The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published figures showing 10,014 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims associated with 18 blood-condition categories in the latest data. The figures cover a wide range of conditions, from sickle cell disease and haemophilia to different forms of anaemia and platelet disorders.
PIP is intended to help people with long-term health conditions or disabilities meet additional costs associated with daily living or mobility. Having a particular diagnosis does not automatically qualify someone for the benefit. Instead, the DWP considers how a person’s condition affects their ability to carry out specific activities and move around.
The current PIP rates mean a claimant who receives the enhanced daily living component and the enhanced mobility component can receive a maximum of £194.60 a week based on the rates supplied for 2026/27. That is higher than the often-quoted £187 figure in earlier reporting. The precise amount a person receives depends on which components and rates they qualify for.
Conditions
The DWP data identify 18 blood-condition categories associated with PIP claims. They include common categories such as iron-deficiency anaemia as well as less common conditions such as hereditary spherocytosis and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
The figures supplied in the latest data are:
| Blood condition | PIP claims |
|---|---|
| Aplastic anaemia | 186 |
| B12/pernicious or folate-deficiency anaemia | 402 |
| Iron-deficiency anaemia | 321 |
| Other or unknown anaemias | 862 |
| Sickle cell anaemia | 2,671 |
| Other or unknown haemolytic disorders | 323 |
| Hereditary spherocytosis | 43 |
| Thalassaemia | 376 |
| G6PD deficiency | 18 |
| Other or unknown metabolic red cell disorders | 84 |
| Polycythaemia | 400 |
| Other or unknown clotting disorders | 789 |
| Haemophilia A | 807 |
| Haemophilia B | 112 |
| Von Willebrand’s disease | 137 |
| Autoimmune thrombocytopaenic purpura (ITP) | 498 |
| Other platelet disorders | 164 |
| Blood disorders, type not known | 1,826 |
| Total | 10,014 |
The largest category in the figures is sickle cell anaemia, with 2,671 claims. The second-largest is the category for blood disorders where the specific type is not known, with 1,826 claims.
These figures should not be interpreted as a list of conditions that automatically qualify for PIP. They show conditions recorded against claims and illustrate the range of blood disorders among PIP recipients.
Eligibility
PIP eligibility is based primarily on the impact of a health condition, rather than simply its name.
This distinction is important. Two people with the same blood disorder can have very different symptoms and support needs. One person may be able to manage daily activities without assistance, while another may need help with cooking, washing, dressing, managing treatment or communicating.
The DWP therefore assesses how a claimant’s condition affects specific daily living and mobility activities.
The official GOV.UK PIP guidance explains the claim process and the circumstances in which people can apply.
A diagnosis can provide important medical evidence, but it is not by itself a guarantee of an award.
For example, a person with sickle cell disease may experience episodes of severe pain, fatigue or other complications that affect their ability to perform everyday activities. The relevant question for PIP is how those difficulties affect the activities covered by the benefit and whether the difficulties meet the required legal tests.
Payment
PIP has two separate components: daily living and mobility.
The daily living component is intended to help with additional costs associated with activities such as preparing food, eating, washing, dressing, communicating and managing medication or treatment.
The mobility component relates to difficulties with planning or following journeys and physically moving around.
Each component has a standard and an enhanced rate.
For 2026/27, the weekly rates are:
| PIP component | Standard rate | Enhanced rate |
|---|---|---|
| Daily living | £76.45 | £114.60 |
| Mobility | £30.30 | £80.00 |
A person receiving both enhanced components would therefore receive £194.60 a week.
Because PIP is paid weekly but normally received every four weeks, headlines sometimes describe the maximum as a monthly figure. Four weeks at £194.60 would equal £778.40, while an annual amount of £10,119.20 divided across 12 months averages approximately £843.27 per month.
This distinction matters when comparing weekly, four-weekly and annual benefit amounts. A simple weekly amount multiplied by four does not represent the average monthly value over a full year.
The GOV.UK PIP rates information provides the current payment structure.
Assessment
The assessment focuses on whether a claimant can complete relevant activities safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time.
The assessment is not simply a test of whether someone has a medical diagnosis.
For someone with a blood condition, symptoms such as fatigue, pain, weakness, breathlessness or complications from treatment may be relevant if they affect the person’s ability to complete qualifying activities.
A claimant may also have periods when their condition becomes significantly worse. How frequently difficulties occur and whether they affect the person for the required proportion of days can be important in determining entitlement.
This is why medical evidence and a detailed description of day-to-day difficulties can both be important during a claim.
The DWP may consider information from healthcare professionals and other evidence alongside the claimant’s own account of their difficulties.
Duration
PIP is intended for people with difficulties that meet specific duration requirements.
Generally, the difficulties must have been present for at least three months and be expected to continue for at least another nine months from the point they began.
This means a short-term illness will not normally meet the duration requirement.
The rule is particularly relevant when a person has recently been diagnosed with a blood disorder or has experienced a temporary complication. The DWP looks at the expected duration of the difficulties, not simply the date on which the diagnosis was made.
A long-term condition can therefore meet the duration requirement, but the claimant must still satisfy the separate tests concerning daily living or mobility.
Savings
PIP is not means-tested.
This means that a person’s savings and income are not normally used to decide whether they meet the financial eligibility criteria for PIP. A person can also potentially receive PIP while working.
That is different from some other benefits, where household income or capital can affect entitlement.
The purpose of PIP is to provide support for additional costs associated with disability or long-term health conditions. It is therefore based on functional difficulties rather than whether someone is employed or has a particular level of savings.
However, receiving PIP does not automatically mean a person will qualify for every other benefit or concession. Other schemes have their own eligibility rules.
Evidence
Evidence can be particularly important when a condition’s effects are not immediately obvious.
Blood disorders can vary considerably in severity and frequency. A medical diagnosis may establish that the condition exists, but the DWP also needs information about how it affects the claimant’s daily life.
A claimant should therefore describe what they can and cannot do rather than focusing only on the medical name of their condition.
For example, instead of simply stating that they experience fatigue, they may need to explain what the fatigue prevents them from doing, how often it occurs and whether they require help from another person.
The same principle applies to pain, mobility difficulties, treatment side effects and other symptoms.
The DWP’s PIP assessment guidance provides further information about how assessments are conducted.
Claims
The 10,014 claims identified in the data cover a broad range of blood conditions, but the figures should be read carefully.
The largest number is associated with sickle cell anaemia, at 2,671 claims. Haemophilia A accounts for 807, while other or unspecified clotting disorders account for 789.
The “blood disorders – type not known” category contains 1,826 claims. This illustrates why the statistics should not be treated as a definitive list of medical conditions that qualify for PIP.
The data describe conditions recorded in the benefit statistics. They do not establish that everyone with one of those diagnoses is entitled to a payment.
In practical terms, a person with a blood disorder should consider whether the condition causes the type of long-term difficulties covered by PIP.
Rates
The annual benefit uprating means PIP rates can change from one year to the next.
The latest figures reflect the rates applicable to the relevant benefit year. This is why older articles may quote different weekly or monthly amounts.
It is also worth checking whether a report is referring to the standard or enhanced rate. A claimant does not automatically receive the highest rate simply because they have a severe or named condition.
The award depends on the points established under the relevant assessment criteria.
A claimant can receive one component without the other, and the two components can be paid at different rates.
For example, someone may qualify for the standard daily living rate but not receive mobility support. Another claimant could qualify for enhanced mobility while receiving a different daily living rate.
Independence
The purpose of PIP is to help with additional costs associated with disability and long-term health conditions.
For people living with blood disorders, those costs can take different forms. Someone may need assistance with daily activities, face difficulties travelling independently or incur additional expenses because of their condition.
The benefit is therefore not simply a payment for having a particular disease. The central issue is the effect of the condition on independence and everyday functioning.
This distinction is important because it prevents the list of conditions from being mistaken for an automatic eligibility checklist.
A person with a condition listed in the statistics still needs to satisfy the PIP rules. Conversely, a person whose condition is not specifically named in the published categories could potentially qualify if their disability causes qualifying difficulties.
Outlook
The latest DWP figures show that 10,014 PIP claims are associated with 18 blood-condition categories, with sickle cell anaemia accounting for the largest number among the named conditions.
The figures provide useful context for understanding how PIP supports people living with blood disorders, but they should not be read as an automatic qualification list. PIP is assessed according to the effect of a person’s condition on daily living and mobility.
The maximum payment also depends on receiving both enhanced components. Under the 2026/27 rates used above, that amounts to £194.60 a week, although actual payments vary according to the components and rates awarded.
For anyone considering a claim, the most important question is therefore not simply whether their diagnosis appears in the DWP statistics. It is how their condition affects their ability to manage everyday activities and move around, how frequently those difficulties occur and whether they are expected to continue for the required period.
The published figures can help people understand the scope of PIP claims involving blood conditions, but individual entitlement can only be determined through the relevant assessment and decision process.
