You need at least 8 points in a PIP component for the standard rate and at least 12 points for the enhanced rate. The points for each activity are the number shown against whichever descriptor applies to you, and the scores are added up separately for daily living activities and for mobility activities. This guide shows what each activity is worth and how the scoring works.
Key points
✓Schedule 1 lists ten daily living activities and two mobility activities.
✓The points for an activity are the number shown against whichever descriptor applies to you, and the scores are added within each component.
✓At least 8 points gives limited ability, which is the standard rate, and at least 12 points gives severely limited ability, which is the enhanced rate.
✓You may be entitled to the daily living component, the mobility component or both.
✓A descriptor applies if it is satisfied on over 50% of the days of the required period.
How PIP points work, the basics
PIP is assessed on how your condition affects you, not the condition itself. The system works like this:
The score for daily living activities is determined by adding together the points awarded for each daily living activity, and the score for mobility activities in the same way.
The points for an activity are the number shown against whichever descriptor applies to you under regulation 7.
Where two or more descriptors are each satisfied on over 50% of the days of the required period, the one that scores the higher or highest number of points applies.
A score of at least 8 points is limited ability, and at least 12 points is severely limited ability.
A person's entitlement to PIP may be an entitlement to the daily living component, the mobility component or both.
GOV.UK says you must expect to have difficulty on more than half of the days over a 12-month period, and a descriptor is satisfied on a day if it is likely that, if you had been assessed that day, you would have satisfied it.
If you live in Scotland, you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment instead of PIP.
Try it yourself: use our free PIP points calculator to go through all 12 activities and see your estimated daily living and mobility scores.
How many points do you need?
The thresholds are the same for the daily living and mobility components: at least 8 points for limited ability and at least 12 points for severely limited ability.
Points scored in the component
Daily Living result
Mobility result
At least 8 points
Standard rate, £76.70/week
Standard rate, £30.30/week
At least 12 points
Enhanced rate, £114.60/week
Enhanced rate, £80.00/week
Daily living points are added only from the daily living activities and mobility points only from the mobility activities, so one score does not add to the other.
The 10 Daily Living activities, with point values
Part 2 of Schedule 1 lists ten daily living activities. The table shows the highest-scoring descriptor for each, in the Schedule's own words.
#
Activity
Highest-scoring descriptor
Max points
1
Preparing food
Cannot prepare and cook food.
8 pts
2
Taking nutrition
Cannot convey food and drink to their mouth and needs another person to do so.
10 pts
3
Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 14 hours a week.
8 pts
4
Washing and bathing
Cannot wash and bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body.
8 pts
5
Managing toilet needs or incontinence
Needs assistance to be able to manage incontinence of both bladder and bowel.
8 pts
6
Dressing and undressing
Cannot dress or undress at all.
8 pts
7
Communicating verbally
Cannot express or understand verbal information at all even with communication support.
12 pts
8
Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
Cannot read or understand signs, symbols or words at all.
8 pts
9
Engaging with other people face to face
Cannot engage with other people due to such engagement causing either overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant, or the claimant to exhibit behaviour which would result in a substantial risk of harm to the claimant or another person.
8 pts
10
Making budgeting decisions
Cannot make any budgeting decisions at all.
6 pts
Communicating verbally is the only daily living activity with a descriptor scoring 12 points.
The 2 Mobility activities, with point values
Part 3 of Schedule 1 lists two mobility activities. Both have a highest-scoring descriptor worth 12 points.
#
Activity
Highest-scoring descriptor
Max points
1
Planning and following journeys
Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid.
12 pts
2
Moving around
Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided; or cannot, either aided or unaided, stand or move more than 1 metre.
12 pts
The DWP guide says planning and following journeys is designed for limitations on mobility deriving from mental health, cognitive and sensory impairments, and GOV.UK says you do not have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part.
Key definitions, aided, supervised, prompted
You are assessed as satisfying a descriptor only if you can do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time period. The Regulations define the terms below.
An aid or appliance is any device which improves, provides or replaces your impaired physical or mental function, and includes a prosthesis.
Supervision is the continuous presence of another person for the purpose of ensuring your safety.
Prompting is reminding, encouraging or explaining by another person.
Assistance is physical intervention by another person and does not include speech.
Aided means with the use of an aid or appliance, or with supervision, prompting or assistance.
Safely means in a manner unlikely to cause harm to you or to another person, either during or after completion of the activity.
Repeatedly means as often as the activity being assessed is reasonably required to be completed.
A reasonable time period means no more than twice as long as the maximum period that a person without a limiting condition would normally take to complete that activity.
Your ability is assessed on the basis of your ability while using any aid or appliance you normally use, or as if you were using any aid or appliance you could reasonably be expected to use.
Which activities can be relevant for common conditions?
The DWP assessment guide says 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.
The DWP guide says activity 9, engaging with other people face to face, is designed for limitations on social engagement deriving from mental health, cognitive and learning impairments.
The DWP guide says planning and following journeys is designed for limitations on mobility deriving from mental health, cognitive and sensory impairments.
GOV.UK says you can challenge a decision about your claim, which is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.
You usually need to ask for mandatory reconsideration within one month of the date of the decision.
Someone will look at your whole benefit claim again, and your benefit may stop, stay the same, increase or decrease.
For initial PIP decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026, 15% of completed MRs changed the award.
It is free to appeal a benefit decision, and appeals are decided by the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal.
In April to June 2026, 67% of PIP decisions decided at a tribunal hearing were overturned.
DWP's PIP2 booklet asks, for each activity, how often you have good days and bad days, and how or why your condition varies over the course of a day, week or year.
Part 2 of Schedule 1 lists ten daily living activities and Part 3 lists two mobility activities. The tables above list each one with its highest-scoring descriptor.
How many points do I need for PIP?
You have limited ability to carry out daily living or mobility activities where you obtain a score of at least 8 points, and severely limited ability where you obtain a score of at least 12 points.
Can I get PIP with fewer than 8 points in one component?
A person's entitlement to PIP may be an entitlement to the daily living component, the mobility component or both. Limited ability needs a score of at least 8 points in that component's activities.
What does 'aided' mean in PIP?
Aided means with the use of an aid or appliance, or with supervision, prompting or assistance.
How are PIP points calculated?
The score for daily living activities is determined by adding together the points awarded for each daily living activity, and the score for mobility activities in the same way. Where two or more descriptors are each satisfied on over 50% of the days of the required period, the one that scores the higher or highest number of points applies.
Know Your Rights UK. "How Many Points Do You Need for PIP? Scoring Explained." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/benefits/pip/pip-points