29.04.25

What is PIP?

PIP is a benefit for people who need help with the extra costs of disability or long-term health conditions. It is available to people who need help with everyday tasks or getting around, or both.

PIP is not means-tested, and therefore income and capital are not considered when determining whether an individual is entitled to this benefit, it is purely based on the individual’s needs associated with their health condition.

Who is eligible for PIP?

There are some general qualifying conditions, and these are:

• You must be between the ages of 16 and 65 at the time you make the claim
• You must normally live in the United Kingdom (and have not been out of the UK for more than 1 year in the last 3 years)
• Your additional needs must have been going on for at least 3 months and must be expected to go on for at least 9 more months

There are also disability qualifying conditions, these assess your daily livings needs and your mobility needs. We explain more about these below.

Claiming PIP

To make a claim for PIP, phone the PIP claim line 0800 917 2222. (If you need to claim on behalf of someone who does not have capacity to manage their own benefit claims, and if you plan to provide them with ongoing support once their claim has been set up, when you call on the person’s behalf, you will need to let the DWP that you will need to become the person’s Appointee)

If you are eligible to claim PIP, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will then send out a form called ‘How your disability affects you’.  This form (called a PIP2) needs to be completed very fully, to give the DWP as much information as possible about your needs.

When completing the PIP2 form, it is very important to give lots of detail and specific examples. Some claimants keep a diary for a week detailing what help they need, which they then attach to the PIP claim form. This gives the DWP a good insight into what an average week is like for the claimant. What help do they need? What things don’t happen if the claimant is left alone?

Living with a disability can be difficult, and you may be used to trying to focus on the positives. However, it is essential that the DWP understand all the things that are difficult or cause problems for the claimant – so focusing on these things is crucial to the claim.

Sending additional supporting evidence with the PIP2 form can also be extremely helpful. This does not have to come from a medical professional, this could include documents such as; care plans, EHCPs and statements from people who know you well from groups you attend or from your workplace, if applicable.

Once you have returned the form to the DWP with any additional documents you feel will support your claim, it is likely that you will be called in for an assessment – this is carried out by an independent health professional. This assessment will focus on how well you can carry out various daily living / mobility activities. This assessment might take place over the phone or in person (the DWP are hoping to move towards having all assessments carried out in person again soon)

The Citizens Advice Bureau provide some helpful information on how to prepare for your PIP assessment here:  httpss://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/your-assessment/

The PIP assessment criteria in more detail

After your assessment, the health professional’s report is then passed back to a decision maker at the DWP to determine whether you are eligible for the daily living component of PIP, the mobility component, or both. The health professional will make recommendations but the final decision about your claim lies with the DWP decision maker.

Daily Living Component

The daily living component is awarded to people who need help with everyday living tasks. When the DWP decides whether an award of the daily living component is payable, they will assess your ability to perform a range of tasks under 10 activity headings. These all relate to your daily living needs. They are:

• Preparing food
• Taking nutrition
• Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
• Washing and bathing
• Managing toilet needs / incontinence
• Dressing and undressing
• Communicating verbally
• Reading/understanding signs, symbols and words
• Engaging with other people face to face
• Making budgeting decisions

Mobility Component

The mobility component is awarded to people who need help with mobility.

When the DWP decides whether an award of the mobility component is payable, they will assess your ability to perform a range of tasks under 2 activity headings. These relate to your mobility needs. They are:

• Planning and following journeys
• Moving around

‘Planning and following journeys’ focuses on your ability to be mobile due to anxiety, safety issues, agoraphobia, lack of road safety awareness and cognitive ability to plan and follow journeys. ‘Moving around’ focuses on the ability to be physically mobile.

Under each activity heading, there is a list of ‘descriptors’, with scores ranging from 0-12. The descriptors explain degrees of difficulty and different types of help which might be needed. The DWP decision maker will look at these descriptors and award points under each of these depending on what your needs are. You will score points when you are not able to complete a task safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, or within a reasonable time. You can see a copy of the points score sheet here: httpss://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf

What rates of PIP are payable?

The 2 components of PIP can be paid at 2 different levels:

Daily Living component – Standard rate £73.70 or Enhanced rate £110.40

Mobility Component – Standard rate £29.20 or Enhanced rate £77.05

(These are all weekly figures, and PIP is normally paid to claimants every 4 weeks)

Whether a claimant is eligible for the standard or enhanced rate depends on how many points are awarded under each activity. To be awarded the standard rate of the either component, you need to score at least 8 points in total from the appropriate descriptors. To be awarded the enhanced rate of the either component, you need to score at least 12 points in total from the appropriate descriptors.

Your decision

After your assessment, and when the decision maker at the DWP has decided on the outcome of your PIP application, you will be sent a letter that confirms which components, and which rates you have been awarded. The letter will also include a breakdown of where you have scored points under each of the activities assessed.

What if you’re not happy with the decision?

You can ask for a further explanation of the decision and a copy of the health professional’s report if you would like more information about how the DWP came to their decision and if your PIP award is not what you hoped for, you can challenge the decision.

First, you must ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR). This requires the DWP to look at their decision again – your chances of successfully getting the original decision will be greatly increased if you are able to send additional supporting evidence to the DWP with your request for an MR.

If an MR is unsuccessful, you can appeal to a First Tier Tribunal. The decision will then be reviewed by a tribunal panel who are independent from the DWP. This process involves attending a formal tribunal hearing and can be stressful, so it is advisable to get help with this.

At both these stages of appeal, the whole PIP decision is looked at again, so if there is a partial PIP award already in place, you will need to be sure that it is not at risk of being lost.

What about the government’s recent reform proposals?

The government announced some reform proposals in relation to the benefits system in March 2025. There have been some changes proposed to PIP, and you can read more about these here, in our blog from 4^th April – welfare benefit proposed reforms

Need help claiming PIP?

Our specialist welfare benefits experts can help you with claiming PIP, preparing requests for MRs and with PIP Appeals. We can also help and advise people who are undergoing a transfer from DLA to PIP.

If you would like to speak to someone in the benefits team, then please contact us on 01273 610611 or email us to arrange a consultation about your personal circumstances.