The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that Personal Independence Payment claimants who take part in Timms Review workshops this autumn will receive a one-off bonus payment, but must disclose the payment to HM Revenue and Customs.
Workshop bonus and tax obligations
The DWP is offering the payment as a reward for attending workshops across the country, which are designed to explore planned reforms following the conclusion of the Timms Review. The final date to sign up for the workshops is tomorrow, Friday August 21, at 5pm.
Participants who attend the full workshop will be offered a one-off payment, the DWP has confirmed. However, any payments received from this are subject to tax and National Insurance contributions. Claimants are responsible for disclosing payments to HMRC, the DWP says.
Registration and reasonable adjustments
To register interest, claimants must complete and submit the ‘about you’ form, according to the government website. The DWP has laid out its stance on the Timms Review workshops, stating: “We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure potential participants are not disadvantaged during the application process - this includes allowing you to submit your ‘about you’ form in different formats.”
Any requests for reasonable adjustments to support applications and any questions related to the process should be directed to timmsreview.shapingrecommendations@dwp.gov.uk.
Registration of interest opened on Wednesday 12 August 2026 at 10am and closes Friday 21 August 2026 at 5pm. The DWP aims to let selected participants know via email by 4 September 2026. The workshops then begin in mid-September.
Timms Review findings and future of PIP
The interim report of the Timms Review, published earlier this summer, concluded that the benefit, claimed by nearly 4 million people in England and Wales, suffered from systematic and deep-rooted problems that had undermined public trust in the benefits system. While the benefit helped disabled and chronically ill people live independently, it was “unclear if other forms of support would be more effective”, the report said, leaving open the possibility that non-cash alternatives may be proposed in the final report.
“PIP cannot be everything to everybody so as the review looks at the role and purpose of PIP, the steering group will have some challenging discussions,” the report stated.
