More than four million people are now claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP), with mental health conditions driving a growing share of applications.
The disability benefit has reached a record high, as claims linked to anxiety, depression, ADHD and autism continue to rise across Britain.
Official data reveals that 4,010,120 people were entitled to receive PIP as of April 2026.
This is the first time the total has passed the four million mark and represents an increase of more than seven per cent compared with a year earlier.
Mental health conditions account for the largest share of claims, with more than one in three recipients citing a psychological condition as their primary disability.
Anxiety remains one of the biggest drivers of claims. There are now 504,784 people receiving PIP primarily for anxiety disorders, up from 468,962 a year ago.
Generalised anxiety and depressive disorders are now the single most common reason people claim the benefit.
Claims linked to depression have also risen over the past year, increasing from 86,553 to 93,364. Meanwhile, the number of people claiming PIP for ADHD has jumped from 83,243 to 100,207.
Autism has now overtaken generalised osteoarthritis to become the second most common condition recorded on successful claims.
Overall, the number of successful claims linked to anxiety, depression, stress and autism continues to rise by around 100 every day.
Four million PIP claimants to face fewer assessments under new DWP rules | GETTY
Legal experts are warning over the potential consequences resulting from the changes to PIP | GETTY The figures also show thousands of people receiving PIP for physical health conditions. These include 52,374 claims for non-specific back pain, 4,688 for obesity and 3,288 for irritable bowel syndrome.
Some less common conditions also appear in the data, including 46 people claiming for bedwetting, 173 for constipation, 21 for acne and 442 for tennis elbow.
A further 327,642 claimants are receiving payments for conditions that could potentially be addressed through NHS treatment.
Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, has accused the Government of allowing a "sickness benefit crisis spiral out of control."
"We have a system that's too quick to write people off and too slow to help them into work and which is costing us a fortune at a time when we must boost Britain's defences," she said.
The party plans to remove eligibility for low-level mental health claims and rapidly reassess hundreds of thousands of existing cases
| PAMs Whately announced that the Conservatives would conduct a comprehensive review of the entire PIP system as part of their commitment to reduce welfare spending by £23billion.
The party plans to remove eligibility for low-level mental health claims and rapidly reassess hundreds of thousands of existing cases.
"Instead of helping them into work and independence, our welfare state is signing them off and parking them on benefits," she added.
Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson described the figures as "absurd," arguing that conditions such as constipation, acne, tennis elbow and bedwetting should be treated through the health service rather than funded via welfare payments.
Around 500 staff are at risk | GETTY"Of course we must protect those who are genuinely sick and vulnerable, but this surge, driven largely by mental health claims, raises serious questions about how people are being assessed," he said.
A government spokesperson said: “An individual may have multiple conditions and all are considered during the assessment though only the primary disabling condition is recorded within this data.
"We’re fixing the broken system we inherited and have launched the Timms Review to make sure PIP is fit and fair for the future.
"We are also we’re investing a record £16.1billion in NHS mental health services this year to ensure every person gets the mental health support they need as early as possible.
"The increase in the PIP caseload has slowed under this government, falling from 400,000 in the 12 months to July 2024, to 270,000 in the 12 months to April 2026."
The overall welfare bill for PIP is projected to reach £40 billion annually by 2030.