DWP confirms full list of 70 conditions that qualify for £778.40 monthly payment

The Department for Work and Pensions has revealed the scale of Personal Independence Payment claims linked to neurological disease, with people who meet the eligibility criteria potentially receiving up to £778.40 every four weeks.

Neurological disease is one of the five biggest disabling-condition categories recorded by the DWP, accounting for 9% of PIP assessments over the five years to April 2026. The latest figures show that new PIP claims recorded under neurological disease had an assessment award rate of 56%, while the rate for DLA reassessments was 8%.

However, having one of the conditions listed by the DWP does not automatically mean someone will qualify for PIP. The department assesses how a person's condition affects their ability to carry out everyday activities and move around, with the main disabling condition recorded during the assessment process. Where someone has several conditions, all can be taken into account, although only the primary condition is recorded in the statistics.

The latest DWP statistics show that four million people were entitled to PIP in England and Wales at the end of April 2026, with 37% receiving the highest level of award.

The neurological category covers a wide range of conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. The DWP says its full database contains 536 individual disabling conditions, which are grouped into 178 sub-groups and 21 broader categories.

A DWP-derived breakdown identifies 70 conditions and sub-categories within the neurological group.

These include cerebrovascular disease, covering cerebrovascular accident or stroke, other cerebrovascular disease where the type is not known, and transient ischaemic attacks.

For those who qualify for PIP, the amount received depends on the severity of the difficulties experienced rather than simply the diagnosis.

PIP has two separate components: a daily living component and a mobility component. For the 2026/27 rates, the standard daily living rate is £76.70 a week and the enhanced rate is £114.60. The standard mobility rate is £30.30, while the enhanced rate is £80 a week.

Someone awarded both components at the enhanced rate would therefore receive £194.60 a week, equivalent to £778.40 every four weeks. Over a full year, that works out at £10,119.20. PIP is tax-free and is not affected by income or savings.

The DWP stresses that the award is based on an individual's circumstances. Each component can be awarded at the enhanced rate, standard rate or not at all, depending on the points scored against the assessment criteria.

The latest statistics also show that neurological disease claims can result in longer-lasting awards. Among new claimants awarded PIP over the five years to April 2026, 13 per cent of those whose main disabling condition was neurological disease received ongoing awards. For DLA reassessment claims in the same category, 34% received ongoing awards.

The figures highlight the broad range of neurological conditions that can be recorded within the PIP system, from stroke and epilepsy to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.

But the presence of a condition on the list should not be taken as a guarantee of payment. The DWP's own figures make clear that the assessment focuses on the impact of the condition on the claimant's ability to function, while the final award and amount depend on the points achieved for daily living and mobility needs.

List of conditions that could qualify

1. Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
2. Other cerebrovascular disease
3. Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
4. Cataplexy
5. Generalised seizures with status epilepticus
6. Generalised seizures without status epilepticus
7. Narcolepsy
8. Partial seizures with status epilepticus
9. Partial seizures without status epilepticus
10. Unclassified seizures
11. Other non-epileptic disturbances of consciousness
12. Drop attacks
13. Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD) / pseudoseizures
14. Stokes-Adams attacks
15. Other types of syncope
16. Blepharospasm
17. Benign essential tremor
18. Huntington's disease
19. Other movement disorders
20. Parkinson's disease
21. Parkinsonism
22. Torticollis
23. Tourette's syndrome
24. Writer's cramp
25. Multiple sclerosis
26. Neurofibromatosis
27. Other benign tumours
28. Hydrocephalus
29. Dizziness where the cause is not specified
30. Other headaches where the cause is unknown
31. Migraine
32. Cognitive and sensorimotor impairment following head injury
33. Cognitive impairment following head injury
34. Sensorimotor impairment following head injury
35. Traumatic paraplegia
36. Spinal cord compression from other or unknown causes
37. Syringomyelia or syringobulbia
38. Traumatic tetraplegia
39. Other degenerative neuronal diseases
40. Motor neurone disease
41. Ataxic cerebral palsy
42. Athetoid cerebral palsy
43. Diplegic cerebral palsy
44. Hemiplegic cerebral palsy
45. Quadriplegic cerebral palsy
46. Cerebral palsy where the type is not known
47. Spina bifida
48. Ataxia
49. Friedrich's ataxia
50. Other ataxias
51. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
52. Diabetic neuropathy
53. Guillain-Barré syndrome
54. Other neuropathies
55. Brachial plexus injuries
56. Other peripheral nerve injuries
57. Dermatomyositis
58. Dystrophia myotonica
59. Other muscle diseases
60. Myasthenia gravis
61. Polymyositis
62. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
63. Becker muscular dystrophy
64. Duchenne muscular dystrophy
65. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
66. Other muscular dystrophies
67. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
68. Other infections of the nervous system
69. Poliomyelitis and post-polio syndrome
70. Other prion diseases