Daily living
Everyday activities most people do without thinking about them.
- Preparing and eating food
- Washing, dressing and using the toilet
- Managing medication and treatment
- Reading, communicating and managing money
- Being around other people
Before you start a claim
Do I qualify for PIP?
Your diagnosis is only part of the picture. What matters is how your condition affects your daily life.
Your condition
Physical, mental, or both — diagnosed or not
Your daily life
What you can and can't do, safely and repeatedly
Your PIP claim
Where that difficulty gets described in your own words
Two parts, assessed separately
What does PIP actually look at?
Two parts, assessed separately. You can be awarded one, both, or neither.
Mobility
Moving around, and working out how to get somewhere.
- Planning and following a journey
- How far you can walk
- Whether you need to stop, rest or be helped
- What happens to you afterwards
How your condition affects you
The part people most often under-describe. For each activity it is worth asking:
- Can you do it safely?
- Can you do it to an acceptable standard?
- Can you do it as often as you need to?
- Does it take you much longer than it should?
Common myths
Things people believe that stop them claiming
These come up almost every day. Verify anything you read about PIP — including this — against GOV.UK before acting on it.
What people sayWorth knowing
“My condition isn't visible.”
Visibility isn't the only consideration. Mental health conditions, fatigue, pain and cognitive difficulties are all part of how your daily life is affected.
“I work, so I can't claim.”
Employment alone doesn't determine eligibility. PIP is about the difficulty you have with everyday activities, not your income or whether you have a job.
“I don't know my diagnosis well enough.”
The impact on daily life is important. You don't need medical vocabulary to describe what your mornings are actually like.
“I manage, so there's no point.”
How you manage counts. Taking three times as long, needing someone nearby, or paying for it the next day is still difficulty worth describing.
This page is general information, not a decision. Eligibility is decided by the DWP based on your individual circumstances. Free independent advice is available from Citizens Advice and your local welfare rights service.
Still not sure? Try our free PIP check.
A few questions about how your condition affects your daily life. You’ll get a plain-English summary of what it may mean and what you can do next.
Start free checkFree · Takes a few minutes · No commitment