Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment (2024)

FAQs

How to pass a PIP assessment? ›

These general PIP assessment tips will also help you: Don't let the assessor rush you. Try not to just answer 'yes' or 'no' to the questions. Always explain how doing something would make you feel afterwards and the impact it can have on you if you had to do it repeatedly in a short period.

Unless you have a terminal illness you'll usually have to have an assessment to complete your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application. It's an opportunity for you to talk about how your condition affects you - it's not a diagnosis of your condition or a medical examination.

11 The assessment for PIP looks at an individual's ability to carry out a series of everyday activities. The assessment considers the overall impact of a claimant's health condition or impairment on their functional ability, rather than focusing on a particular diagnosis.

There's actually no specific PIP list of medical conditions in the UK. You can get PIP with any disability or condition, as long as you struggle with either daily living or mobility for three months.

With 37% of people receiving PIP having a psychiatric disorder, it is the most common condition people receiving PIP claim for. Psychiatric disorders are mental health conditions that can affect how a person thinks and feels about themselves and/or the world around them.

After you have had your assessment, the healthcare professional will complete their report. They will then send it to a DWP case manager who will decide whether or not to award you PIP and, if it is awarded, at what rate and for how long. The average time for a PIP decision is 12 weeks from the date of the claim.

How do I make a successful PIP claim? ›

To qualify for PIP, you need to show that you need help with the activities on more than half the days in a year. Make it clear on the form how often you have problems with the activities. If your health changes, explain how often this happens and the effect it has on you. It may help to keep a diary.

The DWP can refuse your application if it's late, but as long as you applied within 13 months of the date on your decision letter you can still appeal their decision at a tribunal.

To qualify for PIP, you have to score enough points on the PIP test for daily living or mobility (or both). If you score between eight and 11 points for the daily living activities, you get the standard rate of the daily living component. If you score 12 or more points, or you are terminally ill.

Always bear in mind the 50% rule. The PIP process needs to know if you have difficulty with, or can't do, daily tasks 50% of the time or more. So that's at least half of the time. If you are affected half the time or more, you have to let the assessor and DWP decision maker know very clearly.

The PIP allowance rate you may be entitled to depends on whether you're eligible for the daily living or the mobility components of the DWP assessment. For the daily living component: The lower rate is £72.65 a week. The higher rate is £108.55 a week.

It's useful to include evidence from health professionals on how your condition affects you. It can give the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) a clearer picture of how your condition affects you and give you a better chance of being properly assessed.

The overall average success rate for PIP claims is 52%, but this varies widely depending on your main disabling condition.

You may want to include letters you have already received and/or ask your medical professional for a letter to support your claim. They can say what your condition is, how it affects your everyday life and what your treatment is. If you can't find medical letters you already had, you can ask your doctor for a copy.