PIP receipients warned changes that could stop payments and trigger debts

People receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) have been warned to inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as soon as possible when certain changes happen in their lives. While some updates, such as a change of doctor, are simply good practice to report, others can significantly affect the amount of benefit received or even stop it completely.

These critical changes include:

• Needing more or less help with daily living and mobility tasks
• Your prognosis changes
• A medical professional says you have 12 months or less to live
• Going into a hospital, a hospice, a nursing home or a care home
• Going into a residential school or college
• Going into foster care or into the care of a local authority or health and social care trust
• You are being imprisoned or held in detention
• Going abroad for more than 4 weeks
• Changes in immigration status for non-British or Irish citizens
• You start or stop getting pensions or benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• Your spouse or parent you depend on starts or stops getting benefits from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

The urged people to contact the PIP enquiry line "straight away" if they experience any of these changes, warning: "You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change straight away."

This does include simple holidays abroad if it lasts for more than four weeks, you'll need to inform the department of your destination, duration and purpose of travel. It's crucial to remember this when planning your summer getaways.

If you're hospitalised, or in similar residences, for 28 days your PIP will be stopped.

There are some exceptions, such as individuals who fully self-fund their stay at a care home, as reported by .

If you leave and re-enter a hospital or care home within less than 28 days, or move between these residences such as going from hospital directly to a care home, it will be considered a linked visit and count towards the day tally.

Claimants detained in legal custody for 28 days will also have their PIP stopped, irrespective of whether it's a civil or criminal case and regardless of whether they are on remand or have been convicted.

Payments missed due to being in legal custody cannot be refunded regardless of the outcome of the proceedings. If you are taken into legal custody twice within one year, these periods will be linked towards the 28-day count.

To report a change, you can use 0800 121 4433 for the PIP enquiry line telephone, 0800 121 4493 for the textphone, 18001 then 0800 121 4433 for Relay UK or access a BSL video relay service . The lines are open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

If you notice that one of these changes has taken place and you've received more benefits than you're entitled to, you'll probably need to return the excess funds. If it's discovered that you intentionally refrained from notifying DWP about the change in order to continue receiving the same level of benefit, you could face prosecution for benefit fraud.