Right to try rules come into effect

Rules providing that trying work or volunteering will not trigger an unplanned award review for personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit and new style ESA came into effect on 2 June 2026¹. The change was set out in a report on PIP reassessments published by the anti-poverty charity Z2K¹.

The charity describes the measure as narrow in scope. It says the "right to try" work applies "only to extremely rare unplanned reviews and not to the routine reassessments that are the main source of claimant anxiety"¹. The rules apply to PIP as well as universal credit and new style ESA¹.

The report also sets out the scale of planned award reviews, which are separate from the unplanned reviews covered by the new rules. In 2025, 526,072 planned award reviews, equal to 74% of all planned award reviews conducted, resulted in the claimant's award being maintained at the same level as before the review¹. More than a quarter of those cases, 148,431 or 28.2%, involved people already assessed as needing the highest possible level of support¹. Planned award reviews were marginally more likely to reduce or stop an award (16%) than to increase it (10%), a gap of 6 percentage points¹.

Z2K's analysis of government administrative data found high proportions of claimants with lifelong or progressive main disabilities being given fixed-term awards and so required to undergo reassessment¹:

The report says the Department for Work and Pensions is spending over £350 million a year on PIP assessment contract costs, and that recent reductions in award review frequency are projected to deliver annual savings of £110 million¹. It puts the current average delay in the review process at 38 weeks¹. Ongoing awards remain rare, accounting for 6.9 per cent of new awards¹.

The government's Timms Review of PIP is under way¹. The report says extending award lengths, announced in last year's Autumn Budget, will reduce how often reassessments happen but does not address the core problem that most reviews result in no change to entitlement¹.

Why it matters for households

People claiming PIP, universal credit or new style ESA who start work or volunteering will not have an unplanned award review triggered by doing so, under rules in force from 2 June 2026¹. The protection covers unplanned reviews only. It does not cover the scheduled, planned award reviews that follow the end of a fixed award period, which the report identifies as the main source of claimant anxiety¹.

For claimants on fixed-term awards, the report's figures indicate that most planned reviews end with entitlement unchanged: 74% of planned award reviews in 2025 maintained the award at the same level¹. Where a review does change an award, the report says incorrect decisions can remove or reduce support and lead to appeals that typically last well over a year¹. It also links reassessments to negative mental health outcomes and says repeated reviews can discourage people from trying work¹.

The report covers Great Britain benefits administered by the DWP. It does not set out separate arrangements for Northern Ireland, and no such detail has been reported¹.

What happens next

The Timms Review of PIP is under way¹. Z2K recommends a presumption that claimants with lifelong or progressive primary conditions receive ongoing awards, a preliminary "change" test before full reassessment, and an alternative eligibility route based on clinical evidence¹. The report says the government's extension of award lengths was announced in last year's Autumn Budget¹. No date has been reported for the conclusion of the Timms Review¹.