PIP FAQs

You need to meet basic eligibility to make a PIP application:

– Age 16 or over and under state pension age
– Have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability.
– Your health condition or disability means it’s hard to get around or do everyday tasks.
– You must have found it hard to get around and do everyday tasks for at least 3 months and expect them to continue for another 9 months.

You can only get PIP if your immigration status lets you claim public funds.

You may also need to meet the ‘past presence’ test* – this is where you have lived in Great Britain for 2 of the last 3 years. In some circumstances you can get PIP if you live in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein OR you are in the Armed Forces, or are a family member of someone who is.

*Different rules apply if you have a terminal illness – check if you could be eligible. 

Follow our step by step guide here [LINK]

You can break it down by answering a couple of questions each day – don’t try and do it all at once if you are finding it too much. It can take several hours to complete a PIP2 application so breaking it down and doing it a bit at a time should make it less daunting.

If you do decide to tackle it all in one go, make sure you take plenty of breaks.

It might be helpful for you to keep a diary of how your health condition or disability is affecting your daily life and getting around. You could use this template diary as a prompt when you are filling out the form to make sure you cover everything you need to.

Yes, you can get someone to complete the application with you or on your behalf. This could be a family member, friend or a local benefits adviser for example.

You can also utilise online guides such as the following:

Citizens Advice Help with your PIP claim. 

Turn2us PIP Helper.

PIP: A guide to making a claim (Disability Rights UK). 

You can send your application without medical evidence but it is always better to provide this straight away – DWP may or may not contact your health care provider. You should be able to request a copy of your medical summary from your GP free of charge.

You don’t need to have a diagnosis to make a PIP claim, but you will need to show evidence of your symptoms that affect you.

DWP have to consider all medical evidence you provide when they are assessing your claim. 

No, you can request your medical records, copies of letters from consultants and specialists that have been sent to your GP free of charge.

Additionally you shouldn’t have to pay to get copies of your recent prescriptions, and any other assessments you may have had (such as an occupational health assessment).

If you request a tailored supporting letter from your GP there may be a charge for this – speak to your GP practice about their policies.

As mentioned above, keeping a diary can be a great way of prompting you when completing the PIP2 application. You can also include this diary as evidence so the assessor can see how you’re affected day to day.

You could also include a letter from someone who knows you well and is able to relate your ability to the questions in the PIP2 application.

You can send your evidence up until the decision – it is most impactful before the assessment. If you are having difficulty completing your form on time, or you want to send your evidence with your form, you can contact PIP and request an extension to your deadline date. This will change the start date of your PIP application.

If you need an assessment, this might be done in person, over the phone or by video call. 

The assessor will be gathering extra information on how your disability, health condition or impairment affects your daily activities and mobility. They will refer to descriptors when assessing your PIP application – the descriptors are a marking criteria.

You might be asked questions about how you are affected in day to day life, what activities you have difficulty with or cannot do at all and what a bad day is like for you.

The assessor may also draw opinions from what you say or do – for example they may ask extra questions such as how you travelled to the assessment centre.

You can view our PIP Assessment Helpsheet here.

It can feel disheartening if your claim is unsuccessful. If you haven’t yet spoken to a local benefit’s adviser, now might be a good time to do so. This may help you understand which PIP descriptors apply to you before moving on to the next stage.

If you want to challenge the decision, the first step would be a mandatory reconsideration. You will usually have to do this within 1 month of receiving your PIP outcome. You can put in a late request for a mandatory reconsideration up to 13 months after the initial decision – but you will need to provide a good reason as to why it is late. 

You will need to tell them why you do not agree with their decision.

A mandatory reconsideration is an internal process, where a different decision maker looks at the information of your case and they can either decide the same outcome or change it.

If the mandatory reconsideration does not have the outcome that you are hoping for you can appeal the decision – this will involve someone from outside of the DWP looking at your PIP claim at a tribunal.

More information on the mandatory reconsideration process.

More information on the appeals process.