Can you get PIP with PTSD? Points, activities and evidence

Does PTSD qualify?

Yes. PIP has no list of qualifying conditions. PTSD and complex PTSD are recognised under NHS guideline NG116 and ICD-11. The test is functional impact against the 12 activities.

Which descriptors apply

Mobility 1 (planning and following a journey): cannot follow a familiar route alone due to overwhelming psychological distress, cannot use public transport, avoidance of specific routes. Up to 12 points.
Daily Living 9 (engaging with people): hypervigilance and trigger avoidance stop face-to-face interaction with strangers. 2 to 8 points.
Daily Living 4 (washing / bathing): water, being undressed or enclosed spaces as triggers; dissociation while showering.
Daily Living 1 (preparing food): dissociation and safety risk at the hob; executive shutdown.
Daily Living 7 (communicating verbally): mutism episodes, cannot use the phone, cannot speak to strangers reliably.
Daily Living 3 (managing therapy or monitoring a health condition): multi-med regimens (SSRIs, prazosin for nightmares, sleep meds) and complex trauma treatment plan.

Dissociation and the reliability test

Under Regulation 4(2A) a task must be done safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, in a reasonable time. Dissociation, freezing, and flashbacks engage the safety limb directly. Sample sentence: "On around 5 days out of 7 I dissociate at the hob and cannot cook safely alone."

Example answers you could adapt

These are illustrations, written to show the kind of detail that helps a decision maker understand your day: what happens, how often, how long it takes, whether it is safe, and who helps. Describe your own experience in your own words. Never copy an example, or any part of one, that is not true for you.

Each activity is named as it appears in Schedule 1 to the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, and the descriptor wording is quoted from there.

Mobility activity 1: Planning and following journeys. "I can walk to the corner shop on my own in daylight. Buses, busy streets and places I do not know set off flashbacks, and I have had panic attacks on the bus that meant getting off a long way from home. Most weeks I only go further than the shop when my partner comes with me. On my own I usually turn back before I get far, even for appointments I need to attend."Why this detail matters: Descriptor 1b refers to needing prompting "to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant" and 1f reads "Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid". Saying which journeys you can do alone, which you cannot, and what happens when you try lets the decision maker see which wording fits.
Daily living activity 9: Engaging with other people face to face. "I can talk to my partner and my sister, but with strangers I am on edge the whole time, watching the door and their hands. If someone raises their voice or stands too close I freeze or have to leave. I have not been to a GP appointment on my own for over a year, because I cannot stay in the room without someone I trust. After meeting anyone new I usually need the rest of the day to calm down."Why this detail matters: Descriptor 9c reads "Needs social support to be able to engage with other people" and 9d refers to engagement causing "overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant". Detail about who you can and cannot engage with, and how long it takes you to recover, shows the level of distress and the support you rely on.
Daily living activity 4: Washing and bathing. "I avoid showering when I am alone in the house, because being undressed behind a locked door brings memories back. When I do shower I sometimes lose time and come round with the water gone cold, not sure whether I have washed. Most weeks I only wash when my partner is home and checks on me through the door. Without that I can go several days without washing."Why this detail matters: Descriptor 4c reads "Needs supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe". The lost time in the shower and the need for someone nearby show why washing alone is not safe or reliable for you.
Daily living activity 1: Preparing food. "I can make a sandwich, but I do not use the hob when I am on my own. I have zoned out while cooking and come back to a burnt pan with no memory of the last few minutes. That happens a few times a month, usually after a bad night. If my partner is in the kitchen with me I can cook something simple."Why this detail matters: Descriptor 1e reads "Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal". The burnt pans and the lost minutes show the safety risk, and saying it happens a few times a month, not once, shows the risk is ongoing.
Daily living activity 3: Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition. "I take an antidepressant in the morning and a tablet for nightmares at night. After a bad night or a flashback I lose track of whether I have taken them, and I have taken a double dose by mistake. Before we changed things I was missing doses most weeks. Now my partner keeps the tablets and hands them to me each morning and evening."Why this detail matters: Descriptor 3b includes "supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage medication". The double dose shows the safety side, and saying who keeps and hands out the tablets shows the help you actually rely on.

Evidence to send

GP or CMHT letter confirming PTSD or CPTSD diagnosis and current treatment.
IAPT / NHS Talking Therapies discharge letter or EMDR / TF-CBT correspondence.
Medication list (SSRIs, SNRIs, prazosin, sleep meds).
Any veterans' mental health service (Op COURAGE) letter where applicable.
Partner or carer statement describing nightmares, dissociation, avoidance.

At the assessment

Request phone or paper. Face-to-face is often the most triggering format and yields the least accurate record because masking is highest. Ask for the assessment to be recorded. Bring an advocate. If you dissociate during the assessment, that is itself evidence.

The four-point rule (scrapped)

You may have read about a four-point rule starting in November 2026. It was removed from the bill in July 2025 and never became law. PIP rules are unchanged while the Timms Review runs (expected to report around autumn 2026). Evidence in descriptor and reliability language remains what decides awards.

Build the evidence pack

Our assessment turns your answers into a formal PIP evidence pack drafted against the 12 activities and the reliability test.

Build my evidence pack

Frequently asked questions

Can you get PIP for PTSD?

Yes. PTSD and complex PTSD score against multiple PIP activities where flashbacks, dissociation, hypervigilance and trigger avoidance stop you doing tasks reliably. Diagnosis under NG116 or ICD-11 is the anchor.

Which activities does PTSD score on?

Most commonly: Mob 1 (planning and following a journey, especially alone or on public transport), DL 9 (engaging with people), DL 4 (washing, where triggers apply), DL 1 (preparing food, dissociation and safety), DL 7 (communicating).

Is complex PTSD treated differently?

For PIP, no. The label is CPTSD or PTSD; the test is functional impact. CPTSD often affects more of the activities because of pervasive relational and self-regulation impact.

Do EMDR or trauma-focused CBT count against me?

No. Being in treatment does not mean you can do tasks safely and repeatedly. Describe what you cannot do while in treatment.

What if my trauma is not on my medical record?

You do not need to disclose specifics on the PIP form. You need to describe the functional impact. A GP or IAPT letter noting PTSD diagnosis and treatment is enough evidence at claim stage.

General information and document drafting, not benefits advice. Finally Seen is not affiliated with DWP or the NHS and does not guarantee any award. Check current guidance at gov.uk before sending.