PIP for Agoraphobia: Mobility Points, Evidence and How to Claim

Agoraphobia Is One of the Strongest Cases for PIP Mobility Points

If agoraphobia keeps you confined to your home or means you cannot leave without someone beside you, the PIP and ADP mobility descriptors were written with exactly your situation in mind. The challenge is not whether agoraphobia qualifies — it clearly can — but making sure your claim form and evidence show the full picture of how it restricts your daily life.

How Agoraphobia Scores Under Mobility Activity 1

Mobility Activity 1 assesses your ability to plan and follow journeys. For agoraphobia, the relevant descriptors are:

• 1b (4 points): You need prompting — verbal encouragement or reassurance from another person — to undertake any journey, to avoid overwhelming psychological distress
• 1e (10 points): You cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress
• 1f (12 points): You cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog, or an orientation aid

The law is clear that psychological distress counts. After the Upper Tribunal ruled in MH v SSWP (2016) that non-physical impairments can prevent someone following a route, the DWP tried to exclude psychological distress from descriptors 1c, 1d and 1f through emergency regulations in 2017. The High Court struck those regulations down as discriminatory. The original ruling stands across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scottish ADP regulations reflect the same principle.

Descriptor 1e (10 points) is for being unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress; being housebound alone does not automatically meet it. If you can leave only with another person, descriptor 1f (12 points) may apply if you cannot follow a familiar route without another person, an assistance dog, or an orientation aid, or 1d (10 points) if you cannot follow an unfamiliar route without one of these.

Daily Living Activities That Agoraphobia Affects

Agoraphobia does not only restrict travel. Being unable to leave the house has knock-on effects across daily living:

Activity 1 — Preparing food. Not being able to shop for groceries does not, by itself, score under this activity. Descriptor 1d (2 points) is for needing prompting to prepare or cook a simple meal; 1e (4 points) is for needing supervision or assistance to do either.

Activity 9 — Engaging with other people face to face. Avoiding the door or visitors does not, by itself, determine the descriptor. Descriptor 9b (2 points) is for needing prompting; 9c (4 points) is for needing social support from someone trained or experienced in helping you engage; 9d (8 points) is for being unable to engage because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress or a substantial risk of harm.

Activity 10 — Making budgeting decisions. Not being able to visit a bank, post office, or shop is not, by itself, assessed. Descriptor 10c (4 points) is for needing prompting or assistance with simple budgeting decisions, such as calculating the cost of goods or change. Descriptor 10d (6 points) is for being unable to make any budgeting decisions.

The Reliability Criteria and the 50% Rule

Even if you can occasionally leave the house — perhaps on a particularly calm day, or with strong medication — that does not mean you can do it reliably. The four-part reliability test asks whether you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly (as often as reasonably required), and within a reasonable time.

If you managed one trip to the GP last month but spent the rest of the month housebound, that may show your ability to make journeys was restricted on most days; a one-off trip does not by itself establish what you can do reliably on most days. If leaving the house triggers a panic attack that creates a real risk of disorientation or collapse, this may affect whether you can make journeys safely; the likelihood and seriousness of harm matter.

The 50% rule applies over a 12-month period. If agoraphobia affects your ability to complete a journey-planning activity on more than half the days in that period, the descriptor that best reflects that effect may apply. You do not need to be housebound every single day — the relevant descriptor must apply on the majority of days.

What Evidence Supports an Agoraphobia Claim

Decision-makers need evidence that links your condition to specific functional barriers, not just a diagnostic label:

• GP or mental health records confirming the diagnosis, prescribed medication (SSRIs, benzodiazepines, beta-blockers), and any referrals to talking therapies or community mental health teams
• A daily diary over four to six weeks recording which days you left the house, who accompanied you, how far you went, whether you experienced distress, and what happened when you got home
• Delivery records or online shopping history showing that you rely on home delivery for groceries, prescriptions, and essentials rather than going to shops
• A carer or partner statement describing how often they accompany you, what happens when they are not available, and what prompting or encouragement they provide before and during any journey

The diary is particularly powerful for agoraphobia claims because it creates a concrete record of housebound days versus the occasional managed outing. Write entries close to the time — a retrospective summary months later is easier for an assessor to dismiss.

Common Mistakes in Agoraphobia Claims

The most frequent error is describing only the anxiety itself rather than the functional restriction. "I have severe agoraphobia" tells the decision-maker very little. "I have not left my house without my partner for seven months. When I do leave, it is only to drive to my GP surgery three minutes away, and I need my partner to wait in the car park because I cannot stay in the waiting room alone" paints a clear picture.

Another common mistake is minimising what your companion does. If your partner walks ahead to check whether a shop is crowded, stands between you and other people, or talks you through breathing exercises in the car before you can walk to the front door — describe all of that. It demonstrates the prompting or social support you need.

Do not assume that driving disqualifies you from mobility points. If you drive only on two or three memorised routes and cannot attempt an unfamiliar journey even by car, explain what prevents you from following unfamiliar routes and what help you need; those facts may be relevant to a descriptor.

If Your Agoraphobia Claim Is Refused

Check the decision letter carefully. Look for phrases like "the claimant was able to attend the assessment" being used as evidence that you can make journeys. Attending one appointment with support does not prove you can travel reliably and safely on a daily basis.

Request a mandatory reconsideration within one calendar month (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) or a re-determination within 42 calendar days (Scotland). Include any new evidence — an updated diary, a fresh GP letter, the carer statement you may not have submitted first time.

If that does not succeed, 67% of PIP appeals disposed of at a hearing in April to June 2026 were decided in the claimant's favour. Tribunals assess the evidence independently and are not bound by the assessor's report.

Our PIP and ADP for Anxiety claim guide covers agoraphobia across every daily living and mobility activity, with a fluctuation log to track housebound days and an evidence audit table to organise your supporting documents.

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