PIP Calculator UK 2024/25
Personal Independence Payment eligibility checker & rate estimator — based on official DWP assessment criteria
Last updated: February 2026 | Rates: DWP 2024/25 | Author: Mustafa Bilgic
2024/25 PIP Rates at a Glance
Daily Living Component
Mobility Component
PIP Eligibility Checker
Answer the questions below to see which PIP component and rate you may be entitled to. Choose the option that best describes your typical situation (not your best or worst day).
Daily Living Activities
Mobility Activities
PIP Points Scoring Guide
The DWP uses a points system to assess PIP. Points are awarded for each daily living and mobility activity. The total points for each component determines whether you receive the standard or enhanced rate.
| Points | Daily Living Component | Mobility Component |
|---|---|---|
| 0–7 | Not entitled to Daily Living | Not entitled to Mobility |
| 8–11 | Standard rate — £72.65/week | Standard rate — £28.70/week |
| 12+ | Enhanced rate — £108.55/week | Enhanced rate — £75.75/week |
Note: Points are not simply added together. The assessor selects the descriptor for each activity that best describes your ability, and only one descriptor per activity can be scored. This calculator uses a simplified model.
Key PIP Descriptors & Points Reference
The following table shows the highest-scoring descriptors for major PIP activities (source: DWP PIP Assessment Guide):
| Activity | Descriptor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing food | Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided | 0 |
| Needs prompting or aids to prepare a meal | 2–4 | |
| Cannot prepare or cook any meal | 8 | |
| Washing & bathing | Can wash and bathe unaided | 0 |
| Needs assistance to wash upper or lower body | 3–4 | |
| Cannot wash and bathe at all | 8 | |
| Dressing | Can dress and undress unaided | 0 |
| Needs assistance to dress upper or lower body | 4–6 | |
| Cannot dress or undress at all | 8 | |
| Moving around | Can move more than 200 metres | 0 |
| Can move 20–50 metres | 8 | |
| Cannot stand and move more than 1 metre | 12 | |
| Planning journeys | Can plan journeys unaided | 0 |
| Cannot plan a familiar journey without assistance | 8 | |
| Cannot undertake any journey due to distress | 10 |
What is PIP (Personal Independence Payment)?
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a government benefit designed to help with the extra costs that come with having a long-term health condition or disability. It replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working-age adults (aged 16 to 64) from April 2013 and is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Unlike many other benefits, PIP is not means-tested — your income, savings, or whether you are in work makes no difference to your eligibility. It is also tax-free and paid regardless of your employment status. What matters is how your health condition affects your ability to carry out everyday activities.
PIP has two components, each assessed independently: the Daily Living component (for difficulties with everyday tasks) and the Mobility component (for difficulties with getting around). You can receive one or both components, and each can be awarded at either the standard or enhanced rate.
Who Can Claim PIP?
To be eligible for PIP, you must:
- Be aged 16 to State Pension age
- Have a physical or mental health condition or disability that causes difficulties with daily living or getting around
- Have had those difficulties for at least 3 months and expect them to continue for at least 9 months (the 3-month and 9-month rules)
- Be a UK resident and normally living in England, Scotland, or Wales (Northern Ireland uses a separate system called PIP NI)
There is no list of qualifying conditions. PIP is based on how your condition affects you, not your diagnosis. Conditions that commonly lead to a PIP award include (but are not limited to): arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, diabetes with complications, depression, anxiety, PTSD, autism, ADHD, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, visual impairments, and hearing loss.
Daily Living vs Mobility Component
The Daily Living component covers ten activities related to everyday tasks: preparing food, taking nutrition, managing therapy or monitoring a health condition, washing and bathing, managing toilet needs, dressing and undressing, communicating verbally, reading and understanding signs, engaging with other people face to face, and managing money.
The Mobility component covers two activities: planning and following journeys, and moving around. You need 8 or more points in either component to receive the standard rate, and 12 or more points for the enhanced rate.
Enhanced vs Standard Rates
Each PIP component has two rate levels for 2024/25:
| Component | Standard Rate (2024/25) | Enhanced Rate (2024/25) | Points Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Living | £72.65/week (£3,777.80/yr) | £108.55/week (£5,644.60/yr) | 8–11 / 12+ |
| Mobility | £28.70/week (£1,492.40/yr) | £75.75/week (£3,939.00/yr) | 8–11 / 12+ |
| Maximum Total | £184.30/week — £9,583.60/year | 12+ in both | |
How the PIP Assessment Works
The PIP assessment is carried out by a healthcare professional (usually a nurse, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist) working for one of the DWP's contracted assessment providers. The assessment examines how your condition affects you across the ten daily living activities and two mobility activities.
The Assessment Process Step by Step
- Initial phone call — Call DWP on 0800 917 2222 to start your claim. You will need your National Insurance number, contact details, GP/hospital details, and bank details.
- PIP2 form — DWP sends you the "How your disability affects you" form. Complete this thoroughly, describing your worst days and how your condition affects you over 12 months.
- Assessment — You will be invited to a face-to-face, telephone, or video assessment. The assessor asks about your daily life, tries to observe how you move and interact, and may review medical evidence.
- Decision — The DWP makes a decision based on the assessment report. You receive a decision letter explaining your award (or refusal) and the points scored.
- Award — If successful, PIP is paid directly into your bank account every 4 weeks.
Tips for Your PIP Assessment
- Describe your worst days, not your best. PIP assessors look at how you are affected on more than 50% of days.
- Be specific about time taken, pain experienced, and how many times you can complete a task before needing rest.
- Include any aids and adaptations you use (grab rails, perching stools, medication, etc.).
- Get supporting evidence from your GP, consultant, or care team.
- Consider taking someone with you to the assessment for support.
- Contact Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) or a welfare rights adviser for free help completing the form.
How to Apply for PIP
Start Your PIP Claim
Call DWP on:
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Calls are free.
Textphone: 0800 917 7777 | Welsh: 0800 012 1573
You cannot apply for PIP online — you must begin the process by telephone. If you are unable to use the phone yourself, someone can call on your behalf. The DWP can also arrange for the form to be completed over the phone if you have difficulty writing.
Mandatory Reconsideration and Appeals
If your PIP claim is refused, or you are awarded a lower rate than you expected, you have the right to challenge the decision. Over 60% of PIP appeals that go to tribunal are successful, so it is well worth challenging a decision you believe is wrong.
Step 1: Mandatory Reconsideration
You must first ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) within 1 month of the date on your decision letter. Contact DWP in writing or by phone and explain why you disagree with the decision. A different DWP decision maker will review your claim. You will receive a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice within 2–6 weeks.
Step 2: Appeal to Tribunal
If the Mandatory Reconsideration upholds the original decision, you can appeal to an independent tribunal (HM Courts and Tribunals Service) within 1 month of the MR notice. The tribunal is independent of DWP and often overturns DWP decisions. Citizens Advice or a welfare rights service can help you prepare your appeal.
PIP and Other Benefits
Receiving PIP can trigger or increase entitlement to other benefits and support. Key interactions include:
- Universal Credit: Receiving the daily living component of PIP means you are placed in the limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA) group in Universal Credit, which provides a higher UC award and exemption from work-related requirements.
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): PIP does not count as income for ESA. Receiving the daily living component may also entitle you to the support group premium.
- Pension Credit: Receiving PIP may increase your Pension Credit through the disability premium.
- Housing Benefit / Council Tax Support: PIP itself is disregarded as income for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support. It may also increase the amount of these benefits you receive.
- Blue Badge: Enhanced rate mobility PIP automatically entitles you to a Blue Badge parking permit.
- Motability scheme: Enhanced rate mobility PIP allows you to join the Motability scheme to get a car, powered wheelchair, or scooter.
- Council Tax exemption: Enhanced daily living PIP may entitle you to a 25% Council Tax reduction as a severely mentally impaired discount (criteria apply).
- Free prescriptions: PIP itself does not automatically provide free prescriptions, but the conditions qualifying you for PIP may do so separately.
PIP and Work
You can be in paid employment and still receive PIP. PIP is not affected by the number of hours you work or how much you earn. In fact, receiving PIP can make it easier to access Access to Work funding from DWP to pay for support or adaptations in the workplace.
If you have been self-isolating, working from home, or your condition fluctuates, the DWP must assess your ability to perform each activity reliably, repeatedly, safely, and to an acceptable standard. Fluctuating conditions can still qualify for PIP if they affect you on more than 50% of days over the assessment period.