Overview

• CSJ analysis reports 90,183 new PIP awards for anxiety, depression and mood disorders in the 12 months since July 2024, averaging about 247 a day.
• Total recipients for these conditions have risen by roughly 44,000 to about 633,480, with mental health now the most common reason for claiming PIP.
• The increase is sharpest among younger people, with 17,287 under-25s starting to receive the benefit and around 60,000 under-25 claimants in total.
• Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden says there will be no PIP rule changes over the next year and is prioritising efforts to move more young people into work, including considering a ban on under-22s claiming Universal Credit incapacity benefits.
• The Centre for Social Justice urges restricting awards for milder mental health conditions, estimating savings of about £7 billion and 120,000 more young people in jobs, while ministers have postponed tightening PIP pending a review led by Sir Stephen Timms.