Overview of the 12 activities
PIP uses 12 activities grouped into two components. Daily Living covers everyday tasks at home. Mobility covers getting out and about. Each activity has descriptors A–F scoring 0–12 points. You need 8–11 points for the standard rate and 12+ for the enhanced rate of that component.
The descriptors are not about whether you have a particular condition. They are about whether you can do the activity reliably. That is the key concept that runs through every activity.
Daily Living activities
1. Preparing food. Can you prepare and cook a simple meal? The descriptors test whether you need an aid, prompting, supervision, or cannot do it at all. If you can only use a microwave or need someone to chop vegetables for safety, you score higher.
2. Taking nutrition. Can you cut food, convey it to your mouth, and chew/swallow? This applies to physical conditions (tremor, hand weakness) and mental health conditions (anorexia, severe depression where you forget to eat).
3. Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition. Can you take medication, monitor your condition, and manage therapies? The highest descriptor (8 points) applies if you need supervision, prompting, or assistance to avoid harm — for example, insulin management or seizure monitoring.
4. Washing and bathing. Can you get in and out of a bath or shower, wash your body, and dry yourself? Using a perching stool, grab rails, or needing prompting to wash score points. Needing assistance with washing your hair or lower body scores more.
5. Managing toilet needs or incontinence. Can you use the toilet, clean yourself, and manage incontinence? Using an aid, needing help with clothing, or needing someone to clean you after an accident all score.
6. Dressing and undressing. Can you put on and take off clothes and shoes? This includes fastening buttons, zips, and laces. If it takes you more than twice the normal time, or you need an aid, or someone to help, you score.
7. Communicating verbally. Can you express and understand verbal information? This applies to speech impairments, hearing loss, and conditions like autism where understanding tone or subtext is difficult.
8. Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words. Can you read a short paragraph and understand it? Applies to dyslexia, learning disabilities, visual impairment, and conditions causing brain fog or concentration problems.
9. Engaging with other people face to face. Can you interact with strangers, friends, or professionals without distress? This is where autism, social anxiety, PTSD, and trauma-related conditions often score highly. The key is whether interaction causes overwhelming distress.
10. Making budgeting decisions. Can you manage simple household budgets and pay bills? Applies to cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, brain injury, and conditions causing executive dysfunction like ADHD.
Mobility activities
11. Planning and following journeys. Can you plan a route, follow it, and cope with unexpected changes? The highest descriptors apply if you cannot undertake any journey due to overwhelming psychological distress, or if you need someone with you. Anxiety, PTSD, autism, and agoraphobia often score here.
12. Moving around. Can you stand and then move more than 20 metres, 50 metres, or 200 metres? This is a physical test. If you can walk 200 metres but need a rest, you may still score. If you use a wheelchair or cannot walk at all, you score the maximum 12 points.
The reliability test
Under Regulation 4(2A), you only count as able to do an activity if you can do it:
- Safely — without risk of injury, exhaustion, or distress.
- To an acceptable standard — the outcome is adequate.
- Repeatedly — you can do it as often as needed.
- In a reasonable time — not substantially slower than someone without your condition.
If you can walk to the shop but it takes 45 minutes and you are in bed for the rest of the day, you cannot walk reliably. If you can cook but leave the hob on, you cannot cook safely. Always apply this test before deciding which descriptor fits.
Fluctuating conditions
Regulation 7 covers fluctuating conditions. If you cannot do an activity more than 50% of the time, you are treated as unable to do it at all for scoring purposes. This is critical for conditions like fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, Long Covid, endometriosis, migraines, and mental health conditions with episodic severity.
Document your frequency carefully. "I cannot cook 4 days per week" is a Regulation 7 argument. "I find cooking hard sometimes" is not.
Frequently asked questions
›What are the 12 PIP activities?
Daily Living (10): preparing food, taking nutrition, managing therapy, washing and bathing, managing toilet needs, dressing and undressing, communicating, reading, engaging with other people, making budgeting decisions. Mobility (2): planning and following journeys, moving around.
›How many points do I need for each rate?
For each component separately: 0–7 points = no award; 8–11 points = standard rate; 12+ points = enhanced rate. You can get standard Daily Living and enhanced Mobility, or vice versa — they are scored independently.
›What does 'reliably' mean in PIP descriptors?
Under Regulation 4(2A), you only count as able to do something if you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time. If any of those four fails, you cannot do it reliably and you score points.
›What is the difference between 'needs prompting' and 'needs supervision'?
Prompting means reminding, encouraging, or explaining. Supervision means someone must be present to prevent harm. Supervision scores more points than prompting because the risk is higher.
›Can I score on fluctuating conditions?
Yes. Regulation 7 says if you cannot do an activity more than 50% of the time, you are treated as unable to do it at all for scoring purposes. Document frequency carefully.