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Chapter 8: Personal independence payment
Key facts
    Personal independence payment (PIP) is a non-means-tested benefit for adults with a disability or long-term health condition.
    You can get PIP while in or out of work, and you can get it alongside most other benefits. PIP does not count as income for the purposes of means-tested benefits.
    PIP has two components, each of which can be paid at a standard or an enhanced rate. The ‘daily living component’ reflects your difficulties with day-to-day activities like preparing food and getting dressed. The ‘mobility component’ reflects difficulties going out and getting around, including for mental health reasons. You can qualify for one or both components.
    Before a decision is made about your eligibility for PIP, you will usually need to complete a questionnaire and take part in an assessment.
    You can challenge decisions about your eligibility for PIP.
    Getting PIP can mean that you are eligible for other kinds of financial support.
    You can no longer make a claim for PIP in Scotland (see Chapter 9).
1. Who can get personal independence payment
You can get personal independence payment (PIP) if:
    you are 16 or over and under pension age, which is currently 66 (some people over pension age can still get PIP, see below); and
    you are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’ and you meet the residence conditions – see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook; and
    you meet the disability conditions (see here); and
    you have had your difficulties for at least three months and expect to have them for at least nine months longer. This is called the ‘required period condition’.1ss81 and 82 WRA 2012; regs 12-14 SS(PIP) Regs; reg 33(1) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs
Note:
    If you meet these criteria but live in Scotland, see Chapter 9.
    Special rules apply if you are classed as being terminally ill (see here) and when you are in hospital, living in a care home, and in certain other situations. See Chapter 16.
    You claim PIP as an individual. If you are in a couple, one or both of you can claim PIP if you meet the criteria.
Getting personal independence payment if you are over pension age
There are various exceptions to the general rule that PIP is for people under pension age.
If you were under 65 on 8 April 2013, and either:
– you are entitled to adult disability living allowance (adult DLA) and have been asked by the DWP to claim PIP instead; or
– your entitlement to adult DLA ended less than a year ago,
then you can claim PIP even if you are 66 or over.2Reg 27 PIP(TP) Regs
If you claimed PIP when you were under 66, an award can be made to you despite you having turned 66 since then.3Reg 25(b) SS(PIP) Regs
If you are entitled to PIP when you turn 66, your award continues to its end date if you still meet the entitlement conditions. Your award can also be reviewed (see here) or you can make a renewal claim (see here) after you turn 66.
If you have been entitled to PIP, you can reclaim it within one year of your previous award ending, even if you are now 66 or over. Note: a new or renewal claim must be based on the same disability or health condition(s) as your former award, or a new condition that has developed as a result of the original one(s).4Regs 15, 25(a), 26 and 27 SS(PIP) Regs
If you cannot get PIP under one of these exceptions, you might be able to get attendance allowance (see Chapter 12).
Even if you can get PIP over 66 under these rules, the amount of the mobility component that you can get might be restricted. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.
 
1     ss81 and 82 WRA 2012; regs 12-14 SS(PIP) Regs; reg 33(1) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
2     Reg 27 PIP(TP) Regs »
3     Reg 25(b) SS(PIP) Regs »
4     Regs 15, 25(a), 26 and 27 SS(PIP) Regs »
2. The amount of benefit
The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP) is paid at one of two weekly rates:1Reg 24(1) SS(PIP) Regs
    the standard rate is £68.10;
    the enhanced rate is £101.75.
The mobility component of PIP is paid at one of two weekly rates:2Reg 24(2) SS(PIP) Regs
    the standard rate is £26.90;
    the enhanced rate is £71.00.
 
1     Reg 24(1) SS(PIP) Regs »
2     Reg 24(2) SS(PIP) Regs »
How to claim
You should usually make a claims for personal independence payment (PIP) by telephone. Call the PIP claims line (0800 917 2222; textphone: 0800 917 7777; Relay UK and BSL video relay services available, see gov.uk/pip/how-to-claim). If you are unable to claim by these methods, you or someone supporting you can ask for the paper form PIP1 to be sent to you instead.1Reg 11(1) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs; DWP, Personal Independence Payment Handbook, December 2021, available at gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-factsheets/pip-handbook
The DWP is testing online PIP claims, but at the time of writing this is limited to a small-scale pilot.2DWP, Touchbase e-newsletter, 28 January 2022; DWP, Apply for Personal Independence Payment Alpha reassessment, 26 August 2022
If you claim by telephone, your date of claim is usually the date of your call to the PIP claims line.3Reg 12(1)(b) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs If you request a paper claim form (PIP1), your date of claim is the date the DWP receives your request – eg, the date of your phone call – as long as the DWP then receives your properly completed form within one month (or longer if reasonable).4Reg 12(1)(c) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs
Note: if you get PIP already and your award ends within the next year, see here.
 
1     Reg 11(1) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs; DWP, Personal Independence Payment Handbook, December 2021, available at gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-factsheets/pip-handbook »
2     DWP, Touchbase e-newsletter, 28 January 2022; DWP, Apply for Personal Independence Payment Alpha reassessment, 26 August 2022 »
3     Reg 12(1)(b) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
4     Reg 12(1)(c) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
Claiming in advance and backdating
You can claim PIP in advance if you do not satisfy the entitlement conditions, but will do within three months of the date your claim is decided.1Reg 33(1) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs This may be relevant if you do not yet satisfy the required period condition (see here) when you first claim.
You cannot backdate a claim for PIP.2Reg 27 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs If you might have qualified for PIP sooner but did not claim because you were given the wrong information or misled by the DWP, you could pursue a complaint, asking for compensation (see here).
Note: the term ‘backdating’ is often informally used to mean getting arrears of your benefit going back to a claim or decision date – eg, after winning an appeal. This is possible for PIP. However, in this Handbook, we use backdating to mean getting paid benefit for a period before the date you claimed. As explained above, this is not possible for PIP.
 
1     Reg 33(1) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
2     Reg 27 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
Additional support and appointees
If you have (or will have) difficulty with the claims process and need additional support, see Chapter 18. If you cannot manage the claims process at all, you may need an appointee (see here).
What you will be asked and how long it will take
When you claim PIP, you are asked questions to confirm your identity and check whether you meet the basic eligibility conditions. It is usually a good idea to have to hand:
    your national insurance number (note: you do not need to have a national insurance number to start a claim for PIP1para A2148 ADM);
    your phone number and other contact details;
    your bank account details;
    the name, address and telephone number of your GP’s surgery.
It is important that you provide any information required when you claim PIP. Until you do, you may not count as having made a valid claim. Provide any missing information as soon as possible or your date of claim may be affected.
After making a claim, you will go through the assessment process (see here).
 
1     para A2148 ADM »
Terminal illness
The PIP claims process is different if you are terminally ill. You are regarded as ‘terminally ill’ if you have a progressive disease from which your death can reasonably be expected within 12 months.1s82(4) WRA 2012 You should explain that the claim is on the grounds of terminal illness when making it (claims from terminally ill people are widely referred to as ‘special rules’ claims).2s82(1)(b) WRA 2012; regs 5(2)(c) and 23(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs Your GP, consultant or specialist nurse should complete Form DS1500, giving details of your condition and prognosis.
If you claim PIP and you are regarded as terminally ill, you are automatically entitled to the enhanced rate of the daily living component.3s82(2) WRA 2012 To get the mobility component, you must still satisfy the disability conditions (see here), but you do not need to satisfy the required period condition (see here).
 
1     s82(4) WRA 2012 »
2     s82(1)(b) WRA 2012; regs 5(2)(c) and 23(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs »
3     s82(2) WRA 2012 »
The disability conditions
The health-related eligibility criteria for PIP are known as the ‘disability conditions’. You can still qualify if you do not consider yourself to have a disability.
Your entitlement to PIP is assessed using a points-based test. You ‘score’ points based on how your condition affects your ability to perform 12 different activities: 10 daily living activities and two mobility activities (see here).1ss77-80 WRA 2012; Part 2 and Sch 1 SS(PIP) Regs The points you are given determine whether you get the daily living and/or the mobility component of PIP, and whether you get the standard or enhanced rate of each. The scoring system is explained on here.
Your difficulties must be due to a ‘mental or physical condition’.2ss78-9 WRA 2012 You can also score points for difficulties that are a side effect of medication.3Relatedly, see MR v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 0086 (AAC)
Most, if not all, mental health conditions are likely to be recognised as ‘mental conditions’ for PIP purposes. It is relatively unusual for a decision maker to disagree about your condition counting as a mental condition, and more usual for them to have questions about its severity or impact. It is not essential that you have a diagnosis or that you have been prescribed medication or therapy for your condition. Nor is it essential that you are taking medication you have been prescribed, although if you are not, it will be important to explain why.4PIP AG at para 1.6.36Note: drug or alcohol dependency counts as a mental condition, although drug or alcohol abuse on its own does not.5SD v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 310 (AAC); DE v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 226 (AAC)
Some of the PIP activities might appear to be chosen to test your physical health, but your mental health is equally relevant.
Examples
Daily living activity 1: Preparing food
Do not worry about: needing a physical explanation for your difficulties.
Think about:
whether you have the motivation and focus to prepare yourself regular meals from scratch;
whether you can safely use hot or sharp kitchen equipment.
Daily living activity 4: Washing and bathing
Do not worry about: your physical ability to get into or out of the shower, wash yourself and get dry.
Think about: whether you have the motivation or awareness to wash as often as you need to; whether you can only wash if somebody encourages you to, or if you have something important to do that day.
You might also have physical side effects from medication or as a symptom of your condition – eg, fatigue, dizziness or nausea. These can be considered when looking at your ability to perform the activities.
What advisers say: mental health symptoms
‘While it should be possible, getting a claim for PIP accepted when you have not had a diagnosis or been assessed by a mental health professional is going to be harder. Anyone in that situation who gets refused should still consider appeal. It is the symptoms that are important, so as long as there is no suggestion that the symptoms are not genuine then (at tribunal level at least) an award is possible.’
 
1     ss77-80 WRA 2012; Part 2 and Sch 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     ss78-9 WRA 2012 »
3     Relatedly, see MR v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 0086 (AAC) »
4     PIP AG at para 1.6.36 »
5     SD v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 310 (AAC); DE v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 226 (AAC) »
Interpreting the conditions
When considering the disability conditions for PIP, there are three key concepts to keep in mind.
1. The support you would get in an ideal world
Points are awarded based on what help you reasonably need, not what help you actually get.1MB v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 250 (AAC)
Examples
Louis has a long-term mental health problem. He lives on his own. He does not have family or close friends who prompt or encourage him to carry out day-to-day activities. Nonetheless, a decision maker finds that as a result of his mental health problem Louis reasonably needs prompting to undertake several of the daily living activities, and he scores points accordingly.
Sam has a mental health problem and lives with her parents who provide encouragement and prompting for many of the daily living activities. However, a decision maker concludes that Sam does not need this help and does not make an award of PIP. In challenging the decision, Sam provides more medical evidence, and evidence from her family members and friends, about the severity of her mental health problem and its effects on her day-to-day life.
 
1     MB v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 250 (AAC) »
2. Doing things ‘safely’, ‘to an acceptable standard’, ‘repeatedly’, and ‘in a reasonable time’
Unless you can manage an activity in all of the following ways, you are treated as not being able to do it.1Reg 4(2A) and (4) SS(PIP) Regs; TF v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 661 (AAC)
    Safely. This means ‘in a manner unlikely to cause harm to [you] or to another person, either during or after completion of the activity’. An activity is not safe for you if there is ‘a real possibility that cannot be ignored of harm occurring’. This involves considering both the likelihood of any harm occurring, and the severity of the consequences if it did occur, so a severe consequence that is relatively unlikely to happen is still relevant.2RJ, GMcL and CS v SSWP v RJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 105 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 32
    To an acceptable standard. This is not defined in the regulations, and what it means is closely linked to the activity in question. What is an acceptable standard will depend to an extent on your experience of doing the activity, making the test a subjective one. As an example, though, if mental health symptoms mean that you can only leave your home at night, you will probably be classed as unable to undertake journeys to an acceptable standard.3PA v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 270 (AAC); PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC); DWP, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Guide for Assessment Providers, 21 July 2022, available at gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers (abbreviated here as PIP AG) at para 2.4
    Repeatedly. This means ‘as often as the activity being assessed is reasonably required to be completed’. In considering how often you ‘reasonably’ need to undertake an activity, your own choices should generally be respected.4PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC) You should also be assessed for your ability to perform activities while living a ‘normal’ daily life, and should not lose points if you can manage to perform certain activities, but only by adopting a significantly sheltered or altered lifestyle – eg, going out only at certain times, or avoiding all noisy environments.5PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC); EG v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 101 (AAC)
    Within a reasonable time period. This means ‘no more than twice as long as the maximum period that a person without a physical or mental condition which limits that person’s ability to carry out the activity in question would normally take to complete that activity’. Time you spend thinking about the activity (eg, choosing clothes) can be taken into account if the hesitation is due to your condition.6ML v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 171 (AAC)
When considering the disability conditions, you should read these factors into each descriptor. For example, descriptor 1a (‘can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided’) should be read as ‘can safely, repeatedly, to an acceptable standard and within a reasonable time period prepare and cook a simple meal unaided’.
The four factors should be considered separately from one another. For example, if you can manage the activity within a reasonable time period as defined, the fact that you are doing it slowly is not relevant to the question of whether you can manage to an acceptable standard.7KL v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 545 (AAC)
 
1     Reg 4(2A) and (4) SS(PIP) Regs; TF v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 661 (AAC) »
2     RJ, GMcL and CS v SSWP v RJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 105 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 32 »
3     PA v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 270 (AAC); PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC); DWP, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Guide for Assessment Providers, 21 July 2022, available at gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers (abbreviated here as PIP AG) at para 2.4 »
4     PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC) »
5     PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC); EG v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 101 (AAC) »
6     ML v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 171 (AAC) »
7     KL v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 545 (AAC) »
3. Fluctuating conditions
Many mental health problems have symptoms or effects that fluctuate. This can make it difficult to explain your difficulties, and to show which PIP descriptor applies to you. The following rules can help. It may also be helpful for you to keep a diary to show how your condition affects you (see here).
Good times and bad times
If a scoring descriptor applies to you at any point in the day (ie, 24 hours, starting from midnight), you are usually accepted as satisfying it on that day.1TR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 626 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 23. This is essentially a question of whether an activity can be undertaken ‘repeatedly’. So, for example, if you cannot get dressed in the morning you should score points for Activity 6 even if you can manage to dress in the afternoon.2PIP AG at paras 2.1.13-2.1.14
Good days and bad days
Your difficulties are normally assessed over a one-year period starting from three months before you claim PIP.3Regs 2, 7(3) and 14 SS(PIP) Regs; reg 24 PIP(TP) Regs; AB v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 217 (AAC) If a descriptor will apply to you on over 50 per cent of the days in that period, you score points for that descriptor.4Reg 7 SS(PIP) Regs
If this is not the case, but the total number of days on which you satisfy two or more scoring descriptors totals more than 50 per cent of the days, the scoring descriptor that applies most often is used. For this rule, if two descriptors apply on the same number of days, the highest scoring one is used.
When calculating which descriptor you satisfy under this rule, it is important to think about how the effects of your condition vary, bearing in mind that you may not need to attempt some activities every day. For example, if your mental health condition means you can only go out or make budgeting decisions on good days, a couple of times a week, you can score points for these activities even if you do manage to do all your shopping and pay your bills on good days. Similarly, the fact that you can sometimes manage activities if there is a specific reason you must do so does not mean that you do not need prompting to manage them on the majority of days.5GG v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 194 (AAC)
Example
Ahmad has depression. When he receives his PIP questionnaire, he is in a period of severe low mood and his wife completes the form for him explaining the significant issues he is having. When he is later invited to an assessment, his symptoms are less severe, and he explains to the assessor that he is not currently having the difficulties described on the questionnaire. A DWP decision maker decides that Ahmad does not qualify for PIP because he does not ‘score’ enough points. However, Ahmad successfully challenges this decision by explaining that his regular periods of severe low mood are likely to add up to more than half of the relevant one-year period. He provides supporting written evidence from his community psychiatric nurse (CPN) and from his wife.
 
1     TR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 626 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 23. This is essentially a question of whether an activity can be undertaken ‘repeatedly’. »
2     PIP AG at paras 2.1.13-2.1.14 »
3     Regs 2, 7(3) and 14 SS(PIP) Regs; reg 24 PIP(TP) Regs; AB v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 217 (AAC) »
4     Reg 7 SS(PIP) Regs »
5     GG v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 194 (AAC) »
The daily living activities
Note: you qualify for the enhanced rate of the daily living component of PIP if you are regarded as being terminally ill (see here), even if you have no problems with any of the activities.
The test for PIP looks at 10 daily living activities. The following boxes explain some concepts which are used in deciding your score for each activity.
Assistance, supervision and prompting1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Assistance’ means ‘physical intervention by another person’ and does not include speech. It is help to carry out an activity and does not include someone doing the whole activity for you, or, arguably, someone giving you so much help that they are effectively doing the activity for you.2SSWP v GM (PIP) [2017] UKUT 268 (AAC); JT v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 101 (AAC); CP v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 5 (AAC)
Supervision’ means ‘the continuous presence of another person for the purpose of ensuring [your] safety’. You need supervision if there is a ‘real risk’ of harm while carrying out the activity, considering both the likelihood and seriousness of the harm.3RJ, GMcL and CS v SSWP v RJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 105 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 32 This means that you may score points even if you would not come to any harm most days if left unsupervised.4DWP, Safety and Supervision: changes to PIP law from 9 March 2017, 20 September 2021, gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-changes/safety-and-supervision-changes-to-pip-law-from-9-march-2017 The risk does not need to be caused by doing the activity; it is enough that you need continuous supervision to carry it out.5SSWP v IM (PIP) [2015] UKUT 680 (AAC) If someone is also supervising other people at the same time, you can still satisfy a supervision descriptor.6LB v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 436 (AAC)
‘Prompting’ means ‘reminding, encouraging or explaining by another person’. You can score points for needing prompting even if you can sometimes manage unaided when there is a specific or urgent need to undertake the activity.7GG v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 194 (AAC); PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 502 (AAC) The person prompting you does not always need to be in your presence, so prompting by telephone (or, arguably, someone leaving you notes or reminders) can allow you to score points.8SSWP v MMcK [2017] CSIH 57. The Supreme Court made no comment on this suggestion in the appeal against this decision (SSWP v MM(Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26).
 
Aids and appliances
An aid or appliance means ‘any device which improves, provides or replaces [your] impaired mental or physical function; and includes a prosthesis’.9Reg 2 SS(PIP) Regs; MR v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 86 (AAC), although the comments were not strictly necessary to the decision in that case
Aids and appliances to assist somebody who has a mental health condition might include dosette boxes, mobile phone apps, alarms and reminders. The aid need not be something that only people with a mental health problem use,10CW v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 197 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 44; NA v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 572 (AAC) and does not need to be designed to help with the task that you need it for. However, it will not normally be seen as an aid or appliance if it is widely used in the same way by people who do not have your difficulties.11CW v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 197 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 44; AP v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 501 (AAC); MR v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 293 (AAC) Note that the rules are different for an ‘orientation aid’ that helps you to plan or follow a journey (see here).
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     SSWP v GM (PIP) [2017] UKUT 268 (AAC); JT v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 101 (AAC); CP v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 5 (AAC)  »
3     RJ, GMcL and CS v SSWP v RJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 105 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 32 »
4     DWP, Safety and Supervision: changes to PIP law from 9 March 2017, 20 September 2021, gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-changes/safety-and-supervision-changes-to-pip-law-from-9-march-2017 »
5     SSWP v IM (PIP) [2015] UKUT 680 (AAC) »
6     LB v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 436 (AAC) »
7     GG v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 194 (AAC); PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 502 (AAC) »
8     SSWP v MMcK [2017] CSIH 57. The Supreme Court made no comment on this suggestion in the appeal against this decision (SSWP v MM(Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26). »
9     Reg 2 SS(PIP) Regs; MR v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 86 (AAC), although the comments were not strictly necessary to the decision in that case »
10     CW v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 197 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 44; NA v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 572 (AAC) »
11     CW v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 197 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 44; AP v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 501 (AAC); MR v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 293 (AAC) »
Activity 1: preparing food
Descriptors
Points
a. Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided.
0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
2
c. Cannot cook a simple meal using a conventional cooker but is able to do so using a microwave.
2
d. Needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
2
e. Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
4
f. Cannot prepare and cook food.
8
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Simple meal’ means a cooked one-course meal for one made using fresh ingredients.
‘Prepare’, in the context of food, means make food ready for cooking or eating.
‘Cook’ means heat food at or above waist height.
This is an objective test of your ability to manage the tasks involved in preparing ingredients and cooking a reasonable range of simple meals, so takes no account of your specific dietary needs,2SSWP v KJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 358 (AAC) religious beliefs or cultural preferences.3ZI v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 572 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 1 Similarly, the impact of things such as childcare responsibilities or family size on your ability to prepare a meal is not relevant.4SC v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 317 (AAC) Being able to heat a ready meal in the microwave does not necessarily mean you satisfy descriptor 1c because your ability to prepare a simple meal from fresh ingredients must also be considered.5AI v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 322 (AAC) For the same reason, making a bowl of cereal does not fit the definition of preparing a simple meal.
If you cannot read, tell the time or use timers because of your condition, this is relevant to whether you score points for this activity. It is also relevant if you can only make one kind of meal, as this may indicate that you cannot perform the activity to an acceptable standard.6LC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 150 (AAC)
Example
Paul has depression. He lives with his mother, who cooks all his meals. A decision maker applies descriptor 1a to Paul because the decision maker believes that although Paul never actually cooks, he would be able to do so if he needed to. Paul challenges this decision and explains that his motivation is so low that he would not be able to prepare a meal from fresh ingredients without encouragement. Paul provides a statement from his former housemate saying that when Paul lived away from home, he ate only microwaved ready meals or cereal and rarely ate three meals a day. The decision is changed and descriptor 1d is applied to Paul.
Mental health and preparing food checklist
    Do you have difficulty making meals from scratch because of, for example, low mood and reduced motivation?
    Can you make a meal from scratch as many times a day as you reasonably need to eat one?
    Can you heat a ready meal in the microwave, but not make a meal from fresh ingredients?
    Does a lack of appetite, an aversion to food or an eating disorder stop you from preparing food?
    Can you safely use heavy, hot or sharp kitchen equipment without supervision?
    Can you attend to a cooker or do you get distracted – ie, causing a risk of fire?
    Can you prepare food that is safe to eat (and not, for example, out-of-date or undercooked)?
    Can you make more than one kind of meal?
    Does it take you a long time to prepare food, specifically, does it take more than twice as long as a person without your condition?
    Do side effects from medication (eg, nausea or dizziness) affect your ability to prepare food?
    If you have good and bad days, can you make meals from scratch on the majority of days?
    Do you need prompting, assistance or supervision, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     SSWP v KJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 358 (AAC) »
3     ZI v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 572 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 1 »
4     SC v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 317 (AAC) »
5     AI v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 322 (AAC) »
6     LC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 150 (AAC) »
Activity 2: taking nutrition
Descriptors
Points
a. Can take nutrition unaided.
0
b. Needs:
(i) to use an aid or appliance to be able to take nutrition; or
(ii) supervision to be able to take nutrition; or
(iii) assistance to be able to cut up food.
2
c. Needs a therapeutic source to be able to take nutrition.
2
d. Needs prompting to be able to take nutrition.
4
e. Needs assistance to be able to manage a therapeutic source to take nutrition.
6
f. Cannot convey food and drink to their mouth and needs another person to do so.
10
The nutritious quality of what you eat is not relevant for these descriptors.1MM and BJ v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 490 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 17 If your condition means that you need prompting to eat at all, or enough, you may satisfy descriptor 2d.2JW v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 169 (AAC); TK v SSWP (PIP) [2020] UKUT 22 (AAC), reported as [2020] AACR 18
Mental health and taking nutrition checklist
    Do you have the energy and motivation to eat as often as you reasonably need to?
    Do you forget to eat?
    Does a lack of appetite, an aversion to food or an eating disorder affect the amount you eat?
    Is eating likely to lead to harm, either during or after the activity?
    Do side effects from medication (eg, nausea or dizziness) affect your ability to eat?
    If you have good and bad days, can you eat enough on the majority of days?
    Do you need prompting or supervision, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     MM and BJ v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 490 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 17 »
2     JW v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 169 (AAC); TK v SSWP (PIP) [2020] UKUT 22 (AAC), reported as [2020] AACR 18 »
Activity 3: managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
Descriptors
Points
a. Either: (i) does not receive medication or therapy or need to monitor a health condition; or (ii) can manage medication or therapy or monitor a health condition unaided.
0
b. Needs any one or more of the following:
(i) to use an aid or appliance to be able to manage medication;
(ii) supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage medication;
(iii) supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to monitor a health condition.
1
c. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes no more than 3.5 hours a week.
2
d. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 3.5 but no more than 7 hours a week.
4
e. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 7 but no more than 14 hours a week.
6
f. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 14 hours a week.
8
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Reg
‘Manage medication’ means take medication, where a failure to do so is likely to result in a deterioration in your health.
‘Medication’ means medication to be taken at home, which is prescribed or recommended by a registered doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
‘Monitor a health condition’ means detect significant changes in your condition which are likely to lead to a deterioration in your health, and take action advised by a registered doctor, registered nurse, or health professional who is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council, without which your health is likely to deteriorate.
‘Manage therapy’ means undertake therapy, where a failure to do so is likely to result in a deterioration in your health.
‘Therapy’ means therapy to be undertaken at home which is prescribed or recommended by a registered doctor, nurse or pharmacist, or health professional regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council, but does not include taking or applying, or otherwise receiving or administering, medication (whether orally, topically or by any other means), or any action which, in your case, falls within the definition of ‘monitor a health condition’.
Therapy for a mental health condition can include, for example, talking therapies (see here) undertaken at home. As the descriptors about therapy refer to the amount of help you need during ‘a week’, you should not be excluded from scoring points if you only need help with therapy on a minority of days. General supervision provided in supported accommodation is not regarded as ‘therapy’.2DC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 11 (AAC)
Monitoring your health condition could include someone checking on how you are – eg, if you have a mental health problem which is normally controlled by medication.
Aids and appliances to help you manage medication could include a dosette box to organise pills, and/or alarms and reminders, if you are forgetful due to your condition.
It is particularly important to consider what you can do ‘safely’ (see here). If you could suffer severe harm if you failed to take your medication or while your condition was not monitored, this must be taken into account, even if the chance of this actually happening is relatively small.
Mental health and medication, monitoring and therapy checklist
    Is there a risk that you will not take your medication when you need to – eg, because of poor memory, or because your condition makes you distrust the medication?
    Do you need prompting either at the times when you need to take your medication, or ongoing prompting to convince you of the need to take your medication?
    Do you use a dosette box, alarms or reminders to take medication?
    Is there a risk that you will take too much of your medication – eg, because of poor memory, or deliberately?
    What are the likely consequences if you do not take your medication, or take too much?
    Does the nature of your condition mean that you are at risk of significant harm if you are not monitored by another person (even if the likelihood of the harm is relatively small)?
    If you have good and bad days, can you manage to take medication or monitor your condition on the majority of days?
    If you have better and worse times of day, are there times when you cannot take your medication or monitor your condition?
    Do you need help or encouragement to do self-directed therapy at home? Do you have sessions with a therapist at home?
    Do you need prompting, supervision or assistance, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Reg »
2     DC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 11 (AAC) »
Activity 4: washing and bathing
Descriptors
Points
a. Can wash and bathe unaided.
0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to wash or bathe.
2
c. Needs supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe.
2
d. Needs assistance to be able to wash either their hair or body below the waist.
2
e. Needs assistance to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower.
3
f. Needs assistance to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist.
4
g. Cannot wash and bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body.
8
If you are at risk if you bathe alone, whether you are considered to need supervision depends on the seriousness of the harm and how likely it is.1SH v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 251 (AAC); RJ, GMcL and CS v SSWP v RJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 105 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 32
To wash to an acceptable standard, you should be clean (and, arguably, dry)2MB v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 139 (AAC) when you have finished. If it takes you more than twice as long to wash and bathe than the maximum amount of time it would normally take somebody without your condition to do the same, you are not doing it ‘within a reasonable time period’ and you should score points for needing help.
If you can only motivate yourself to have a bath or shower if you have something important to do that day, but would not manage this unprompted on a normal day, it is arguable that you still need prompting to wash or bathe.3GG v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 194 (AAC)
Example
Bernice has depression. On the day of her PIP assessment, she manages to have a shower without any encouragement. However, she explains to the assessor that she could not have done this on a normal day when she did not have a specific, important reason to do so. A decision maker agrees that Bernice cannot wash or bathe unprompted under normal circumstances and awards descriptor 4c.
Mental health and washing and bathing checklist
    Do you have the motivation and awareness to wash as often as you need to?
    Do you only wash if somebody encourages you to, or if you have something important to do that day?
    Are you clean and dry after you have washed?
    Does washing or bathing take more than twice as long for you as it would for somebody without your condition – eg, because of compulsive behaviour?
    Does washing or bathing make you distressed, even if you can manage to do it?
    Do side effects from medication (eg, fatigue or dizziness) affect your ability to wash or bathe?
    If you have good and bad days, can you wash or bathe on the majority of days?
    If you have better and worse times of day, can you wash or bathe at a time when you reasonably need to?
    Do you need prompting, supervision or assistance, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     SH v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 251 (AAC); RJ, GMcL and CS v SSWP v RJ (PIP) [2017] UKUT 105 (AAC), reported as [2017] AACR 32 »
2     MB v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 139 (AAC) »
3     GG v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 194 (AAC) »
Activity 5: managing toilet needs or incontinence
Descriptors
Points
a. Can manage toilet needs or incontinence unaided.
0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to manage toilet needs or incontinence.
2
c. Needs supervision or prompting to be able to manage toilet needs.
2
d. Needs assistance to be able to manage toilet needs.
4
e. Needs assistance to be able to manage incontinence of either bladder or bowel.
6
f. Needs assistance to be able to manage incontinence of both bladder and bowel.
8
‘Toilet needs’ includes cleaning yourself after using the toilet. You can be awarded points for this activity if you have difficulties which are the result of a mental health problem or the side effect of medication – eg, if problems with memory or attention mean that you do not clean yourself reliably or to an acceptable standard after using the toilet. See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
Activity 6: dressing and undressing
Descriptors
Points
a. Can dress and undress unaided.
0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to dress or undress.
2
c. Needs either:
(i) prompting to be able to dress, undress or determine appropriate circumstances for remaining clothed; or
(ii) prompting or assistance to be able to select appropriate clothing.
2
d. Needs assistance to be able to dress or undress their lower body.
2
e. Needs assistance to be able to dress or undress their upper body.
4
f. Cannot dress or undress at all.
8
Clothes that are loose-fitting, comfortable and easy to put on may count as aids to help you dress, depending on how much your choice of clothes is restricted due to your condition.1PE v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 309 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 10 Selecting appropriate clothing includes choosing the right clothes for the weather, and also not reusing dirty clothes.2DP v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 156 (AAC) If you take a long time to choose clothes due to your condition, you may satisfy descriptor 6c.3ML v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 171 (AAC)
Example
Ruth has anxiety, depression, anorexia and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. Every day she takes over an hour to get dressed because she struggles to decide which clothes to wear. A decision maker agrees that these difficulties are the direct result of Ruth’s mental health conditions, that this is more than twice as long as the maximum amount of time it would normally take another person without Ruth’s conditions to get dressed, and that Ruth therefore cannot complete this activity ‘within a reasonable time period’.
Mental health and dressing and undressing checklist
    Does low mood, reduced awareness or lack of motivation mean you do not change your clothes?
    Can you recognise whether clothes are clean and appropriate for the weather and occasion?
    Do you have difficulty choosing clothes – eg, because of a condition that affects your body image?
    Does it take you more than twice as long to get dressed than it would take somebody without your condition?
    Are you only able to wear a very limited range of clothes because of your condition?
    Do side effects from medication (eg, fatigue or dizziness) affect your ability to dress?
    If you have good and bad days, can you get dressed and undressed on the majority of days?
    If you have better and worse times of day, can you get dressed and undressed at the times when you might reasonably need to?
    Do you need prompting or assistance, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     PE v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 309 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 10 »
2     DP v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 156 (AAC) »
3     ML v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 171 (AAC) »
Activity 7: communicating verbally
Descriptors
Points
a. Can express and understand verbal information unaided.
0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to speak or hear.
2
c. Needs communication support to be able to express or understand complex verbal information.
4
d. Needs communication support to be able to express or understand basic verbal information.
8
e. Cannot express or understand verbal information at all even with communication support.
12
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Basic verbal information’ means information in your native language conveyed verbally in a simple sentence.
‘Complex verbal information’ means information in your native language conveyed verbally in either more than one sentence or one complicated sentence.
‘Communication support’ means support from a person trained or experienced in communicating with people with specific communication needs, including interpreting verbal information into a non-verbal form and vice versa.
You are unlikely to score points because you cannot speak, hear or understand speech in certain social situations if you can do so in other social settings or with people you know well. You may instead score points for difficulties engaging with people (Activity 9).
If strangers find it hard to understand you because of your condition (eg, because you have very disorganised speech) you may score points for needing help to communicate to an acceptable standard and within a reasonable time.
Your ability to read, write or send text messages is not relevant, but if you use writing to communicate in the absence of speech you may satisfy descriptor 7b.2BM v DfC (PIP) [2019] NICom 33, reported as [2020] AACR 15 (persuasive while not binding outside of Northern Ireland)
The definition of ‘communication support’ includes both someone with specialist training and someone who knows you and is experienced in helping you to communicate.3TC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 550 (AAC)
Mental health and communicating verbally checklist
    Are you unable to take in and understand spoken information – eg, because of lack of focus or hallucinations?
    Are you unable to form words at all as a result of your condition or symptoms?
    Do other other people struggle to understand you – eg, because of disorganised speech?
    Can you both say and understand one simple sentence, two simple sentences, and/or one complicated sentence (with or without support)?
    If you have good days and bad days, can you communicate verbally on the majority of days?
    If your condition varies throughout the day, are there times of day when you cannot speak or understand spoken information?
    Do you need communication support, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     BM v DfC (PIP) [2019] NICom 33, reported as [2020] AACR 15 (persuasive while not binding outside of Northern Ireland) »
3     TC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 550 (AAC) »
Activity 8 reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
Descriptors
Points
a. Can read and understand basic and complex written information either unaided or using spectacles or contact lenses.
0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance, other than spectacles or contact lenses, to be able to read or understand either basic or complex written information.
2
c. Needs prompting to be able to read or understand complex written information.
2
d. Needs prompting to be able to read or understand basic written information.
4
e. Cannot read or understand signs, symbols or words at all.
8
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Basic written information’ means signs, symbols and dates written or printed in standard size text in your native language.
Complex written information’ means more than one sentence of written or printed standard size text in your native language.
If you have never learned to read in English, you only score points for this activity if this is because of your condition.2KP v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 30 (AAC) While the standard of reading required is low, to satisfy descriptor 8d (rather than 8e) you must be able to read and understand some words quickly and without any help.3SE v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 1 (AAC) If your ability to read is affected so that you satisfy a descriptor at certain times of the day, you should score points even if you can read unaided at other times of the day.4TR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 626 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 23
Mental health and reading checklist
    Are you unable to take in or understand the meaning of written information – eg, because of lack of focus, low mood or delusions/hallucinations?
    How much can you read – eg, can you read signs, symbols, dates, one sentence?
    Does reading or understanding what you have read take more than twice as long for you as it would for somebody without your condition?
    If you have good and bad days, can you read and take in information on the majority of days?
    If your condition varies throughout the day, are there times of day when you cannot read and take in information?
    Do you need prompting, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     KP v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 30 (AAC) »
3     SE v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 1 (AAC) »
4     TR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 626 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 23 »
Activity 9: engaging with other people face to face
Descriptors
Points
a. Can engage with other people unaided.
0
b. Needs prompting to be able to engage with other people.
2
c. Needs social support to be able to engage with other people.
4
d. Cannot engage with other people due to such engagement causing either:
(i) overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant; or
(ii) the claimant to exhibit behaviour which would result in a substantial risk of harm to the claimant or another person.
8
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Psychological distress’ means distress related to an enduring mental health condition or an intellectual or cognitive impairment. Note:overwhelming psychological distress’ is not defined in legislation but caselaw indicates that ‘the threshold is a very high one’.2MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12
‘Social support’ means support from a person trained or experienced in assisting people to engage in social situations. For who this might cover, see here.
This activity looks at your ability to interact with individuals or small groups,3SM v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 292 (AAC); AM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 7 (AAC) and in social situations.4DV v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 244 (AAC); SF v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 543 (AAC) You can score points despite being able to engage with people you know (eg, family and friends) or with people you must interact with for a specific and limited purpose (eg, health professionals or the tribunal).5PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC)
‘Engage with other people’ means to ‘interact with others in a contextually and socially appropriate manner’, ‘understand body language’ and ‘establish relationships’.6Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs; SF v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 543 (AAC); SSWP v AM (PIP) [2015] UKUT 215 (AAC). Both decisions held that the definition of ‘engage socially’ applies to the words ‘engage with other people’ in the descriptors. All three factors should be considered.7HA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 56 (AAC) The test is whether you can engage with adults generally, not just with particular groups of people, such as women or young people.8HA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 56 (AAC); RC v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 352 (AAC)
‘Establish relationships’ does not refer to any particular type of relationship, but means something more than just the ability to respond to questions.9RC v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 352 (AAC) Even if you undertake social activities (eg, going to a pub), you may still score points for this activity if you cannot engage with other people without help,10HJ v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 487 (AAC) or if the social activities you can cope with alone are very specific and limited by your condition.11AC v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 216 (AAC)
While the descriptors distinguish between ‘prompting’ and ‘social support’, there is some overlap between them. The person prompting or supporting you does not always need to be physically present.12SSWP v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26 For example, they might support you through the interaction either over the phone or by text message.
‘Social support’ does not need to be provided by a professional, it could also come from somebody else experienced, for example, a family member or friend who has significant experience of supporting you.13SSWP v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26; SL v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 147 (AAC) Social support does not have to be provided at the time of the activity or immediately beforehand. If, for example, you have monthly counselling sessions, and this support is necessary for you to engage with other people, you are likely to satisfy descriptor 9c.14SSWP v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26, as interpreted by the DWP in para 9 (‘Example 3’) of ADM memo 22/20: PIP daily living activity 9 - effect of supreme court judgement
If you cannot engage with other people at all, this must be for one of the reasons mentioned in descriptor 9d for you to satisfy it.15JT v SSWP (PIP) [2020] UKUT 186 (AAC)
Examples
Laura has a long-term mental health problem. She goes to the chip shop every day. She does not speak to other customers or to staff except to place her order. If somebody tries to chat to her or if the chip shop is too crowded, Laura will go straight home. She does not have a support network and always goes to the chip shop alone. A decision maker recognises that Laura’s mental health problem has affected her ability to engage with other people. The fact that she can go to a place where other people are present and have an extremely brief exchange while placing her order does not amount to ‘engaging with other people’.
Ranjit has a personality disorder diagnosis. She belongs to a youth club run by a mental health charity that meets once a week. Ranjit finds it difficult to engage with the other young people but does so with prompting from the session leader. Ranjit’s mother also needs to reassure and encourage her before she goes to the sessions each week. A decision maker applies descriptor 9c to Ranjit because it is agreed that the prompting she needs must come from specific people experienced in helping her and/or trained in supporting people with her difficulties.
Mental health and engaging with other people checklist
    What symptoms do you have that affect your ability to engage with other people – eg, anxiety, paranoia, low mood?
    Can you ‘interact with others in a contextually and socially appropriate manner’, ‘understand body language’ and ‘establish relationships’?
    Is what you are doing actually social engagement or does it fall short of the definition – eg, because a conversation is one-way or you are just answering questions?
    Can you only engage with certain people – eg, friends, family, professionals, or other people of your age?
    Can you only engage with other people in certain social contexts – eg, board-game club or mosque?
    Can you engage with other people safely – ie, without being likely to suffer harm or cause harm to another person?
    If you have good and bad days, can you engage with other people on the majority of days?
    If your condition varies throughout the day, are there times of day when you cannot engage with other people?
    Can you engage with other people repeatedly – ie, as often as you reasonably need to?
    Do you need prompting or social support, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 »
3     SM v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 292 (AAC); AM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 7 (AAC) »
4     DV v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 244 (AAC); SF v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 543 (AAC) »
5     PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC) »
6     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs; SF v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 543 (AAC); SSWP v AM (PIP) [2015] UKUT 215 (AAC). Both decisions held that the definition of ‘engage socially’ applies to the words ‘engage with other people’ in the descriptors. »
7     HA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 56 (AAC) »
8     HA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 56 (AAC); RC v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 352 (AAC) »
9     RC v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 352 (AAC) »
10     HJ v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 487 (AAC) »
11     AC v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 216 (AAC) »
12     SSWP v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26 »
13     SSWP v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26; SL v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 147 (AAC) »
14     SSWP v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26, as interpreted by the DWP in para 9 (‘Example 3’) of ADM memo 22/20: PIP daily living activity 9 - effect of supreme court judgement »
15     JT v SSWP (PIP) [2020] UKUT 186 (AAC) »
Activity 10: making budgeting decisions
Descriptors
Points
a. Can manage complex budgeting decisions unaided.
0
b. Needs prompting or assistance to be able to make complex budgeting decisions.
2
c. Needs prompting or assistance to be able to make simple budgeting decisions.
4
d. Cannot make any budgeting decisions at all.
6
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Complex budgeting decisions’ means decisions involving calculating household and personal budgets, managing and paying bills and planning future purchases.
‘Simple budgeting decisions’ means decisions involving calculating the cost of goods and calculating change required after a purchase.
The descriptors assess difficulty making decisions because of your physical or mental condition, not poor money management skills unconnected with your condition. If your condition means that you are very impulsive, you can satisfy descriptor 10b if this prevents you from budgeting effectively.2DP v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 156 (AAC) You can score points whatever your ‘intellect’, since motivation and other factors can prevent you from carrying out an activity unaided.3PR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 584 (AAC); JW v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 169 (AAC)
Remember that ‘complex’ and ‘simple’ budgeting have specific definitions, above. You should not be considered able to manage ‘complex’ or ‘simple’ budgeting unless you can do all of the types of budgeting in the relevant definition. If there are things you cannot do even when you have prompting or assistance, this must be taken into account.4SE v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 1 (AAC)
Mental health and budgeting checklist
    Are you unable to calculate the cost of something or work out change – eg, because of lack of concentration, low mood, hallucinations or poor memory?
    Do you forget or lack the motivation to pay bills when they are due?
    Do you forget or fail to put money aside for essentials?
    Can you respond to changes to your income or outgoings – ie, adapting your household budget accordingly?
    Is your spending impulsive?
    Does distrust (eg, of online spending or financial institutions) affect your ability to pay bills?
    Does simple or complex budgeting take more than twice as long for you as it would for somebody without your condition?
    Do side effects from medication (eg, confusion or memory problems) affect your ability to manage money?
    If you have good and bad days, can you cope with these activities on the majority of days?
    If your condition varies throughout the day, are there times of day when you cannot cope with these activities?
    Does somebody else actually manage your finances for you – eg, an ‘appointee’, somebody with power of attorney, or a friend/family member informally?
    Do you need prompting or assistance to manage money, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     DP v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 156 (AAC) »
3     PR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 584 (AAC); JW v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 169 (AAC) »
4     SE v SSWP (PIP) [2021] UKUT 1 (AAC) »
The mobility activities
There are two mobility activities in the assessment.
Mobility activity 1: planning and following journeys
Descriptors1In 2017, the DWP amended the wording of some descriptors in this activity, but the High Court quashed the changes in R (RF) v SSWP [2017] EWHC 3375 (Admin), reported as [2018] AACR 13. The changes are not included in the descriptors, as they never had any effect (see AH v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 262 (AAC)).
Points
a. Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided.
0
b. Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant.
4
c. Cannot plan the route of a journey.
8
d. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid.
10
e. Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant.
10
f. Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid.
12
Definitions2Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Assistance dog’ means a dog trained to guide or assist a person with a sensory impairment.
Orientation aid’ means a specialist aid designed to assist people with disabilities to follow a route safely. This means that a standard satnav does not count as an orientation aid, although one designed or modified for people with your condition might.3SSWP v NF (PIP) [2017] UKUT 480 (AAC)
‘Prompting’ means reminding, encouraging or explaining by another person.
‘Psychological distress’ means distress related to an enduring mental health condition or an intellectual or cognitive impairment. Note: ‘overwhelming psychological distress’ is not defined in legislation but caselaw indicates that ‘the threshold is a very high one’.4MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12
‘Unaided’ means without the use of an aid or appliance, or supervision, prompting or assistance.
If you need prompting to leave the house as the thought of going out causes overwhelming psychological distress, you can satisfy descriptor 1b even if once you start a journey you do not need to be accompanied by someone else.5AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC)
Prompting by telephone is arguably sufficient, if it is needed for you to leave the house.6The definition of ‘prompting’ does not require the physical presence of the person who is prompting you. It is arguable that you can satisfy descriptor 1b or 1e if you need prompting to, or cannot, go out during part of a day, and your ‘lifestyle is restricted to more than a trivial extent’.7TR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 626 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 23; PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC); AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC). Note that PIP AG Part 2 suggests that this argument may not be accepted, although it does suggest that only being able to go out in darkness is not managing this activity to an acceptable standard.
The use of the words ‘follow the route’ means that you can satisfy descriptors 1d and 1f if you need someone to help you get to your destination (this could include help to navigate, supervision to keep you safe, or help to deal with unexpected diversions), but not if you only need help to communicate with people you meet during a journey.8MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 It is possible to satisfy descriptor 1d or 1f if you sometimes manage a specific journey alone, as long as you generally need one of the kinds of help described.9AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC)
If you can manage part of a journey (eg, in your car) by yourself, you can still score points if you need someone else with you at the start or end of the journey.10JB v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 203 (AAC); SB v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 274 (AAC) Your ability to manage a range of journeys using different types of transport (and not just a short or local journey) should be considered and DWP guidance states you should only be considered capable of following an unfamiliar journey if you can do so on public transport.11MC v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 264 (AAC); SSWP v IV (PIP) [2016] UKUT 420 (AAC); PIP AG at para 2.4
You can only satisfy descriptors 1d and 1f due to anxiety if you need someone with you to avoid overwhelming psychological distress.12MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12, at para 48 That person does not need to be taking action to help you if their presence alone is enough to relieve the distress.13AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC)
DWP guidance suggests that if you satisfy descriptor 1e as you cannot leave the house at all on the majority of days, you cannot also satisfy descriptor 1f.14PIP AG Part 2 The Upper Tribunal has held that if you satisfy descriptor 1e, whether you also satisfy descriptor 1f should be decided without taking account of any psychological distress that you experience.15MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 If you do not satisfy descriptor 1e, you may satisfy 1f on the basis of overwhelming psychological distress that you suffer while on a familiar journey.
If you are actively suicidal or considered to be at significant risk of harming other people, you are likely to satisfy descriptor 1f.
Mental health and planning and following journeys checklist
    What symptoms do you have that affect your ability to plan and follow journeys – eg, anxiety, stress response, reduced motivation?
    Do you need encouragement or reassurance to leave the house?
    Do you need to be accompanied in order to stay safe when you are out of the house – eg, because of a lack of perception of danger, because you could not cope if you got lost, or because you are at risk of harming yourself?
    Can you cope with the unexpected when following a journey – eg, diversions or cancelled buses?
    If you can make a journey alone, can you only do so if it is a short or very straightforward journey?
    Do you have difficulty planning a route or navigating (eg, because of anxiety or a lack of concentration)?
    Does it take you a long time to plan a route – specifically, does it take you more than twice as long as a person without your condition?
    If you have good and bad days, can you plan or follow journeys on the majority of days?
    If your condition varies throughout the day, are there times of day when you cannot plan or follow journeys, and does this mean that your ‘lifestyle is restricted to more than a trivial extent’?
    Do you reasonably need prompting or for somebody to accompany you, even if you do not currently get this help?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.
 
1     In 2017, the DWP amended the wording of some descriptors in this activity, but the High Court quashed the changes in R (RF) v SSWP [2017] EWHC 3375 (Admin), reported as [2018] AACR 13. The changes are not included in the descriptors, as they never had any effect (see AH v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 262 (AAC)). »
2     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
3     SSWP v NF (PIP) [2017] UKUT 480 (AAC) »
4     MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 »
5     AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC) »
6     The definition of ‘prompting’ does not require the physical presence of the person who is prompting you. »
7     TR v SSWP (PIP) [2015] UKUT 626 (AAC), reported as [2016] AACR 23; PM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 154 (AAC); AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC). Note that PIP AG Part 2 suggests that this argument may not be accepted, although it does suggest that only being able to go out in darkness is not managing this activity to an acceptable standard. »
8     MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 »
9     AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC) »
10     JB v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 203 (AAC); SB v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 274 (AAC) »
11     MC v SSWP (PIP) [2019] UKUT 264 (AAC); SSWP v IV (PIP) [2016] UKUT 420 (AAC); PIP AG at para 2.4 »
12     MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12, at para 48  »
13     AA v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 339 (AAC) »
14     PIP AG Part 2 »
15     MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 »
Mobility activity 2: moving around
Descriptors
Points
a. Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided.
0
b. Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided.
4
c. Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres.
8
d. Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres.
10
e. Can stand and then move more than one metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided.
12
f. Cannot, either aided or unaided:
(i) stand; or
(ii) move more than one metre.
12
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs
‘Aided’ means with the use of an aid or appliance, or supervision, prompting or assistance (see also the definitions of these terms on here).
‘Stand’ means stand upright with at least one biological foot on the ground. (This means that double amputees are treated as unable to stand and satisfy descriptor 2f.)
‘Unaided’ means without the use of an aid or appliance, or supervision, prompting or assistance.
Because this activity is about your physical difficulties with walking, your mental health is not normally relevant. If your physical difficulties are caused by psychological distress, this is considered under Activity 1 instead.2MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 However, if you experience physical symptoms such as pain, fatigue or dizziness either as a result of your mental condition or as a side effect of medication you must take to treat that condition, you may be able to score points for this activity.3NK v SSWP [2016] UKUT 146 (AAC)
 
1     Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Regs »
2     MH v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 531 (AAC), reported as [2018] AACR 12 »
3     NK v SSWP [2016] UKUT 146 (AAC) »
Scoring system
You get points for one descriptor for each activity. The points you score for each daily living activity are added together, and the points you score for the two mobility activities are added together. You qualify for a component at:1Regs 5 and 6 SS(PIP) Regs
    the standard rate, if you score 8 points or more; or
    the enhanced rate, if you score 12 points or more.
Example
CJ has depression. They are awarded two points for needing prompting to cook (descriptor 1d), two points for needing prompting to wash (4c), two points for needing prompting to engage with other people (9b), two points for needing assistance with complex budgeting decisions (10b), and four points for needing prompting to go out (M1b). They score a total of eight points for the daily living activities and four points for the mobility activities. They are awarded the standard rate of the daily living component of PIP but do not qualify for the mobility component.
 
1     Regs 5 and 6 SS(PIP) Regs »
The questionnaire
As part of the assessment process, you are usually sent a questionnaire about your condition(s), any treatment that you get, and how you satisfy the daily living and mobility activities. If you are making a new claim, this is a Form PIP2 (the How your disability affects you form). If your existing PIP award is being reviewed, it is a Form AR1 (the shorter Award Review – How your disability affects you form).
Both are available as paper forms, and an online version of the PIP2 is also available for most new claimants. You can request the questionnaire in an alternative format – eg, large print, Braille or British Sign Language. If you need an alternative format, contact the PIP helpline.
Many advice agencies can help you complete the questionnaire. See Advicelocal.uk.
The questionnaire asks for contact details of the best health professional to contact about how your condition affects you. Note: even when it has these details, the DWP does not normally contact this person to ask for evidence about your health so it is best for you to provide this evidence.
How to complete the questionnaire
1. It may help to draft your answers on a sheet of paper first.
2. Read the list of activities here to get an idea of what the DWP needs to know about each activity. Remember that many of the terms in the assessment have special definitions.
3. Consider all of the mental health symptoms listed here.
4. If your needs vary day-to-day, try to explain this (see here). Avoid ticking the ‘sometimes’ box for any activity unless you also explain clearly what you mean by this.1AW v SSWP (PIP) 2022 UKUT 316 (AAC) To give a full picture of your needs, it might be useful for you to keep a diary for a week or a month, to record your symptoms and the help you need (whether you get it or not). Attach a copy to the questionnaire and refer to it in your answers.
5. If you can, ask someone who knows you well to check that your answers fully explain your difficulties. This is particularly important if you do not always have good insight into your condition.
6. Make sure to mention all your symptoms and all side effects of medication. If there is not an obvious place to mention a particular symptom, you can do this in the free text box near the end of the questionnaire. If you have to appeal, the tribunal may be less likely to accept you have that symptom if you did not mention it anywhere on the questionnaire.
7. If you have other information that is relevant to your difficulties with daily living or mobility activities, send a copy of it with the questionnaire, marked with your name and national insurance number. Chapter 13 has more information about supporting evidence.
8. If you have had a previous award of disability living allowance (DLA), ask the DWP to consider evidence from your DLA claim when making a decision on your PIP claim. You might also ask the DWP to look at evidence from a work capability assessment (see here).
9. Use the form as an opportunity to explain what your needs or preferences will be if you are required to take part in an assessment. See here for some examples.
10. If you can, make a copy of the completed questionnaire before returning it to the DWP, and keep a copy of any additional information that you send with it. If you send it by post, ask the Post Office for free proof of posting.
 
1     AW v SSWP (PIP) 2022 UKUT 316 (AAC) »
Timescales
Your completed questionnaire should be received by the DWP within one month of the day it was sent to you. You may be allowed longer, if this is considered reasonable.1Reg 8(1) and (2) SS(PIP) Regs; SNN v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 210 (AAC) If you need to ask for extra time to complete your questionnaire, call the PIP helpline as soon as possible.
If you have already missed a deadline, contact the DWP straight away. Not returning the questionnaire, without good reason, can potentially lead to your claim being refused (or your existing award ended).2Reg 8(3) SS(PIP) Regs There is more information on here.
 
1     Reg 8(1) and (2) SS(PIP) Regs; SNN v SSWP (PIP) [2018] UKUT 210 (AAC)  »
2     Reg 8(3) SS(PIP) Regs »
The assessment
As part of the PIP assessment process you are usually asked to take part in a face-to-face, telephone or video assessment with a healthcare professional. A decision can be made without an assessment if it is considered that there is enough other information,1Reg 9(1) SS(PIP) Regs says that you ‘may’ be required to attend a consultation. but the DWP decides whether this is the case, and if you are asked to attend an assessment, you usually need to go.
PIP assessments are carried out on behalf of the DWP by the Independent Assessment Services and Capita.2Broadly, if you live in Scotland, northern England or southern England, the contractor is Independent Assessment Services. If you live in the Midlands or Wales, it is Capita. There is a map showing postcode areas covered by each contractor at gov.uk/government/publications/pip-postcode-map-uk. Chapter 14 has more information about the practicalities of assessments, including where they can take place, who will assess you, and what to do if you cannot attend.
 
1     Reg 9(1) SS(PIP) Regs says that you ‘may’ be required to attend a consultation. »
2     Broadly, if you live in Scotland, northern England or southern England, the contractor is Independent Assessment Services. If you live in the Midlands or Wales, it is Capita. There is a map showing postcode areas covered by each contractor at gov.uk/government/publications/pip-postcode-map-uk»
If you fail to complete part of the assessment process
If you do not attend an assessment, and the DWP does not accept that you had good reason for the failure, this will result in a new PIP claim being refused,1s80(4)-(6) WRA 2012; regs 8(3) and 9(2) SS(PIP) Regs or an existing award being superseded and ended from the date of the decision.2Reg 26(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs; KB v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 537 (AAC) The same can happen if you do not return a PIP questionnaire, although the DWP’s guidance suggests that this should not happen if you have a mental or cognitive impairment.3PIP AG para 1.1.7
You can ask for a mandatory reconsideration of this kind of decision (see here), and appeal if the decision is not changed. You should also get advice about making a new claim, in case your challenge is not successful.
Good reason
In deciding whether you have ‘good reason’ for missing an assessment or not returning a PIP questionnaire, the DWP must consider the state of your health and the nature of your condition, along with any other reasons why you did not do what was required.4Reg 10 SS(PIP) Regs
A decision maker will take into account a number of factors including the mental health symptoms you were having at the time.5P6071-P6074 ADM The unsuitability of the location at which you were required to take part in a consultation can also amount to a good reason for not attending it.6OM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 458 (AAC); TC v SSWP (PIP) (No.2) [2018] UKUT 286 (AAC)
Guidance suggests that, beyond your health, a number of other factors may amount to good reason, including caring commitments, a bereavement, a domestic emergency, homelessness, or not having received a notification.7s80(4)-(6) WRA 2012; regs 8(3) and 9(2) SS(PIP) Regs
 
1     s80(4)-(6) WRA 2012; regs 8(3) and 9(2) SS(PIP) Regs »
2     Reg 26(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs; KB v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 537 (AAC) »
3     PIP AG para 1.1.7 »
4     Reg 10 SS(PIP) Regs »
5     P6071-P6074 ADM »
6     OM v SSWP (PIP) [2017] UKUT 458 (AAC); TC v SSWP (PIP) (No.2) [2018] UKUT 286 (AAC) »
7     s80(4)-(6) WRA 2012; regs 8(3) and 9(2) SS(PIP) Regs »
If you need additional support
The DWP’s guidance states that parts of the PIP application and assessment process have been adapted for claimants who need additional support (AS), including for mental health reasons.1PIP AG at para 1.12.3-1.12.6 The guidance describes an ‘AS marker’ that can be attached to your PIP records so that the DWP and the assessment provider consistently recognise your needs. If you believe that you have been overlooked for additional support, contact the PIP helpline or the assessment provider. For more information about additional support, see here.
If you are unable to engage with the application or assessment process at all, you may need an appointee (see here).
 
1     PIP AG at para 1.12.3-1.12.6 »
Getting a decision
You will get decisions about personal independence payment (PIP) by letter. In practice, you may get a decision about your eligibility for PIP within four to eight weeks of attending an assessment.
If you disagree with a decision about PIP, you can usually challenge it by making a mandatory reconsideration request and then pursuing an appeal if necessary. See Chapter 17. Note that there are deadlines for challenging decisions.
If you challenge a decision, the DWP (or tribunal) can look at all the PIP disability conditions again, not just the ones that you ask it to reconsider. This means that, following a mandatory reconsideration or appeal, your award could decrease instead of increasing. It is usually best to get advice before challenging a decision.
If you have been awarded PIP but you are challenging the amount, you can continue to get PIP at the rate you have been awarded while a request for a mandatory reconsideration is being considered and while an appeal is pending. However, if you have not been given any award of PIP, you will not get any interim payments while waiting for a decision on a mandatory reconsideration or appeal (see here for an example).
Length of awards
PIP is normally awarded for a fixed period – eg, two or five years. The length of award should be based on how soon, if at all, your needs are likely to change.
An fixed-term award may have a ‘review date’ set, meaning that your entitlement is looked at again before the award ends, or it might have no review date, meaning that you need to reclaim PIP if you want to carry on getting it after the end of the fixed term. There is more information on here.
An indefinite award can be made if your needs are unlikely to change, or if you are being awarded the highest rate of PIP and your needs are only likely to increase. Most indefinite awards are subject to a ‘light-touch’ review every 10 years.1s88(2) and (3) WRA 2012; ADM P2062-2065
Regardless of the stated length of an award, the DWP can reduce or stop the award earlier if it has grounds to revise or supersede it (see here).
 
1     s88(2) and (3) WRA 2012; ADM P2062-2065 »
When you are paid
Personal independence payment (PIP) is usually paid every four weeks in arrears, or if you are classed as terminally ill, weekly in advance.1Reg 48 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs Payment of PIP starts after a decision has been made on your claim.
 
1     Reg 48 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
Where your payment goes
The default is that your PIP is paid into your bank account. The DWP can alternatively pay all or part of your PIP to someone else, if this is necessary to protect your interests.1Reg 58(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs This kind of ‘alternative payment arrangement’ (APA) might be useful if, for example, you want a trusted family member to look after your PIP income because your mental health problem makes it difficult for you to manage money, or if you do not have a bank account.2If you do not have a bank account, you can also ask to be considered for DWP’s payment exception service. See gov.uk/payment-exception-service An APA can be set up at any point, not just at the start of a claim.
Note:
    The enhanced rate of the mobility component can be paid direct to Motability (see here).3Reg 62 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs
    A lump sum of UC arrears (ie, ‘back pay’) may be paid to you in instalments, with your consent, if this is necessary to protect your interests.4The Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 No.1065
    Deductions can be made from PIP (or from PIP back pay) to recover an overpayment of another DWP benefit.5Reg 10 SS(OR) Regs; regs 15-17 SS(PAOR) Regs; SSWP v AS (PIP) [2017] UKUT 454 (AAC); GJ v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 8 (AAC); SSWP vMM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26 If you feel your deductions are too high, get independent advice about whether they can be reduced.
 
1     Reg 58(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
2     If you do not have a bank account, you can also ask to be considered for DWP’s payment exception service. See gov.uk/payment-exception-service »
3     Reg 62 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
4     The Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 No.1065 »
5     Reg 10 SS(OR) Regs; regs 15-17 SS(PAOR) Regs; SSWP v AS (PIP) [2017] UKUT 454 (AAC); GJ v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 8 (AAC); SSWP vMM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, reported as [2019] AACR 26  »
Reassessment
Your entitlement to personal independence payment (PIP) can be reassessed at any time.1Reg 11 SS(PIP) Regs The DWP might reassess you because you have told it that your condition has got worse or better, or that you have a new condition (see here). It might also reassess you as part of a scheduled ‘award review’ (see below). A reassessment can lead to your PIP award being changed or ended, usually by supersession. Chapter 17 has more information about supersessions and about how to challenge a decision that you disagree with.
 
1     Reg 11 SS(PIP) Regs »
Award review
If you have a fixed-term award, it may be reviewed by the DWP one year before it ends.1Reg 33(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs The DWP’s operational guidance suggests that all awards longer than two years are subject to review in this way, and that awards for two years or less may also have a review scheduled, but that this is at a decision maker’s discretion.2ADM P2063; DWP response to FOI request FOI2021/13215, 2 March 2021, available at whatdotheyknow.com You can find out whether your PIP will be subject to award review by checking your award letter or calling the PIP enquiry line. Note: it is particularly important to check this if your award was made by a tribunal.
The process of reviewing your award is similar to the assessment process for new claims (see here). As with a new claim, if you do not return the questionnaire or attend an assessment, this might lead to a decision that you cannot get PIP.
At the time of writing, the DWP is operating a temporary policy of extending fixed-term PIP awards automatically by up to 12 months where an award is coming to an end and an award review is due but has not yet been completed.3DWP, LA Welfare Direct 9/2022, 10 October 2022, available at gov.uk/government/publications/la-welfare-direct-bulletins-2022/la-welfare-direct-92022#personal-independence-payment-extension-exercise-for-claims-awaiting-review
If your award is not subject to review, it will simply come to an end when its fixed term expires. If you want to carry on getting PIP, you need to make a ‘renewal claim’.
 
1     Reg 33(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
2     ADM P2063; DWP response to FOI request FOI2021/13215, 2 March 2021, available at whatdotheyknow.com »
Making a renewal claim
A renewal claim is effectively a new claim for PIP. If you already get PIP, you can make a renewal claim up to six months before your award is due to end (even if you are over pension age, see p000).1Reg 33(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs It is usually a good idea to make the renewal claim as soon as possible.You should not need to make a renewal claim if your PIP is subject to award review (see above).
When making a renewal claim you normally go through the usual claim process (see here) and are assessed in the same way as with a new claim (see here).
If no decision is made on a renewal claim before the end of your existing award, your PIP stops until a new decision is made. Other benefits or entitlements that rely on your getting PIP can be affected during this period (eg, a carer’s entitlement to carer’s allowance, or your entitlement to a Motability vehicle). If there is a delay in getting a decision, or you are not sure what is happening, contact the PIP helpline. If you are told that your award is likely to end before an assessment can be carried out, make a complaint (see here).
 
1     Reg 33(2) UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
Change of circumstances
You should usually report all changes in your circumstances to the PIP section of the DWP as soon as possible. Do not assume that the PIP section of the DWP will already know, for example, about changes to the other DWP benefits you claim. You can report a change by calling the PIP helpline (0800 121 4433; textphone: 0800 121 4493; Relay UK and BSL video relay services available), or in writing, by sending a letter to the address on your PIP award letter.1Reg 44 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs It can be preferable to report a change in writing so that there is a clear record of what you have said and when.
It is usually best to get independent advice before reporting a change in your health that you think might affect your entitlement to PIP.
If there has been a relevant change of circumstances, a decision maker looks at your award again. You may be asked to go through the assessment process again (see here). The decision maker will make a new decision about your entitlement, usually by supersession. To find out the date from which the new decision takes effect, see here.
Note:
    A change of circumstances can include that your needs are now expected to last beyond the end date of a fixed-term award, even if the level of your needs is still the same.2PH v SSWP (DLA) [2013] UKUT 268 (AAC). While this was a DLA case, it is strongly arguable that the reasoning also applies to fixed-term awards of PIP.
    If you get PIP and you are moving to Scotland, or you already live in Scotland and plan to report a change of circumstances, see here.
 
1     Reg 44 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs »
2     PH v SSWP (DLA) [2013] UKUT 268 (AAC). While this was a DLA case, it is strongly arguable that the reasoning also applies to fixed-term awards of PIP. »
Ongoing evidence requirements
Once you are getting PIP, you may be asked to provide information at any time. If you fail to do so, your PIP could be suspended or even terminated.1Regs 44-47 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs
 
1     Regs 44-47 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(DA) Regs »
Means-tested benefits and tax credits
Personal independence payment (PIP) can be paid alongside means-tested benefits and tax credits and is not taken into account as income for their means tests.
If you, your partner or your dependent child are entitled to PIP, you may qualify for additional premiums or amounts in your means-tested benefits, and may not be subject to ‘non-dependant deductions’. The same rules could mean that you become entitled to a means-tested benefit for the first time. See the chapter of this Handbook about the relevant means-tested benefit.
Non-means-tested benefits
PIP may be paid in addition to any other non-means-tested benefits, except that:
    you are not entitled to PIP while you are entitled to adult disability payment or child disability payment;1s77(4)(5) WRA 2012
    if you are entitled to PIP, you cannot claim disability living allowance2Reg 22(1) PIP(TP) Regs or attendance allowance;3s64(1) and (1A) SSCBA 1992
    PIP overlaps with (ie, cannot be paid at the same time as) some war pension payments for constant attendance or mobility, and armed forces independence payment;4Sch 1 paras 5 and 5a SS(OB) Regs; reg 61 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs
    PIP daily living component overlaps with constant attendance allowance under the industrial injuries scheme;5Sch 1 paras 5 SS(OB) Regs
    PIP mobility component is not paid if you get a grant for the use of a vehicle from the NHS.6Reg 61 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs
 
1     s77(4)(5) WRA 2012 »
2     Reg 22(1) PIP(TP) Regs »
3     s64(1) and (1A) SSCBA 1992 »
4     Sch 1 paras 5 and 5a SS(OB) Regs; reg 61 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
5     Sch 1 paras 5 SS(OB) Regs »
6     Reg 61 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »
The benefit cap
In some cases, there is a limit on the total amount of specified benefits you can receive (the ‘benefit cap’). The benefit cap does not apply if you, your partner or child are entitled to PIP, even it is not paid because the person entitled to it is in hospital or a care home.
Passports and other sources of help
If you get PIP, you may be entitled to other ‘passported’ benefits such as a blue badge parking concession or a concessionary travel card. Contact your local authority for more information.
If you receive the PIP mobility component and you or your carer have a car used only by you or for you, your road tax may be reduced. See gov.uk/financial-help-disabled/vehicles-and-transport.
If you have a low income, you may be eligible for free prescriptions, council tax reduction, and a range of other financial help. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.
Motability
Motability is a charity that runs a scheme to help you lease or buy a car, scooter or powered wheelchair. You are eligible if you get the enhanced rate of the PIP mobility component and have 12 months or more left to run on your award. If you use the scheme, your PIP mobility component is paid direct to Motability.1Regs 62, 63 and 64 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs You may also have to make extra payments.
 
1     Regs 62, 63 and 64 UC,PIP,JSA&ESA(C&P) Regs »