PIP Assessment (2024)

FAQs

What is the PIP assessment? ›

When you're assessed for Personal independence Payment (PIP), a health professional will look at your ability to carry out a range of daily living activities and mobility activities.

These general PIP assessment tips will also help you: Don't let the assessor rush you. Try not to just answer 'yes' or 'no' to the questions. Always explain how doing something would make you feel afterwards and the impact it can have on you if you had to do it repeatedly in a short period.

While being on a PIP doesn't necessarily mean termination, it is definitely a red flag in your career if you don't tackle it wisely. Before taking any action, schedule a 1:1 with your manager and get to know about the decision being taken and if there is a way it can be delayed or excempted.

In the comments box you need to express yourself concisely and without room for interpretation. If your back hurts, for example, say 'my back hurts 4 days a week' but do not say 'my back hurts sometimes' or 'my back hurts often'. Words such as 'sometimes' and 'often' are open to interpretation.

If you fail to improve after the first or final warning, this could ultimately lead to your dismissal based on your capability although you would usually be expected to have one final extension of time under a PIP (or new PIP) in which to improve.

“Trick” Questions to Watch Out For

For instance, if an assessor asks about your ability to go out, they're not just asking if you can leave the house—they want to know about the planning it requires, the physical toll, and how it affects you afterward.

I Received a Performance Improvement Plan; Should I Quit? If you were put on a performance improvement plan, it's generally not a good idea to quit unless you find another job first. You can beat the PIP, even if it was secretly created to force you out.

Can a PIP ruin your career? ›

There can really be only two outcomes after a PIP: either the employee meets their goals or they fail to do so. If the employee is successful, then they will likely stay with the company and further their career. But if they fail to meet their goals, then they will most likely be terminated from the job.

A PIP is usually used when an employee has a performance gap that can be resolved with coaching, training, or feedback. A PIP is not a punishment, but a supportive tool to help the employee succeed.

Always bear in mind the 50% rule. The PIP process needs to know if you have difficulty with, or can't do, daily tasks 50% of the time or more. So that's at least half of the time. If you are affected half the time or more, you have to let the assessor and DWP decision maker know very clearly.

If you don't get an indefinite award, you'll get PIP for a fixed amount of time – your decision letter will tell you for how long. If you're terminally ill the award will be for 3 years. If you're awarded PIP for a fixed time of more than 2 years, the DWP will usually review your award before it ends.

To get PIP you must find it hard to do everyday tasks or get around because of a physical or mental condition. You must have found these things hard for 3 months and expect them to continue to be hard for another 9 months.

After looking at your ID to make sure that you are who you say you are, they will ask about each of your medical conditions. They will want to know how long you have had it, who diagnosed it, who manages it now, what the symptoms are and what variation there is in how it affects you.

You get the enhanced rate of daily living component if you score 12 points or more. If you score between eight and 11 points for your mobility needs, you get the standard rate of the mobility component. If you score 12 points or more, you get the enhanced rate of mobility component.

Daily living activities

The decision about whether you are entitled to the daily living component, and if so at what rate, is based on the number of points you score in total for the following activities: Preparing food. Taking nutrition. Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.