What Evidence Do I Need for PIP?

You don't need a GP letter — but the right evidence changes outcomes

There is no legal requirement to submit medical evidence with your PIP2 form. With your consent, your healthcare professionals can share further information with the DWP, and many claims are decided on the PIP2 answers and the assessor's report alone.

But relying on the DWP to gather your evidence is a risk. Decision makers work from whatever is in the file, and an incomplete file tends to produce a lower score. Submitting your own evidence — organised and indexed to the relevant activities — puts the facts in front of the decision maker before the assessment report arrives.

Evidence that carries weight

High-value evidence directly describes how your condition affects your ability to carry out specific daily activities:

• Occupational therapy or physiotherapy assessments — these report on function, not just diagnosis. An OT report saying "unable to maintain grip strength sufficient to operate standard kitchen equipment safely" maps directly to Activity 1 (Preparing food).
• Care plans and local authority care assessments — if your council funds or provides personal care, this is powerful proof of functional need.
• Community mental health team (CMHT) reports — psychiatric and CPN assessments that describe cognitive barriers, risk behaviours, and social functioning limitations.
• Consultant letters that describe function — a rheumatology letter noting "unable to walk more than 30 metres without a rest" supports Activity 12 (Moving around).
• Prescription summaries — your repeat prescription printout from the GP surgery is free, easy to get, and shows the full medication picture including doses. It's particularly useful for Activity 3 (Managing therapy) and for documenting side effects.

Low-value evidence that adds little or nothing:

• Generic condition factsheets — an NHS webpage about fibromyalgia tells the decision maker nothing about how fibromyalgia affects you personally.
• Unindexed bulk medical records — a stack of appointment letters, blood test results, and hospital discharge summaries with no context just creates clutter.

Do you need a GP letter?

You don't need one, and many GP surgeries charge between £30 and £100 for a private letter. If money is tight, skip the paid letter and focus on evidence you can get for free:

• Your repeat prescription printout (ask at the pharmacy or GP reception — usually free)
• Any existing consultant, OT, or CPN letters you've already received
• A care plan if your local authority provides one
• A 2–4 week symptom diary you write yourself, recording what you attempted, what went wrong, what help you needed, and the aftermath

If your GP is willing to write a brief letter for free or at low cost, ask them to describe how your condition affects your daily functioning rather than just confirming the diagnosis. "Mrs X has rheumatoid arthritis" is far less useful than "Mrs X reports she is unable to prepare meals or dress her lower body without assistance on the majority of days."

Third-party and carer statements

A written statement from someone who sees your daily life — your partner, a family member, an unpaid carer, a support worker — is strong supporting evidence. The person should describe what they've observed in specific, concrete terms:

• What tasks they help with and how often
• What happens when the claimant tries to do something independently
• Whether the claimant's condition has changed over time
• Any safety incidents they've witnessed (falls, burns, wandering, leaving the cooker on)

The statement should be signed and dated, and should include the writer's name and relationship to the claimant. It doesn't need to be witnessed or notarised.

How to organise your evidence

Send photocopies only — never originals. Write your name and National Insurance number on every page. If possible, organise documents so the decision maker can see which activity each piece of evidence supports.

An evidence index — a single cover sheet listing each document, its date, and the activities it relates to — makes the bundle much easier for a decision maker to use. It also helps if your claim goes to a mandatory reconsideration or tribunal later.

Build your evidence bundle systematically

The PIP Claim Guide for England and Wales includes an evidence index template that maps each document to the relevant PIP activities, plus a carer statement framework and guidance on requesting evidence from your healthcare team.

See more England and Wales guides →