Tell our readers what happened when you called the PIP Enquiry Line on 0800 121 4433.

Please use the comments section below to keep other readers updated on what kind of service is being provided right now and what they can expect when they call.

We’d like to know:

  • Which day, and what time of day, did you call?
  • How long did you wait for an answer, if you got one at all?
  • If you got an answer, was it from a human or was it an Artificial Intelligence chatbot?
  • Did your issue get resolved properly?

Why we are asking about the PIP Enquiry Line

Call waiting times on the vast majority of DWP phone lines have been terrible for a very long time.

In February 2002, the DWP told claimants that they ‘should not be concerned if they hear a “human like” voice when they contact us’ because the DWP are introducing ‘Conversational Platform’ software to answer some phone queries.

Here at Benefits and Work we’re concerned that the introduction of computer software may lead to a worse service, whilst allowing the DWP to claim that calls are now being answered much more quickly.

One risk is that chatbots will answer your call to the PIP Enquiry Line quickly, but will be able to respond only to the simplest queries.

If your call is in any way complex you may talk to a chatbot and then be put on hold endlessly whilst waiting to speak to a real person.

What readers have told us about calling 0800 121 4433

We asked readers to tell us about their experience of calling DWP helplines.  We wanted to know which one was providing the worst service, so we could look at that one first.

Whilst the Universal Credit Helpline and the Jobcentre Plus for ESA change of circumstances line were both appalling, the PIP Enquiry Line on 0800 121 4433 seemed to attract the most negative comments.

People told us things like:

“I’ve found the PIP enquiry line has to be the worst one for me. Most recent call approximately 58 mins to be answered. Good job I had time on my hands!!”

 “Over the course of about 4 days I spent nearly 10 hours waiting to get through to PIP, eventually after hour and half got answered, then had to ring again 2 weeks later and waited 45 minutes.”

 “I had to make five attempts in one day to give details for pip.  Each time I was cut off before finishing. On one occasion the phone was answered and automatically hung up. I managed to complete it after just over two hours.”

 “PIP - got through eventually, on hold for almost half an hour, then told someone would ring back, 3 weeks later, no one phoned back, and now I'm struggling to get through, and when I do what is said does not make any sense.”

 “55 minutes to the PIP helpline - on every occasion and without exception. And only to seek extensions for my clients for the return of renewal forms.”

How you can help

By telling us, and other claimants, about your call in the comments section you can help us expose any lies the DWP may try to tell about an improved telephone service. 

You can also make sure that other claimants know the sort of things that can go wrong and give them a better chance to prepare for them.

Remember, we only want to know about calls to the PIP Enquiry Line on 0800 121 4433, though we may start pages for other numbers if this one is used regularly.

Those questions again:

  • Which day, and what time of day, did you call?
  • How long did you wait for an answer, if you got one at all?
  • If you got an answer, was it from a human or was it an Artificial Intelligence chatbot?
  • Did your issue get resolved properly?

Tell the work and pensions committee

From today, 26 April 2023, we're also asking claimants who are struggling to get through on the phone to email the House of Commons work and pensions committee and tell them about your experience. 

The committee can put pressure on the DWP to either improve the phone system or make changes until they can, such as not enforcing deadlines for returning forms or for letting them know about changes of circumstances.

You can read more about this idea here or just email the committee at this address:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What to do if you can't get through

Some of our members have successfully got their MP's office involved when they have been unable to contact the DWP themselves. If you do try this, please let us know how it goes by leaving a comment.  There's more details here.

Almost half a million PIP helpline calls deliberately disconnected in April 2023

Almost half a million callers to the PIP helpline in the month of April were deliberately disconnected by the DWP before they could even wait in a queue, a freedom of information request by Benefits and Work has revealed.  The proportion of calls cut-off before entering the queue is now greater than the proportion who even get to wait for an hour or more before giving up or getting disconnected.  Read more.

Comments

Write comments...
or post as a guest
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 22 hours ago
    I have power of attorney for my son and PIP will only deal with me.  I waited for an hour for my call to be answered, and was then very rudely hung up on because I apparently didn't pass security questions.  I have no idea what security question I got wrong.  I had given both his current GP address and his previous one.  They were both correct.  I was rudely told to ring back when I had the correct information and abruptly hung up on.  I suspect it was based entirely on a yes/no answer on the computer.   I rang again and was asked a different set of questions which I had no way of knowing the answer to - eg what was the year and month my son's other (mystery and unnamed) benefit which he'd once had first began.  This would have been over ten years ago and I wasn't even sure what they were talking about.  I was told I should ring again and the call was again ended, but more politely.  My repeated requests to speak to a supervisor were unsuccessful.  I was only ringing because they have sent us the wrong form to fill in and I want the correct form sent out.  I have wasted the entire morning and still got nowhere.  At this point I feel I could be ringing repeatedly until time to return the form has expired.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 3 days ago
    I have spent 4 hours this week trying to contact the PIP enquiry line to report change of address. Current call 21/03/25 started at 14.40 HRS, now 38 minutes in. Why can we not email these people? 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 6 days ago
    I recently got a text 

    Wondering if this was a spanner in the works I phoned and after a few automated questions (a bit long winded) I got through to someone with very little waiting on the phone.

    After going through some security questions, it was to ask me if I had been in hospital, abroad or in trouble during the period in question, then checking my bank details to pay what is owed to me and PIP for the foreseeable future.
    He then told me that there was nothing else for me to do and that the money will be paid into my account as soon as the case manager signs it off.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 7 days ago
    50mins... and still waiting - Just need some detailed info on my daughters renewal..arghhh!!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 12 days ago
    I've spent all day trying to get through (All I need is a copy of my tax exemption letter) and get cut off as soon as it transfers me through to an operator. Absolutely awful 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 11 days ago
      @Courtney could you tell me the number your using please my husband is trying to do the same 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 11 days ago
      @Courtney my husband  is trying  to get through for the same thing give him a number and it's saying  wrong number what number are you ringing  please 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 13 days ago
    I have both universal credit and PIP today universal credit. It was answered quite quickly and the call Angel seemed to be understanding to what my issue was however I waited first time 15 minutes on PIP and then the next time was just short of an hour. This is not acceptable especially with someone with anxiety. Also it just makes you feel that you’re bothering people and when you can’t get your issue resolved, you feel worthless
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    I am in the process of making a PIP claim and need to request more time to submit the forms.  I have spent the last 3 days attempting to get through on the phone.  On the third day after over an hour on hold the call gets answered and instantly disconnected :(  I attempted again immediately where I spent 40 minutes on hold to then receive an automated message informing me that there was an issue attempting to connect calls and that it would be terminated.  The forms are now due for return today I have still not been able to reach them and have no clue what will now happen.  I will try again today but I am at work so will need to try and find time to achieve this.  It is really frustrating.  They send text messages but offer no way to respond via this method.  I just hope that my claim is not rejected when it reaches them late.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    Waiting for just shy of an hour to get through, lady I spoke to very polite and helpful and solved my issue very quickly. I've had to wait to get through close to an hour every time I call so this wasn't a surprise to me and has been going on for years. Same for esa and hb department and other government departments relating to benefits. I presume call lines understaffed. Best tips as a caller - pop on speaker, keep phone charged, go about routine if you can. If very sick like me I lay in bed next to phone plugged in and hope I don't fall asleep whilst waiting (it has happened previously). I cant physically hold a phone up for an hour. As others have commented I have had previous mishaps and bad experiences of being randomly cut off after long waits. Today was a good day but it isn't always this lucky (yes, i consider 50+ minutes on hold a good day because i got through to someone eventually and they helped me)
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    Husband has tried calling the hotline today. Rang at 2pm. still on the phone waiting for a reply at 16.18. No way to run a "service". Will be very surprised if he gets through at all today. We will email our MP...  
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    Waited on hold for 1hr 17 mins, when the call was finally answered it was by a person whos first language clearly wasnt English, which isnt an issues, except their accent was so thick I genuinely had trouble understanding what they were saying. It was .ade morse by the quality if the call, it sounded as if they were usuing a head set but there was a lot of what i can only describe as 'wind noise' against the microphone . Although it could have also just been heavy breathing or the mouth piece being rubbed by clothing. Anyway, They asked for my NINO which i gave and they read back a totally different set of numbers, so i said thats not correct and started to give ot again. Then the call was disconnected. As i had been asked to type in or say a lot of information by the automated system, i asumed they actually already knew who was calling so i waited to see if they would call back. They did not. Im now on my 3rd day of trying, the first time i had to hang up after an hour as i had to go out. Really unacceptable 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 21 days ago
    50 minutes of waiting to then be put on hold again for 5 minutes. Have to wait until tomorrow to solve my issue as "servers were down".
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 21 days ago
    Rang at 9am on 19/02/25 and was on hold for 8 minutes. Very polite call handler dealt with my issue. Just tried today, 03/03/25 at 3.30pm and I've been on hold until now, 4.33pm and I've just been cut off! Going to try again tomorrow at 8am if my alarm goes off 😬
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 21 days ago
    3/3/25. 13:40. Took 50 mins to answer phone after going through automated service that rejected all my voice answers. Had to input them by keypad instead. Person was helpful when I got through. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 26 days ago
    I waited about an hour . Had 2 missed calls from decision maker . Was told to look at my journal for a message . There was no message. Messaged uc and was sent this pip phone number. Lady was lovely decision had been made but she couldn’t tell me anything other than I’d get a letter by end of last week. It’s mid week the following week and still no letter regarding my mandatory reconsideration so I’m guessing it’s a no 🤷‍♀️ 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 26 days ago
    Hi I’m just worried I had my pip review yesterday. Over the phone .I have angstye and I forgot some of answers she was asking. And. Date will the cut my payment because of. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 27 days ago
    Had no answer between 22nd December 2024 until 2nd Jan 2025 despite online stating they were open for calls. Called yesterday, 25th Feb 2025 and cut off, saying not available today, try another day. Tried to speak to decision maker for my appeal, was put through to someone who said they only update my doctors details. Called BY them and recorded without disclosure, but refusing to send me the data they have for my tribunal. I'm now not able to use my online UC journal, without accepting intrusive cookies, others I know are not blocked. DWP Called my GP to state I was mentally unstable, I have PTSD from his I've been treated. Whistle-blower to Secretary of State was replied to by the DWP, complaint closed, and it was subsumed into a letter about my PIP. bizarre. I used to work there, I know how bad it can be, this is the tip of the iceberg. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 27 days ago
    Rang at 12:25 today, I was on hold for 26mins, call was answered and query was dealt with quickly. Could be worse!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 27 days ago
    Hate calling them they don't answer the automated questions they ask you when they repeat them are always incorrect then after all of that they either cut you off after waiting for ages or you never get put through deliberately I believe
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    I have been trying for 3 days and it keeps going through all the options then cuts you off
    On hold for ages the not put through to speak to anyone 

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    They even cut of calls after the hour wait what is the sertistic regards to this 

Free PIP, ESA & UC Updates!

Delivered Fortnightly

Over 110,000 claimants and professionals subscribe to the UK's leading source of benefits news.

 
iContact
We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.