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What Does the PIP Assessment Actually Ask?
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What happens at a PIP assessment
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"The PIP assessment" is not one single event \u2014 it is a process that runs from the claim form through to a final decision. Understanding what each stage actually asks can make a real difference to how well your claim reflects your day-to-day difficulties.
The four stages
1. The "How your disability affects you" form (PIP2)
After you claim, DWP sends a long questionnaire covering all 12 activities — the 10 daily living activities and 2 mobility activities. For each one it asks whether you have difficulty, what help or aids you use, how often, and whether it varies day to day. This form is where most of the detail that decides your claim actually gets recorded.
2. Supporting evidence
Alongside the form, you are asked to provide (or list) supporting evidence: letters from your GP or specialist, care plans, prescription lists, or statements from people who see your day-to-day difficulties. You do not have to submit everything at once, but evidence referenced on the form carries more weight.
3. The assessment (telephone, video, or face to face)
Most assessments are now done by telephone or video call with a healthcare professional working for an assessment provider (not DWP directly). They ask about the same 12 activities, often going through a typical day: getting up, washing, dressing, eating, getting around, managing money, and interacting with other people. They are trained to ask about your worst days and how often they happen, not just a "typical" day.
4. The written report and DWP decision
The assessor writes a report recommending descriptors for each activity, but a DWP case manager makes the actual decision, using that report plus everything in your original form and evidence. This is why what you wrote on the form still matters even after the assessment is finished.
What the questions actually cover
Every question, whether on the form or asked verbally, ultimately maps back to the same 12 scored activities used for PIP points. In practice, that means conversations tend to circle around these topics:
A typical day, start to finish
Expect to be walked through getting up, washing, dressing, eating, taking medication, leaving the house, and going to bed — to identify where help, aids, prompting or supervision are actually needed.
Variability and bad days
You will usually be asked how often your symptoms are at their worst, and what happens on those days specifically — not just how things are "most of the time".
Aids, equipment and adaptations
Whether you use walking aids, grab rails, dosette boxes, jar openers, or any other equipment — these can score points even when you can technically still complete a task.
Help from other people
Whether a partner, family member, friend or carer helps with any activity, including things like reminding you to eat, supervising you in the shower, or helping you manage money.
Mental health and cognitive effects
Anxiety, low mood, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating and communicating are asked about directly, since they affect several daily living activities even when the underlying condition is physical.
Getting around outside the home
How far you can walk before pain, breathlessness or fatigue stop you, and whether anxiety or unfamiliar places prevent you travelling independently, even short distances.
Assessors are trained to ask about your worst days and how often they happen \u2014 not just a "typical" day.
For the exact descriptor wording and points behind each activity, see the daily living descriptors and the mobility descriptors. If a claim does not go the way you hoped, you can also read about requesting a Mandatory Reconsideration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the PIP assessment always by phone now?
Most assessments are currently done by telephone or video call, though face-to-face assessments still happen in some cases, particularly where a paper-based decision is not possible from the form and evidence alone.
Does the assessor decide my claim?
No. The assessor writes a report recommending descriptors, but a DWP case manager makes the final decision using that report together with your original claim form and any evidence you submitted.
What if I struggled to explain myself clearly at assessment?
What is said at assessment matters, but it is not the only evidence considered. Your written form, supporting letters, and (if needed) a Mandatory Reconsideration afterwards are all opportunities to add or clarify information.
Do assessors ask about every single one of the 12 activities?
They generally cover all 12, though the depth on each depends on what you have already described in your form. Activities you have given little detail on may be explored in more depth during the call.
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