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Free PIP backpay calculator · 2026/27How much PIP backpay am I owed?
Work out the lump sum due if your PIP is awarded or increased, using the right rate for every week. Backpay is tax-free and goes back to the date your PIP should have started.
- Uses each year’s rates, back to April 2022
- Shows what a percentage firm would take from it
- Free, and nothing you enter is saved or sent
Last reviewed
Work out your backpay
Fill in four things. Your estimate updates as you go.
- Your total backpay, tax-free
- A breakdown for each tax year
- How much more you’ll get from now on
- What a percentage firm would take from it
How PIP backpay is calculated.
There’s nothing hidden in it. Once you know the start date, you can check the DWP’s figure yourself.
- 1
Work out the weekly rate you should have had
Add your daily living and mobility rates together.
- 2
Take away what you were actually paid
If you were refused completely, that’s nothing.
- 3
Count the weeks
From your start date to the day the right rate is paid.
- 4
Use each year’s rate
Rates rise every April, so weeks in each tax year use that year’s rate. The calculator does this for you.
When does backpay start?
PIP is never paid for time before you first contacted the DWP, even if your condition started years earlier.
Win it first, then keep all of it.
No-win, no-fee firms often take up to 40% plus VAT of the backpay they win. On a typical £6,400, that’s about £3,072.
The letter is what wins your backpay
A clear letter that ties your difficulties to the right descriptors gives the decision maker, or the tribunal, a reason to change the decision. That’s exactly what our letters do.
- Mandatory reconsideration or tribunal letter, written for your case
- Reviewed by a former DWP decision maker
- Ready in 48 hours, with free revisions
- £49 flat. You keep 100% of your backpay
PIP Tribunal Preparation Pack
What happens on the day, the questions the panel usually asks about each activity, and how to describe your worst days clearly. A PDF you can print.
The rates your backpay uses.
Weeks in each tax year are paid at that year’s rate. Rates change on 6 April.
| Tax year | Daily living standard | Daily living enhanced | Mobility standard | Mobility enhanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | £76.70 | £114.60 | £30.30 | £80.00 |
| 2025/26 | £73.90 | £110.40 | £29.20 | £77.05 |
| 2024/25 | £72.65 | £108.55 | £28.70 | £75.75 |
| 2023/24 | £68.10 | £101.75 | £26.90 | £71.00 |
| 2022/23 | £61.85 | £92.40 | £24.45 | £64.50 |
Weekly rates from DWP’s published PIP rates tables and GOV.UK.
How long backpay takes to arrive.
You don’t need to apply for it. The DWP works it out and pays it into the same account as your PIP.
New claim decided
Your first payment usually includes the arrears from your claim date. Regular payments then follow every 4 weeks.
Mandatory reconsideration
The DWP pays the difference once it changes the decision, usually within a few weeks.
Tribunal win
The DWP has to put the tribunal’s decision into effect. Payment often follows within a few weeks, sometimes longer. Chase it if nothing arrives after a month.
Will backpay affect my other benefits?
It’s tax-free
PIP and its backpay are not taxed, and PIP isn’t counted as income for Universal Credit or other means-tested benefits.
It won’t count as savings at first
PIP backpay is ignored as savings for Universal Credit, ESA and Housing Benefit for 12 months, and longer in some cases where the DWP made the error and the arrears are £5,000 or more.
Your carer may be able to claim too
If you’re awarded the daily living part, someone caring for you 35+ hours a week may get Carer’s Allowance. Claiming within 3 months of your PIP decision lets it be backdated.
Tell your other benefits
Report the award to Universal Credit or your council. A PIP award can lift the benefit cap, and some older benefits pay more when you get PIP.
Is your backpay right?
Mistakes happen, especially after an appeal. These are the ones to look for, and what to do about them.
Wrong start date
The most common error after an appeal. Backpay should go back to your original start date, not the date of the tribunal decision.
A part missing
If you were awarded both daily living and mobility, check both are in the payment.
One year’s rate for everything
Weeks before each April should use the lower rate for that year, weeks after it the new rate.
Nothing has arrived
If a month has passed since your decision with no payment, contact the PIP enquiry line.
If the figure looks wrong
- 1
Ask for a breakdown
Contact the PIP enquiry line and ask for the start date, end date, weekly rate and any deductions. The number is on GOV.UK. Write down what they tell you.
- 2
Compare it with this calculator
If the start date, the parts or the rates are different, ask them to recalculate.
- 3
Challenge the decision if they won’t
A wrong start date is part of the decision, so you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision letter. We can write the letter for you.
More free tools for your claim.
PIP backpay questions answered.
To the date your PIP should have started. For a new claim that’s usually the day you first contacted the DWP, as long as your difficulties had already lasted 3 months. PIP is never paid for time before you claimed.
Yes. A tribunal decision replaces the decision you appealed, so the backpay goes back to the same start date. The months spent waiting for a hearing are all covered.
For a new claim, the arrears usually come with your first payment. After a mandatory reconsideration or a tribunal win, payment often follows within a few weeks. If nothing has arrived after a month, contact the PIP enquiry line.
No. PIP and PIP backpay are tax-free, and you don’t need to declare them for income tax.
PIP isn’t counted as income for Universal Credit, and backpay is ignored as savings for 12 months, longer in some cases. Tell Universal Credit about the award, as it can lift the benefit cap.
The rate for each week is the rate that applied at the time. Rates rise every April, so a long wait can mean two or three different rates. This calculator applies each year’s rate automatically.
Ask the PIP enquiry line for a breakdown of the start date, rates and weeks. If the start date is wrong and they won’t correct it, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision letter.
Many do: often up to 40% plus VAT of the backpay they win, about £3,072 on a typical £6,400. PIPAppeal letters are a flat £49 and you keep all of your backpay.
Owed backpay? Don’t give 40% of it away.
Our mandatory reconsideration and tribunal letters are written for your case and reviewed by a former DWP decision maker. Flat £49. You keep every pound of your backpay.
This calculator gives an estimate, not legal or benefits advice. The DWP (or the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland) works out your actual backpay. Rates checked against DWP and GOV.UK figures in October 2026.