimant, including the need to be ‘habitually resident’ (meaning they have made the UK their home) in addition to having a legal right to claim benefits.

Most non-UK nationals are granted an immigration status by the Home Office with a ‘No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)’ condition. Individuals may have their NRPF condition removed once they are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain/settled status, which is usually after 5 years. These claimants can still access contribution-based benefits such as New-Style Jobseeker’s Allowance.

The full eligibility criteria, including the residency tests, for each benefit type can be found on GOV.UK.

This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions in addition to the representative organisations and people that support them.

That is why we brought forward a Green Paper and opened a public consultation – which received over 47,500 responses before closing on 30 June 2025. The consultation was published in a range of accessible versions including braille, audio, British Sign Language (BSL), Welsh language, Easy Read, large print and web-accessible formats. In addition to the public consultation, we ran a programme of accessible public events to further facilitate input. The series of both virtual and in-person events across the country helped us to hear from disabled people and representative organisations directly.

Our conversations with disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as experts, shaped and informed the Green Paper. We are committed to continuing this dialogue and drawing on a wide range of insights and experiences to get these reforms right. We published our summary to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation responses on 30 October 2025. We are considering feedback on these proposals as we develop them further.

The Timms Review is being co-produced by disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts. The steering group is committed to ensuring the Review is informed by a broad range of voices and experiences, and to making engagement accessible. The steering group agreed to use a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data and workshops across the UK to gather evidence.

The Review has run a Call for Evidence and ‘Workshop in a Box’ sessions to gather input from individuals and organisations with a full suite of accessible versions, including British Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, Audio, and Welsh versions. The Call for Evidence received over 38,000 responses. A summary of these findings was published alongside the Interim Report on 9 July. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for final decisions by autumn 2026.

The Timms Review is considering the role of PIP in enabling disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to live independently and participate fully in society, and how it can remain fair and fit for the future. Listening to the lived experience and expertise of disabled people, including concerns about repeat assessments, is critical to the Review’s success. The Review will report its recommendations to the Secretary of State in the Autumn.

The Department’s Recovery from Estates process does not begin from the date of death. Before recovery activity can commence, probate or letters of administration must generally be granted, and the Department must be notified of the estate administration details. Consequently, there can be a period between notification of a death and the point at which the Department is able to begin Recovery from Estates activity.

Recovery from Estates investigations can vary significantly in complexity depending on the circumstances of the case, the availability of evidence, and the time required to obtain and review historical financial information. The Department seeks to progress cases as efficiently as possible while ensuring that all necessary enquiries are completed.

The Department has taken a number of steps to improve timeliness and customer service within the Recovery from Estates process. These include increasing resource within the service and continuing to provide training and upskilling opportunities to develop staff capability. In addition, a dedicated telephony function has been established to handle customer enquiries. This enables other staff to focus on case processing activities, helping to increase operational capacity and support the timely progression of investigations.

The Department’s Recovery from Estates process does not begin from the date of death. Before recovery activity can commence, probate or letters of administration must generally be granted, and the Department must be notified of the estate administration details. Consequently, there can be a period between notification of a death and the point at which the Department is able to begin Recovery from Estates activity.

Recovery from Estates investigations can vary significantly in complexity depending on the circumstances of the case, the availability of evidence, and the time required to obtain and review historical financial information. The Department seeks to progress cases as efficiently as possible while ensuring that all necessary enquiries are completed.

The Department has taken a number of steps to improve timeliness and customer service within the Recovery from Estates process. These include increasing resource within the service and continuing to provide training and upskilling opportunities to develop staff capability. In addition, a dedicated telephony function has been established to handle customer enquiries. This enables other staff to focus on case processing activities, helping to increase operational capacity and support the timely progression of investigations.

The Department’s Recovery from Estates process does not begin from the date of death. Before recovery activity can commence, probate or letters of administration must generally be granted, and the Department must be notified of the estate administration details. Consequently, there can be a period between notification of a death and the point at which the Department is able to begin Recovery from Estates activity.

Recovery from Estates investigations can vary significantly in complexity depending on the circumstances of the case, the availability of evidence, and the time required to obtain and review historical financial information. The Department seeks to progress cases as efficiently as possible while ensuring that all necessary enquiries are completed.

The Department has taken a number of steps to improve timeliness and customer service within the Recovery from Estates process. These include increasing resource within the service and continuing to provide training and upskilling opportunities to develop staff capability. In addition, a dedicated telephony function has been established to handle customer enquiries. This enables other staff to focus on case processing activities, helping to increase operational capacity and support the timely progression of investigations.

The information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Financial year estimates are published at Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026 - GOV.UK, table 4(ii).

Reducing customer journey times for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service. More information can be found here:

Disability Living Allowance for children timeliness performance, for new claims cleared between 1 August 2025 and 31 March 2026 - GOV.UK

Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to April 2026 - GOV.UK

A child or young adult cannot qualify for DLA or PIP unless the disability conditions have been satisfied for an initial period of three months. This helps establish that disability and the resulting needs are of a longstanding nature and ensures that the benefit goes only to those for whom it is intended. Where entitlement conditions are met, Carer’s Allowance can be backdated for up to three months from the date that entitlement to the qualifying disability benefit begins. Severely disabled children and young adults do not always have to wait for the full three months from the date of their claim before they become entitled to DLA or PIP if they have already had the requisite needs arising prior to their claim.

Special considerations also apply to those who are terminally ill, who are awarded the highest rate of the care component of DLA or the enhanced rate of the PIP daily living component automatically without having to complete a qualifying period. Such claims are dealt with quickly and sensitively.

Reducing customer journey times for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service. More information can be found here:

Disability Living Allowance for children timeliness performance, for new claims cleared between 1 August 2025 and 31 March 2026 - GOV.UK

Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to April 2026 - GOV.UK

A child or young adult cannot qualify for DLA or PIP unless the disability conditions have been satisfied for an initial period of three months. This helps establish that disability and the resulting needs are of a longstanding nature and ensures that the benefit goes only to those for whom it is intended. Where entitlement conditions are met, Carer’s Allowance can be backdated for up to three months from the date that entitlement to the qualifying disability benefit begins. Severely disabled children and young adults do not always have to wait for the full three months from the date of their claim before they become entitled to DLA or PIP if they have already had the requisite needs arising prior to their claim.

Special considerations also apply to those who are terminally ill, who are awarded the highest rate of the care component of DLA or the enhanced rate of the PIP daily living component automatically without having to complete a qualifying period. Such claims are dealt with quickly and sensitively.

When a tribunal decision changes a claimant’s benefit entitlement, the decision is implemented through established DWP processes. Where this results in an award overpayment or underpayment, the revised liability is calculated and where appropriate, the relevant information is passed to Debt Management so that any necessary debt recovery adjustments can be completed.

The process in place to prioritise refunds is through a designated inbox, which is monitored daily. If a customer is experiencing financial hardship they should contact DWP Debt Management to discuss their situation, including any follow-up about a potential refund after a successful mandatory reconsideration or appeal dispute.

When a tribunal decision changes a claimant’s benefit entitlement, the decision is implemented through established DWP processes. Where this results in an award overpayment or underpayment, the revised liability is calculated and where appropriate, the relevant information is passed to Debt Management so that any necessary debt recovery adjustments can be completed.

The process in place to prioritise refunds is through a designated inbox, which is monitored daily. If a customer is experiencing financial hardship they should contact DWP Debt Management to discuss their situation, including any follow-up about a potential refund after a successful mandatory reconsideration or appeal dispute.