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Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) stop from the date of death. Any payment covering a period after the date of death must be repaid to DWP. If the deceased was owed payments that were never made — arrears — the estate can claim them. This page describes the position in England and Wales. In Scotland, PIP has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment and existing DLA claims have been moved to Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance, both run by Social Security Scotland, so contact them rather than DWP.
When someone who was receiving PIP or DLA dies, there are several important steps to take with DWP. Benefits must be stopped, any overpaid amounts returned, and — importantly — any money owed to the deceased claimed back for the estate. If the deceased was using a Motability vehicle, there are separate steps to follow. This guide covers each of these areas.
PIP and DLA cease from the date of death. It is important to notify DWP as quickly as possible to prevent further payments being made that will subsequently need to be recovered.
How to notify DWP:
Once DWP is notified, they will suspend payments and begin the process of recovering any overpayment and calculating whether any arrears are owed.
It is not uncommon for DWP to owe money to the estate of a deceased PIP or DLA claimant. This can happen in several situations:
To claim arrears, the executor or administrator of the estate should write to DWP requesting a full account of payments made and any amounts outstanding. DWP has a duty to account to the estate for all sums due.
The Special Rules for End of Life (SREL, formerly the Special Rules for Terminal Illness) allow people nearing the end of life to be awarded the higher daily living part of PIP automatically, without the standard assessment. GOV.UK is explicit that the mobility part is not automatic: "whether you get the mobility part and how much you'll get depends on your needs".
If the deceased was claiming PIP under SREL shortly before death:
Keep the bank statements:
Retain the deceased's bank statements showing PIP or DLA payments. These are essential for reconciling what was paid against what was owed, and for identifying any overpayments that DWP may seek to recover from the estate.
If someone was receiving Carer's Allowance for looking after the deceased, it does not stop on the date of death. Under regulation 4 of the Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Regulations 1976, the carer is still treated as caring for the person for eight weeks beginning with the Sunday after the death (or with the date of death itself, if that was a Sunday). The carer must still notify DWP. In Scotland, Carer's Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment from Social Security Scotland.
The carer should:
The Motability Scheme allows people on the higher or enhanced rate mobility component of DLA, PIP, Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment to lease a car, scooter or powered wheelchair. If the deceased was on the scheme, Motability's own guidance says to contact thembefore using Tell Us Once, because Tell Us Once cancels the vehicle tax and can stop other drivers using the car:
Order of notification matters:
Motability's guidance is to speak to them before using Tell Us Once. Using Tell Us Once first cancels the vehicle tax and can prevent other named drivers from continuing to use the vehicle during the two weeks Motability allows. Once the vehicle has been returned, no one should drive it.