This page lists the 12 activities the DWP uses to decide PIP. They come from the law (Schedule 1 of the PIP Regulations 2013), but we have rewritten them in plain English.
How the points work
- For each activity, the DWP picks the one statement that best describes you. Only that one scores.
- Points from activities 1 to 10 are added together for the daily living part.
- Points from activities 11 and 12 are added together for the mobility part.
- 8 points in a part gives the standard rate. 12 points gives the enhanced rate.
Words that have a special meaning
- Aid or appliance: anything that helps you, such as a stool, grab rail or walking stick.
- Prompting: someone reminding you, encouraging you or explaining what to do.
- Supervision: someone being there to keep you safe.
- Assistance: someone physically helping with part of the task.
The rules to remember
- Most days: a statement applies if it is true on more than half of days over a year.
- Reliably: you can only do something if you can do it safely, well enough, as often as you need to, and in a reasonable time.
PIP points self-check
Go through the 12 PIP activities one at a time and see roughly how many points may apply to you.
About 10 minutes. Your answers never leave your device.
Daily living activity 1: Preparing a simple meal
This means making a simple hot meal for one person from fresh ingredients, such as peeling and chopping vegetables and cooking them on a hob or in an oven. It is about whether you can, not whether you usually do.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can prepare and cook a simple meal without help | 0 |
| I need an aid or appliance to do it For example a perching stool, light pans, easy-grip knives or a kettle tipper. | 2 |
| I can't use a cooker, but I can make a simple meal with a microwave | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me to prepare or cook a meal For example because of low mood, poor memory or brain fog. | 2 |
| I need someone to watch over me or help me to prepare or cook a meal For example to stop you burning yourself, or to lift pans or chop food. | 4 |
| I can't prepare and cook food at all | 8 |
Daily living activity 2: Eating and drinking
This means cutting up food, getting food and drink to your mouth, chewing and swallowing.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can eat and drink without help | 0 |
| I need an aid, someone to watch me while I eat, or someone to cut up my food An aid could be adapted cutlery or a special cup. | 2 |
| I need a feeding tube or similar, which I can manage myself | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me to eat or drink | 4 |
| I need someone to help me manage a feeding tube or similar | 6 |
| I can't get food and drink to my mouth. Someone has to do it for me | 10 |
Daily living activity 3: Managing medicines and treatment
This means taking medicines at the right time and dose, noticing changes in your health, and doing treatment at home that a health professional has prescribed, such as physiotherapy exercises.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can manage my medicines and treatment without help, or I don't need any | 0 |
| I need an aid to manage my medicines For example a pill organiser (dosette box) or a phone alarm. | 1 |
| I need someone to prompt me, watch over me or help me to take medicines or check my condition | 1 |
| I need help with treatment at home for up to 3.5 hours a week | 2 |
| I need help with treatment at home for more than 3.5 hours and up to 7 hours a week | 4 |
| I need help with treatment at home for more than 7 hours and up to 14 hours a week | 6 |
| I need help with treatment at home for 14 hours a week or more | 8 |
Daily living activity 4: Washing and bathing
This means washing your face, hair and body, and getting in and out of a normal bath or shower (not an adapted one).
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can wash and bathe without help | 0 |
| I need an aid or appliance to wash or bathe For example a shower seat, bath board, grab rail or long-handled sponge. | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me or watch over me to wash or bathe | 2 |
| I need help to wash my hair or the lower half of my body | 2 |
| I need help to get in or out of a bath or shower | 3 |
| I need help to wash my body between my shoulders and waist | 4 |
| I can't wash at all. Someone has to wash my whole body for me | 8 |
Daily living activity 5: Using the toilet
This means getting on and off the toilet, and cleaning yourself afterwards. It also covers managing incontinence.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can use the toilet without help | 0 |
| I need an aid or appliance to use the toilet For example a raised toilet seat, grab rails, a commode or incontinence pads you can manage yourself. | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me or watch over me to use the toilet | 2 |
| I need someone to help me use the toilet For example getting on or off, or cleaning yourself. | 4 |
| I need help to manage incontinence of my bladder or my bowel | 6 |
| I need help to manage incontinence of both my bladder and my bowel | 8 |
Daily living activity 6: Dressing and undressing
This means choosing suitable clothes and putting them on and taking them off, including socks and shoes.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can dress and undress without help | 0 |
| I need an aid or appliance to dress or undress For example a button hook, sock aid, long shoe horn, or needing to sit down. | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me to dress or undress, or to help me choose suitable clothes For example knowing when to change, or what to wear for the weather. | 2 |
| I need help to dress or undress the lower half of my body | 2 |
| I need help to dress or undress the upper half of my body | 4 |
| I can't dress or undress at all | 8 |
Daily living activity 7: Talking, listening and understanding
This means speaking to people and understanding what they say to you, in your own language.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can speak, hear and understand without help | 0 |
| I need an aid to speak or hear For example a hearing aid. | 2 |
| I need support to understand or explain complicated information | 4 |
| I need support to understand or explain basic information Basic means a simple sentence, such as "the bus is late". | 8 |
| I can't understand or express spoken information at all, even with support | 12 |
Daily living activity 8: Reading and understanding
This means reading and understanding signs, symbols and written words in your own language, in normal size print.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can read and understand, using glasses or contact lenses if I need them | 0 |
| I need an aid other than glasses or contact lenses For example a magnifier or large print. | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me to read or understand complicated written information Complicated means more than one sentence, such as a letter or a bill. | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me to read or understand basic written information Basic means signs, symbols and dates. | 4 |
| I can't read or understand signs, symbols or words at all | 8 |
Daily living activity 9: Mixing with other people
This means meeting people face to face, talking with them, understanding their body language and building relationships.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can mix with other people without help | 0 |
| I need someone to prompt me to mix with other people | 2 |
| I need social support to mix with other people | 4 |
| I can't mix with other people because it causes me overwhelming distress, or I may act in a way that puts me or others at serious risk | 8 |
Daily living activity 10: Managing money
This means working out the cost of things, handling change, and planning a budget and paying bills.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can manage money and bills without help | 0 |
| I need someone to prompt me or help me with complicated money decisions For example planning a budget, paying bills or saving for something. | 2 |
| I need someone to prompt me or help me with simple money decisions For example working out the cost of shopping and the right change. | 4 |
| I can't make any money decisions at all | 6 |
Mobility activity 11: Planning and following a journey
This is about mental, thinking and sensory difficulties, such as anxiety, memory problems, brain fog or sight loss. Physical difficulty walking is covered in the next question.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can plan and follow a journey without help | 0 |
| I need someone to prompt me to go out, or I would feel overwhelming distress | 4 |
| I can't plan the route of a journey | 8 |
| I can't follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, an assistance dog or a navigation aid | 10 |
| I can't go on any journey because it would cause me overwhelming distress | 10 |
| I can't follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or a navigation aid | 12 |
Mobility activity 12: Moving around
This means standing up and then walking (or moving) outdoors on flat ground. As a guide, 20 metres is about the length of two cars parked end to end with a gap, 50 metres is the length of an Olympic swimming pool, and 200 metres is about two football pitches.
| Statement | Points |
|---|---|
| I can stand and then move more than 200 metres | 0 |
| I can stand and then move more than 50 metres, but no more than 200 metres | 4 |
| I can stand and then move more than 20 metres, but no more than 50 metres, without an aid | 8 |
| I can stand and then move more than 20 metres, but no more than 50 metres, only with an aid | 10 |
| I can stand and then move more than 1 metre, but no more than 20 metres With or without an aid. | 12 |
| I can't stand, or I can't move more than 1 metre | 12 |
Common questions
Do points from different activities add up?
Yes. The points from the 10 daily living activities are added together for the daily living part. The points from the 2 mobility activities are added together for the mobility part. Within each single activity, only the one highest statement that applies counts.
What does "aid or appliance" mean?
Anything that helps you do a task, such as a perching stool, a shower seat, a walking stick or adapted cutlery. It can still count if you need it but do not have it yet.
Sources we used
- The Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, Schedule 1
- DWP, PIP assessment guide
We check this page at least once a year, and sooner when the rules change. Read how we check our facts, or tell us if something looks wrong.