Applying for PIP can feel confusing, especially when you first see the list of activities, descriptors and points. This guide breaks those descriptors down into plain English so you can see how the scoring works in practice.
Use the tables below to get a sense of which descriptors might apply to you. If you would like advice on how the rules apply to your own situation, you can also speak to our PIP solicitors about a claim, review or appeal.
Important: The tables on this page are based on the current PIP activities, descriptors and points, but we have deliberately used plain English rather than reproducing the exact legal wording. They are intended as a helpful guide only and do not replace the official DWP rules or personalised legal advice about your claim.
If you need advice about a PIP claim, Mandatory Reconsideration or appeal, our welfare benefits solicitors can help. Contact us today on 0116 255 1650
How PIP descriptors and points work
When you apply for PIP, the DWP does not just look at your diagnosis – they look at how your condition affects a set list of everyday activities. Each activity has different “descriptors”, and each descriptor is worth a certain number of points.
During your assessment, the decision maker should choose the descriptor that best reflects what life is really like for you, and then add up your points across all the activities. Your total score is what decides whether you receive no award, the standard rate or the enhanced rate for each part of PIP.
How many PIP points you need
Once you know which descriptors apply to you, you can work out how many points you might score. Your daily living points are added together to decide the daily living component, and the same happens with your mobility points.
| PIP Points Needed For An Award | ||
| Component | Standard rate | Enhanced rate |
| Daily living | 8–11 points | 12 points or more |
| Mobility | 8–11 points | 12 points or more |
Daily Living Descriptors
The daily living part of PIP is about how your condition affects day‑to‑day tasks at home, such as cooking, washing, dressing, taking medication and mixing with other people. Each activity is scored separately and then combined to give your daily living total.
As you read through the tables, try to focus on what you can manage safely, reliably and repeatedly – and on what happens on a typical or bad day, rather than the occasional good day.
| PIP Descriptor 1: Preparing Food | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to prepare and cook a simple meal without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid or appliance to prepare or cook a simple meal. | 2 |
| C | Cannot use a standard cooker but could make a simple meal using a microwave. | 2 |
| D | Needs prompting to prepare or cook food. | 2 |
| E | Needs supervision or physical help to prepare or cook a simple meal. | 4 |
| F | Unable to prepare and cook food at all. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 2: Taking Nutrition | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to eat and drink without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid, supervision, or help cutting up food to eat or drink properly. | 2 |
| C | Needs a therapeutic source to take nutrition. | 2 |
| D | Needs prompting to eat or drink enough. | 4 |
| E | Needs help to manage a therapeutic source for nutrition. | 6 |
| F | Needs another person to get food or drink to their mouth. | 10 |
| PIP Descriptor 3: Managing Therapy or Monitoring a Health Condition | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | No support is needed to manage medication, therapy or monitoring. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid, prompting, supervision or help with medication or health monitoring. | 1 |
| C | Needs support with therapy that takes up to 3.5 hours a week. | 2 |
| D | Needs support with therapy taking over 3.5 but up to 7 hours a week. | 4 |
| E | Needs support with therapy taking over 7 but up to 14 hours a week. | 6 |
| F | Needs support with therapy taking more than 14 hours a week. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 4: Washing and Bathing | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to wash and bathe without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid or appliance to wash or bathe. | 2 |
| C | Needs supervision or prompting to wash or bathe. | 2 |
| D | Needs help washing their hair or body below the waist. | 2 |
| E | Needs help getting into or out of a bath or shower. | 3 |
| F | Needs help washing the body between the shoulders and waist. | 4 |
| G | Cannot wash or bathe at all and needs another person to wash their whole body. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 5: Managing Toilet Needs or Incontinence | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to manage toilet needs or continence without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid or appliance to manage toilet needs or incontinence. | 2 |
| C | Needs supervision or prompting to manage toilet needs. | 2 |
| D | Needs physical help to manage toilet needs. | 4 |
| E | Needs help managing bladder or bowel incontinence. | 6 |
| F | Needs help managing both bladder and bowel incontinence. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 6: Dressing and Undressing | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to dress and undress without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid or appliance to dress or undress. | 2 |
| C | Needs prompting to dress, undress or choose suitable clothing. | 2 |
| D | Needs help dressing or undressing the lower body. | 2 |
| E | Needs help dressing or undressing the upper body. | 4 |
| F | Unable to dress or undress at all. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 7: Communicating Verbally | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to speak and understand spoken information without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs an aid or appliance to hear or speak. | 2 |
| C | Needs communication support for complex spoken information. | 4 |
| D | Needs communication support for basic spoken information. | 8 |
| E | Cannot communicate spoken information at all, even with support. | 12 |
| PIP Descriptor 8: Reading and Understanding Signs, Symbols and Words | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to read and understand written information, with glasses or contact lenses if normally used. | 0 |
| B | Needs a special aid or appliance, other than glasses or contact lenses, to read or understand written information. | 2 |
| C | Needs prompting to read or understand more detailed written information. | 2 |
| D | Needs prompting to read or understand basic written information. | 4 |
| E | Cannot read or understand signs, symbols or words at all. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 9: Engaging With Other People Face to Face | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to engage with other people without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs prompting to engage with other people. | 2 |
| C | Needs social support to engage with other people. | 4 |
| D | Cannot engage with other people because doing so causes overwhelming distress or a serious risk of harm. | 8 |
| PIP Descriptor 10: Making Budgeting Decisions | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to make complex budgeting decisions without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs prompting or help with more complex money decisions. | 2 |
| C | Needs prompting or help with simple budgeting decisions. | 4 |
| D | Unable to make any budgeting decisions at all. | 6 |
Mobility Descriptors
The mobility part of PIP looks at two things: how you plan and follow journeys, and how far you can move around physically. You can score points on one or both activities, depending on whether your main difficulties are psychological, sensory or physical.
As with the daily living section, the DWP should choose the highest scoring descriptor that applies for each activity, based on what you can reasonably and safely do most of the time.
| PIP Mobility Descriptor 1: Planning and Following Journeys | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Able to plan and follow a journey without help. | 0 |
| B | Needs prompting to make any journey because of overwhelming psychological distress. | 4 |
| C | Unable to plan the route of a journey. | 8 |
| D | Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. | 10 |
| E | Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress. | 10 |
| F | Cannot follow even a familiar route without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. | 12 |
| PIP Mobility Descriptor 2: Moving Around | ||
| Descriptor | Summary | Points |
| A | Can stand and move more than 200 metres, with or without an aid. | 0 |
| B | Can stand and move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres. | 4 |
| C | Can stand and move more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres without an aid. | 8 |
| D | Can stand and move more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres using an aid or appliance. | 10 |
| E | Can stand and move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres. | 12 |
| F | Cannot stand, or cannot move more than 1 metre, even with an aid if applicable. | 12 |
Doing activities safely, reliably and repeatedly
When the DWP look at each activity, they should not just ask whether you can do it once. They must consider whether you can do it safely, to a reasonable standard, as often as you need to and within a reasonable time.
If you can only manage something by pushing yourself, in severe pain, at great risk or with a long recovery time afterwards, you should not be treated as able to do it “reliably”. That can make a real difference to which descriptor applies.
FAQs
Do PIP descriptors look at my diagnosis or my difficulties?
The descriptors focus on how your condition affects what you can do in everyday life, not the name of your illness or disability. Two people with the same diagnosis can end up with very different descriptor scores.
Can my PIP descriptors change at review?
Yes. At a review, the DWP will look again at your activities, descriptors and points. If your condition has got worse or better, or your support needs have changed, your scores and award can go up, down or stay the same.
What if I do not agree with the descriptors in my PIP decision?
If the descriptors in your decision letter do not reflect your day‑to‑day reality, you can ask the DWP for a Mandatory Reconsideration and, if you are still unhappy, appeal to an independent tribunal.
Can a solicitor help me with PIP descriptors and points?
A welfare benefits solicitor can help you work out which descriptors should apply to you, gather stronger evidence to support your case and prepare written arguments for a Mandatory Reconsideration or appeal.
Should I copy the wording from the PIP descriptors into my form?
It can be helpful to refer to the descriptors, but it is more important to give clear, honest examples of how your condition affects you. Try to describe what happens on a typical or bad day and why that matches the descriptor you think applies.
