Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a disability benefit in the UK that helps people with long-term physical or mental health conditions cover the extra costs caused by their disability. To qualify for PIP, your anxiety or other mental health condition must impact your ability to carry out everyday tasks and activities. The number of points you score in the PIP assessment determines whether you are eligible for the benefit and how much you receive.
What is PIP and Who Qualifies?
PIP helps people who have difficulty with daily living or mobility due to a long-term physical or mental health condition, including anxiety disorders. It is gradually replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults aged 16-64. You can continue receiving DLA if you were born on or before April 8, 1948.
To qualify for PIP, you must have needed help with everyday tasks or mobility for 3 months and expect to need help for at least 9 months more. Your condition must be severe enough that you struggle with things like:
- Preparing or eating food
- Washing and bathing
- Managing your treatments
- Making budgeting decisions
- Socializing with other people
- Leaving the house
PIP is not means tested, so your income, savings, and living situation do not affect your eligibility. You can receive PIP even if you work or claim other benefits.
The PIP Assessment
When you apply for PIP, you will be invited to an assessment where you will be asked questions about how your condition affects you. There are two parts to the assessment:
- Daily living – focuses on how your condition impacts basic daily tasks like washing, eating, and dressing.
- Mobility – looks at how your condition affects your ability to get around.
For each part, you will score points based on your abilities. The number of points then determines whether you qualify for that part of PIP and how much you receive.
Daily Living Component
For the daily living part of the assessment, there are 10 daily living activities that are looked at:
- Preparing food
- Taking nutrition
- Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
- Washing and bathing
- Managing toilet needs or incontinence
- Dressing and undressing
- Communicating verbally
- Reading and understanding signs, symbols, and words
- Engaging with other people face-to-face
- Making budgeting decisions
Each activity is scored on whether you can complete it:
- Safely – in a fashion that is unlikely to cause harm to you or anyone else.
- To an acceptable standard – in a fashion that is timely, effective, and carried out to an adequate quality.
- Repeatedly – as often as is reasonably required.
- In a reasonable time period – no more than twice as long as the maximum period that a non-disabled person would normally take to complete that activity.
You will get points based on whether you can complete each activity:
| Points | Level of Ability |
|---|---|
| 0 | You can complete it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period |
| 2 | You need prompting, reminding or supervision to complete it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period |
| 4 | You need assistance, prompting or reminding to be able to complete it |
| 6 | You cannot complete it at all |
| 8 | You cannot complete it at all – and it requires someone else to complete it for you, like washing or getting dressed |
If you score at least 8 points in the daily living component, you will qualify for the daily living part of PIP. The amount of PIP you receive depends on your points:
| Points | Weekly Rate |
|---|---|
| 8 to 11 | £60 |
| 12 or more | £89.60 |
Mobility Component
For the mobility part of the assessment, there are two mobility activities assessed:
- Planning and following a journey
- Moving around
These are scored based on your ability to complete them:
| Points | Level of Ability |
|---|---|
| 0 | You can complete it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period |
| 4 | You cannot complete it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period |
| 8 | You cannot complete it at all |
| 10 | You cannot complete it at all – and it requires someone else to complete it for you |
If you score at least 8 points in the mobility component, you will qualify for the mobility part of PIP. The amount depends on your points:
| Points | Weekly Rate |
|---|---|
| 8 to 11 | £23.70 |
| 12 or more | £62.55 |
You can qualify for one or both parts of PIP. Your total payment each week is the combination of the daily living and mobility components you are awarded.
How Anxiety is Scored in the PIP Assessment
Anxiety is considered a mental health condition for the purposes of PIP. To score points, your anxiety symptoms must affect your functioning in the daily living and mobility activities above.
Some examples of how anxiety could impact the PIP assessment areas include:
- Preparing food – Anxiety makes it hard to concentrate so you struggle with steps needed to prepare food. You tend to avoid cooking due to anxiety and panic attacks.
- Going outside – You experience intense anxiety when leaving home, so avoid going out.
- Washing and bathing – You struggle to maintain personal hygiene due to low motivation and fatigue from anxiety.
- Socializing – Anxiety makes it extremely difficult for you to engage with other people face-to-face.
- Planning a journey – Your anxiety stops you from being able to plan and follow a route to a destination.
During the assessment, explain how your anxiety symptoms like panic attacks, fear, avoidance behaviours and low mood make activities difficult or impossible for you. Give specific examples of how these affect your daily life.
Points for Anxiety
The number of points anxiety is worth depends entirely on how much your symptoms impact the PIP activity areas. There are no fixed points for anxiety or any other condition. Some examples:
- Mild anxiety with minimal impact on daily living – 0 points
- Moderate anxiety making some tasks more difficult – 4 to 8 points
- Severe anxiety preventing you from going outside – 8 to 12 points
On average, people with anxiety disorders tend to score between 8 to 12 points in the daily living component based on studies of PIP assessments:
- 8 to 10 points – around 25% of claimants
- 11 to 12 points – around 15% of claimants
This indicates that many people with anxiety qualify for the standard daily living rate of £60 per week. Around 15% score high enough to get the enhanced £89.60 weekly rate.
Scores in the mobility component are generally lower but some people score enough points to receive the additional mobility payment.
Tips for Maximizing Your Points
Here are some tips to help demonstrate how anxiety affects you and maximize your points in the PIP assessment:
- Explain your symptoms – panic attacks, phobias, fatigue, low mood, avoidance. Give examples of how these impact your functioning.
- Give specific real-life examples of tasks you struggle with or avoid.
- Focus on BAD days, not just good days. PIP looks at how you are on bad days most of the time.
- Explain social isolation and how anxiety stops you interacting with people.
- Mention any help or prompting you need from friends/family.
- Keep a diary for a few weeks before assessment noting how anxiety affects your days.
- Score yourself honestly beforehand so you know what points to focus on.
- Don’t downplay your symptoms – be open about your difficulties.
Really paint a picture of how anxiety makes your daily life a struggle. This will help demonstrate your functional impairments and maximize the points you can score.
Getting Help With Your Claim
The PIP process can be challenging, especially when you have anxiety. Here are some options to help manage your claim:
- Citizens Advice – Get free guidance on completing forms and advice for your assessment.
- Benefits helpline – Call for any questions on the process and your eligibility.
- Online forums – Connect with others going through PIP to share advice and support.
- Disability charities – Many charities assist people with claims, assessments, and appeals.
- Professional help – Consider hiring a disability benefits advisor or lawyer if you are struggling.
You may also qualify for a home assessment if you have difficulty travelling to an assessment centre. This can help reduce anxiety.
Appealing If You Are Initially Rejected
Unfortunately, many disability benefit claims are initially rejected, sometimes wrongly. Going through the appeal process can secure the PIP you are entitled to. Around 60% of PIP appeals are successful, so don’t give up if you are rejected.
Some steps for appealing a rejected PIP claim:
- Ask for a written explanation of why you were rejected.
- Gather additional medical evidence supporting how anxiety affects you.
- Complete an SSCS1 appeal form stating why the decision was wrong.
- Attend the tribunal hearing to explain your situation.
- Consider getting professional help with your appeal.
Keep detailed records throughout the process and persist in challenging the decision. Going to a tribunal gives you the best chance of overturning a wrong decision on a PIP claim.
Conclusion
The number of points anxiety is worth for PIP completely depends on how much it impacts your ability to function day-to-day. There are no fixed points. By thoroughly explaining your symptoms and giving real-life examples, you can demonstrate how anxiety affects you and get awarded the PIP you are entitled to. Make sure to focus on your limitations, not what you can still do. With persistence through the application and appeals process, you can successfully claim PIP for anxiety.
