Most PIP awards last for fixed periods; the end date is stated in your decision letter. The length of your award will depend upon how likely the DWP feel it is that your needs would change. Some claimants will be given an award that does not have an end date, if a time-limited award is not appropriate.
If you were terminally ill when you applied for PIP, your award would be made for three years.
If you have an award that lasts for more than two years, you will receive a renewal form before the end of your current award (usually 6-12 months before). However, the DWP has discretion to contact claimants to review a PIP claim, even if the PIP award still has several years to run.
Some claimants who have a short award of less that two years will have a review of their claim scheduled before it is due to end (this is at the discretion of the decision maker). Others will have no review scheduled and will instead receive a letter about 3 months before the end of the award telling them the award will be ending. People in this position who still have daily living/mobility needs due to their disability can make a new claim.
If you are invited to reply to renew your claim, you would be sent a PIP review form called an AR1, which is much shorter than the PIP2 form completed by new claimants and focuses on changes in your circumstances, Alternatively, you may be asked to complete the PIP2 form again.
In August 2023, the DWP introduced a new form called an AR2, which is much shorter even than an AR1 form. This form is used to review awards that have been made for at least 10 years or who are over state pension age at the time of their review.
If PIP are not going to be able to make a decision on a review claim before the end of your current award, this can affect other benefits that you might be getting that are linked to your PIP. At the moment, PIP are automatically extending awards by 12 months if a review is due but has yet to be processed.
