PIP Assessment: What to Expect and How to Prepare

The assessment is a functional interview, not a medical exam

After you return your PIP2 form and evidence, most claims are referred to an independent assessment provider. A healthcare professional — a registered nurse, occupational therapist, paramedic, or physiotherapist — conducts a functional consultation and writes a report (called the PA4) with recommended descriptor scores for each activity. The DWP decision maker then uses that report alongside your PIP2 and evidence to make the final decision.

The assessment is not a medical examination. The assessor will not diagnose you, treat you, or run clinical tests. They are evaluating how your conditions affect your daily life against the 12 PIP activities.

The four assessment formats

Paper-based review: The assessor makes their recommendations from your PIP2 and submitted evidence alone, without speaking to you. This happens when the existing evidence is detailed enough.

Telephone assessment: The most common remote format. The assessor calls you at a scheduled time and works through the activities over the phone.

Video assessment: A secure video consultation. You need a device with a camera and a stable internet connection.

Face-to-face assessment: At an assessment centre or, if you can't travel, a home visit. You can request a home visit if severe mobility or mental health difficulties make attending a centre unsafe or impossible.

You'll receive a letter or notification with your assessment date and format. If you need a different format, contact the assessment provider as soon as possible. If you can't attend on the scheduled date, you can rearrange — but failing to attend without good reason can result in your claim being disallowed.

Companions and reasonable adjustments

You can bring someone with you to any assessment — a family member, friend, carer, or support worker. They can take notes, provide moral support, prompt you, and help answer questions. The assessor may also ask them to describe what they've observed.

You can also request reasonable adjustments: a BSL interpreter, an accessible ground-floor room, a longer appointment time, or a specific communication approach.

Recording

Telephone and face-to-face PIP consultations are audio-recorded as standard by the assessment provider. You can opt out of this if you prefer. Video consultations are not recorded. If you want your own copy of the recording, ask the provider about their process for releasing it.

What the assessor asks

The assessor will work through some or all of the 12 activities, asking questions like:

• Can you prepare a simple meal from scratch? What happens when you try?
• How do you manage washing and bathing? Do you use any aids?
• Can you get dressed without help? What about buttons, shoelaces, lower body?
• How far can you walk on flat ground before you need to stop?
• Can you plan a journey to somewhere you haven't been before?
• How do you manage your money? Can you work out change?

They'll also ask about your conditions, medications, and treatments. They may make informal observations — how you moved during a face-to-face assessment, how you communicated, whether you appeared in discomfort.

How to prepare

Be honest and complete. Describe your worst and typical days, not your best day. If you can do something on good days but not on the majority of days, say so.

Don't minimise. Social conditioning tells most people to say "I'm fine" or "I manage." The assessment is the wrong place for that. If you struggle, explain how.

Bring your evidence. Take copies of anything you submitted with the PIP2, plus any new evidence that's arrived since. If the assessor hasn't seen it, you can hand it over.

Write notes. Having bullet points for each activity you struggle with means you're less likely to forget something important in the moment.

Describe the aftermath. If standing at the assessment centre for five minutes leaves you in pain for the rest of the day, say so. If the anxiety of the appointment means you can't function the next day, that matters.

After the assessment

You can request a copy of the PA4 report from the DWP PIP enquiry line (0800 121 4433) after the assessment. Reading the report before the decision arrives lets you see what the assessor recommended and check it against what you actually said.

Get a full assessment preparation framework

The PIP Claim Guide for England and Wales includes an assessment preparation checklist covering what to bring, what to expect, and how to describe your daily life accurately under each of the 12 activities.

See more England and Wales guides →