PIP Mandatory Reconsideration Process: Step-by-Step Guide

A mandatory reconsideration is usually the first step when you disagree with a PIP decision in England and Wales. You ask DWP to look at the decision again before you take it to an independent tribunal. Your decision letter will say if you can appeal straight away without a mandatory reconsideration. The process is straightforward on paper, but getting it right requires attention to deadlines and evidence.

Step 1: Read Your Decision Letter Carefully

Your PIP decision letter tells you exactly what was decided — which activities scored points, which scored zero, and whether you qualify for the Daily Living or Mobility components at Standard or Enhanced rates. The score summary table at the back is the key section.

Note the date at the top of the letter. Your one-month deadline runs from this date, not from when you received it.

Step 2: Request Your PA4 Assessment Report

Call the PIP helpline on 0800 121 4433 and ask for a copy of the healthcare professional's assessment report. This document contains the assessor's observations, what they recorded you saying, and the descriptor scores they recommended to the decision maker.

Do not wait for this report to arrive before starting your reconsideration — requesting it does not pause your deadline.

Step 3: Submit Your Reconsideration Request

You have three submission channels:

• CRMR1 form posted to DWP (the official form, available on GOV.UK)
• A letter headed "REQUEST FOR MANDATORY RECONSIDERATION"
• Phone on 0800 121 4433, followed by written confirmation

Whichever method you use, include your full name, National Insurance number, the date on the decision letter, and which activities you are challenging. If you have not yet received your PA4 report, state that detailed reasons and evidence will follow.

Send postal submissions via Royal Mail Signed For or Special Delivery so you have proof of posting and a delivery date.

Step 4: Build Your Evidence

Once you have the PA4 report, go through it activity by activity. For each one you are disputing:

• Compare what the assessor wrote against what actually happens in your daily life
• Gather supporting evidence: consultant letters, GP records, a care plan, a carer's statement
• Frame your challenge around the reliability criteria — can you do the activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time?

Evidence that directly contradicts the assessor's observations or fills gaps in the original file carries the most weight.

Step 5: Wait for the Decision

A different DWP decision maker reviews your entire file. The median processing time is 45 days for new claims as of July 2026. There is no statutory deadline for DWP to complete the review.

During this time, the decision maker may phone you to clarify points. You can request that questions be put in writing if phone contact is difficult.

There are no interim PIP payments while you wait. If your award was stopped or reduced, that continues until the reconsideration decision is made.

Step 6: Receive the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice

DWP sends you a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice (MRN) confirming whether the decision has been changed or maintained. If the decision changes in your favour and you were underpaid, you receive arrears as a lump sum back to the original decision date.

If the decision is unchanged, the MRN is your gateway to Stage 2 — appealing to the First-tier Tribunal via form SSCS1. The Tribunal must receive your appeal within one month after the date DWP sent the MRN. Ministry of Justice statistics show 67% of PIP appeals cleared at hearing in April to June 2026 were decided in the claimant's favour.

The Whole-Award Consideration

The new decision maker is not limited to the activities you challenged. They can review your entire award, which means points could go down as well as up. If you hold a partial award and are challenging for a higher rate, make sure the evidence for all your activities is solid.

Getting Support Through the Process

Our PIP Mandatory Reconsideration guide provides a structured path through each of these steps, including worksheets for auditing your PA4 report, a deadline tracker, and a reliability logging grid for daily function evidence.

Free help is available from Citizens Advice, local welfare rights services, Law Centres and Advicenow. If you can secure an appointment within your deadline, a welfare rights adviser can help you build and submit your case.

See more England and Wales guides →