PIP points self-test
Pick the descriptor that fits you on more than half the days, for each activity. The tool adds up the points for daily living and mobility and shows which rate they point to. Information only.
How the scoring works
Personal Independence Payment has two parts that are scored on their own. Daily living covers ten everyday activities, from preparing food to making budgeting decisions. Mobility covers two, planning a journey and moving around. For each activity you choose the single descriptor that best describes you, and each descriptor carries a set number of points.
Add the points within a component and compare the total to the thresholds. Eight to eleven points indicate the standard rate, twelve or more to the enhanced rate. The rule that most often causes difficulty is the more-than-half-the-days test: a descriptor only counts if it applies to you on most days, judged over a twelve-month window. Reliability matters too, so if you can only do a task with pain, unsafely, or not repeatedly, the harder descriptor may be the right one.
Worked example
Suppose your daily living answers add up to 10 points and your mobility answers to 12. The 10 points sit in the 8 to 11 band, pointing to the standard daily living rate of about £76.70 a week. The 12 mobility points reach the enhanced band, about £80.00 a week. Together that would be roughly £156.70 a week, though only a formal assessment can confirm it.
Common questions
How many points do I need for PIP?
Each of the two components is scored separately. In a component, 8 to 11 points indicates the standard rate and 12 or more to the enhanced rate. Fewer than 8 points usually means no award for that component. You can qualify for one component, both, or neither.
What is the 50% of the days rule?
For each activity you pick the descriptor that fits you on more than half the days over the assessment period, which looks back three months and forward nine. If two descriptors each apply on some days, the one that applies most often, added across those days, is the one that counts.
Only the highest descriptor in each activity counts, is that right?
Yes. Within a single activity you score only the one descriptor that best matches you, not several added together. Across the different activities the points do add up, which is what this tool totals for each component.
Does this decide whether I get PIP?
No. This is a self-test to help you see roughly where you might score. The real decision is made by a DWP case manager after a health assessment and a look at your evidence. Reliability matters too: you should be able to do a task safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time.
Does income or savings affect PIP?
No. PIP is not means tested. It does not depend on your income, savings or National Insurance record, and it is tax free. You can get it whether you are in work or not, and it can sit alongside other benefits.