PIP (Personal Independence Payment): how to claim, what the assessment involves, and what to do if you're refused

PIP stands for Personal Independence Payment. It is a non-means-tested disability benefit paid by the DWP. That means your income and savings have no bearing on whether you qualify or how much you receive.

PIP is not awarded based on your diagnosis. It is based on how your condition affects your ability to carry out daily activities. Two people with the same diagnosis may receive very different awards, or one may qualify and the other not, because their daily functioning is different.

There are two components:

Daily living component — based on how your condition affects activities like preparing food, managing treatments, communicating, reading and understanding information, managing finances, and engaging socially.

Mobility component — based on how your condition affects your ability to plan and follow journeys and move around.

Each component has a standard rate and an enhanced rate. You may be awarded one component without the other, both components at the same rate, or both at different rates. Check GOV.UK for the current rate amounts. They are uprated each April and should not be taken from any page that does not specify a date.

To claim PIP you must be aged 16 or over and under State Pension age. You must have a physical or mental health condition or disability that has affected your daily life for at least 3 months and is expected to continue for at least 9 months.

If you are terminally ill, the 9-month rule does not apply and a special rules process exists to fast-track your claim.

PIP is available regardless of whether you are working. You do not need to be unemployed to claim it. Many working people with disabilities or long-term health conditions receive PIP alongside their wages.

If you are over State Pension age and need help with daily living, you will not be able to make a new PIP claim. You may be eligible for Attendance Allowance instead.

Unlike many benefits, you cannot apply for PIP online. You start a claim by phoning the DWP on 0800 917 2222. The call takes around 20 minutes. The agent will ask for your personal details, your National Insurance number, and some basic information about your condition. They will then send you a PIP2 form.

The PIP2 form is the part that takes time and care. It asks you to describe how your condition affects each daily living and mobility activity. You have a month to complete and return it.

Be as specific as possible on the PIP2. Generic answers like "I have difficulty with this" are less useful than concrete descriptions: how long something takes, whether you need help, how often you experience difficulties, whether you have good days and bad days, and whether there are days when you cannot do the activity at all.

Citizens Advice, disability charities, and some local organisations can help you complete the PIP2. If your condition means completing forms is difficult, it is worth getting that help. The form is the foundation of your claim.

After you return your PIP2, most claimants are invited to a face-to-face or telephone assessment with an independent assessor. The assessor works for a private company contracted by the DWP: Capita or Atos, depending on your region.

The assessment covers 10 daily living activities and 2 mobility activities. The assessor uses a points-based system called descriptors. Each activity has a series of descriptors describing levels of difficulty, and each descriptor carries a number of points. Your total score across each component determines whether you receive standard or enhanced rate, or nothing at all.

The assessment is widely criticised and the process is genuinely difficult. The assessor writes a report with their recommendation, which the DWP then uses to make the final decision. The assessor's recommendation is not the decision: a DWP decision-maker reviews it. In practice, the assessor's recommendation is followed in most cases.

A few things to know before your assessment: you are allowed to bring someone with you for support. If attending in person is difficult because of your condition, you can request a home visit or a telephone/video assessment. Be honest about your worst days, not your best days. The descriptor asks what you can do "reliably, repeatedly, in a reasonable time, and to an acceptable standard" — if you can do something sometimes but not reliably, say so.

PIP decisions are frequently wrong, and the system builds in a process for challenging them.

Step 1: mandatory reconsideration. Within one month of receiving the decision, you can ask the DWP to look at it again. Do this in writing. Explain why you think the decision is wrong. You can include new evidence — a letter from your GP, hospital letters, or a support worker's statement. The DWP reviews the decision and sends you a mandatory reconsideration notice.

Step 2: tribunal appeal. If the mandatory reconsideration upholds the original decision, you can appeal to an independent First-tier Tribunal. This is completely separate from the DWP. The tribunal panel includes a judge and a medical expert. They look at the evidence fresh, without being bound by the DWP decision.

Tribunal success rates for PIP appeals are significant. Many people who were initially refused receive an award after tribunal. The key is going in with good evidence and, ideally, support from Citizens Advice. Do not assume that losing the mandatory reconsideration means you will lose at tribunal.

PIP does not count as income for means-tested benefits. Receiving PIP does not reduce your Universal Credit.

In fact, receiving PIP can trigger additional support through other benefits. If you receive Universal Credit, PIP can qualify you for the limited capability for work element or the disability premium. If you receive Pension Credit or Housing Benefit, PIP may unlock additional amounts.

This is why it is worth claiming PIP even if you already receive other benefits. The award itself is tax-free, does not affect your income calculation, and may unlock further entitlements you are not currently receiving.