How does the PIP points system work?

Your personal independence payment (PIP) claim is assessed using the PIP points system. Your final score determines whether you’re eligible for PIP and at what rate.

How is PIP assessed?

A health professional (assessor) reviews your ability to perform daily and mobility activities, which are separate components in the PIP scoring system. The report is sent to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) who’ll decide whether you’re entitled to PIP, for how long and at what rate (standard or enhanced).

PIP components: daily living and mobility

The two PIP components are scored individually. You can get one or both paid through your PIP allowance, depending on your condition.

To be eligible for the daily living component, you must have a condition that limits or prevents you from doing some or all these activities:

eating and drinking
making food
managing your medical treatment
washing and bathing
using the toilet
getting dressed and undressed
communicating verbally
making financial decisions
reading and understanding information
mixing with others

To be eligible for the mobility component, you must have a condition that limits or prevents you from doing some or all these activities:

moving around, either in the house or outside
planning and following journeys

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PIP descriptors and points

Your ability to do the above activities is measured against a list of statements, known as descriptors. The assessor chooses the descriptor that best matches your situation. Each descriptor gives you a score ranging from zero up to as much as 12.

For example, the washing and bathing activity has seven descriptors. A score of zero is given if you can do this unaided, and the maximum score of eight for this category is given if you can’t wash any part of your body unaided.

What if the descriptor changes daily?

If you’ve got a condition that changes from day to day, the assessor must choose the descriptor that applies to you most days (more than 50% of the days in a year).

Choosing a descriptor

When the assessor is choosing a descriptor for each activity, they will consider whether you can do it:

as often as reasonably required in a day
within a reasonable timeframe – no more than twice as long as someone without your condition
safely, so that you are unlikely to cause harm to yourself or others – e.g. whether you’re likely to slip or fall while trying to bathe unaided
to an acceptable standard

What if I use an aid or appliance?

An aid is any item that improves your ability to do an activity. It doesn’t need to be specially designed for this purpose. For example, a walking stick can be an aid for standing and a stool can be an aid if you need to sit while cooking.

An appliance is a device that provides or replaces a function. For example, a wheelchair or artificial limb.

If you use or could reasonably be expected to use aids or appliances to carry out an activity, you’ll generally be given a higher scoring descriptor than those who can carry out the activity without help, even if you don’t always use them.

The PIP points system and your entitlement

To be eligible for either PIP component, you need to score eight or more points. The standard PIP rate is given if you score between 8 and 11. The enhanced rate is given if you score 12 or more.

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FAQs

There isn’t an official PIP points calculator, but you can do a self-assessment online. This tells you how many PIP points you might get and provides a good understanding of how the descriptors are chosen.

Please note this is just an estimate and the assessor may not reach the same conclusion as you for each activity.

Yes, when you get your decision letter from DWP, it’ll include your entitlement, what components you’re eligible for, and your PIP assessment points.

Yes, you can challenge your PIP assessment points by providing further information as to why you should have scored higher in any of the activities. You have one month from the date on your decision letter to make a challenge.

You can challenge DWP’s decision about your PIP claim if you think:

their decision to not give you PIP is incorrect
you should get a higher rate
the amount of time you’ll get PIP isn’t long enough

Challenging a PIP claim is called a mandatory reconsideration. You’ll need to fill in the form online, print it and send it to DWP. You can also write a letter or call, but it’s best practice to follow up in writing after a phone call. If it’s been longer than one month, you can still apply but DWP could refuse the appliction. You must provide a reason for missing the deadline, for example, being ill. If it’s 13 months or less since your decision, you can appeal it at a tribunal instead.