20/08/2026
'You can claim PIP just for a bad back'
'You only use your stick to get benefits'
'It's all paid for by benefits'
'Being on benefits is a lifestyle choice'
☝️ these are all things that people have really said to us and our clients over the years. People with disabilities often face discrimination due to the assumptions that other people make about them and their lives. Let's look at the facts.
Each year, Scope use data from the Family Resources Survey to calculate the extra costs faced by households where one or more people are disabled- the 'Disability Price Tag' 💷 In 2025, these households faced £1,095 a month in extra living costs just to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households. On top of the general cost-of-living crisis, disabled households are more affected in a wide variety of ways:
🌡️ Medication often needs to be kept in a temperature-controlled environment such as a fridge. Fridges run most efficiently when they are well-stocked, so if a person cannot afford enough food to fill a fridge, that fridge will not run efficiently. This inefficiency drives up the price of keeping the fridge running
⚡️Many medical devices are electronic and have to be on permanently. They cannot be turned on and off at will to save energy or take advantage of cheaper energy tariffs, so are more expensive to run
🦯 Aids and adaptations to help people with disabilities live fully are often more expensive than people think, and the cost of needing many aids and adaptations quickly adds up
🍴 Dietary requirements can mean that specific types of food, such as gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free or lactose-free, are more expensive
🏠️ If housing costs such as rent keep increasing, households with more than one disabled person are less likely to be able to afford to move to a cheaper-to-run property
Despite all of these costs, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a benefit provided by the government, is capped at shockingly low rates. PIP is broken down into a mobility rate (for help getting out and about) and a daily living rate (for help with day-to-day activities such as getting washed and dressed, food preparation, or communication). On an enhanced rate, the maximum claim is £194.60 a week and people on PIP can then apply for benefit top-ups, council tax discounts and travel support. PIP claimants are still often left with a shortfall of over £600 a month.
The application for PIP is invasive, complicated, overwhelming, and frustrated by assessors who often do not understand a lot of the conditions that they are presented with (especially those that fluctuate). Although 70% of appeals are successful, they are often also challenging and drawn-out, and add stress to an already upsetting situation.
So, what can we do about this?
💬 Talk and listen to people with disabilities when we tell you about our experiences and our lives, instead of making assumptions
🔍️ Find out the facts about PIP! Disability advocacy charities and groups such as Scope and Leonard Cheshire are trustworthy sources for information and can sometimes even give you an insight into what it is like to apply for PIP
📣 The Timms review may have closed, but this is just the beginning of the government's overhaul of PIP. We can all keep advocating to ensure that people with disabilities are heard through the sharing of campaigns, petitions and open letters, writing to our local MPs, and talking to influential groups such as the media
