PIP Mandatory Reconsideration: What to Say in Your Request

The open text boxes on the CRMR1 form — or the blank page of a reconsideration letter — can feel paralysing. You know the decision is wrong, but translating that knowledge into words that a DWP decision maker will act on is harder than it should be. Here is how to structure what you say.

Lead With the Activities, Not Your Feelings

It is entirely natural to feel angry, upset or demoralised by the decision. But the reconsideration process is administrative, not therapeutic. The decision maker is looking for reasons to change specific descriptor scores, not a general account of how unfair the system is.

For each activity you are challenging, state:

• The descriptor DWP chose and the points they awarded
• The descriptor you believe applies and the points it carries
• What actually happens when you try to do this activity

Keep your reasons grounded in daily reality. "Activity 1: Preparing food. DWP awarded descriptor A (0 points). I believe descriptor E applies (4 points) because I cannot safely use the hob — I have had two near-falls in the last month due to medication-related dizziness, and I rely on my partner to supervise me whenever I use the cooker."

Use the Reliability Criteria as Your Framework

Under Regulation 4(2A), you are only treated as able to do an activity if you can do it:

• Safely — in a manner unlikely to cause harm to yourself or another person, during or after the activity
• To an acceptable standard — whether the result is good enough
• Repeatedly — as often as is reasonably required
• In a reasonable time — no more than twice as long as someone without your condition

You do not need to fail all four. Failing any single one means you should be scored as unable to do the activity at that level. When you describe each activity, explicitly address whichever reliability criteria are relevant.

Describe Typical Days, Not Just Worst Days

Decision makers need to understand how often your limitations apply. Under the fluctuating conditions rule, a descriptor applies if the functional restriction occurs on more than 50% of days during the 12-month assessment period.

Describe what a typical day looks like — not only your worst day. If bad days happen four days a week and better days happen three, say so with examples of both. That frequency pattern is what establishes the descriptor.

"On a bad day I cannot get out of bed before noon and I need my daughter to bring food upstairs. On a better day I can get up and move to the sofa but I still cannot prepare a meal without someone supervising me because of tremors. Bad days happen about four days out of seven."

What Not to Say

Do not copy generic template text from the internet. DWP decision makers routinely identify stock phrases and give them little weight. Your own honest account of what happens in your daily life is more persuasive than borrowed language.

Do not make medical claims you cannot back up. If you say a consultant confirmed a particular functional limitation, be prepared to attach the consultant's letter or point to where it appears in your medical records.

Do not ask for a specific award amount. Your job is to explain which descriptors apply and why. The decision maker calculates the total points and determines the rate.

Do not threaten. Mentioning your MP, solicitors or the media does not change how a reconsideration is processed. It is assessed on the evidence.

When You Do Not Have the PA4 Report Yet

If you are writing your reconsideration before receiving your PA4 assessment report, focus on the decision letter's score summary. Identify the activities where you scored zero or lower than expected, explain why the decision is wrong based on your daily experience, and state that you will submit detailed written reasons once you have seen the assessment report.

This protects your deadline while flagging which activities are in dispute.

Putting It All Together

Our PIP Mandatory Reconsideration guide provides a structured approach to building your arguments activity by activity, with worksheets for matching your evidence to the reliability criteria and a PA4 audit template for identifying where the assessment report got things wrong.

Citizens Advice and local welfare rights services can also help you work out what to say and how to say it, particularly for complex cases involving fluctuating conditions or multiple activities.

See more England and Wales guides →