In short
- Answer every activity, even ones you think don't apply.
- Describe what happens on most days, and what a bad day looks like.
- Give real examples: what happened, when, and how often.
- Send it back within 1 month, or ring 0800 121 4433 first for more time.
- Send the PIP2 back in the return envelope that comes with it, with the address showing in the window. No stamp is needed.
The PIP2 form is called "How your disability affects you." It asks the same question in different clothes, over and over: can you do this on your own, safely, to an acceptable standard, every time it's needed, and in a reasonable time.
Not whether you'd rather not, or whether you manage on a good day – whether you can do it reliably. This page walks through every question on the form, in its own order, with what it's really asking and one example answer for each.
Starting a claim
There are three ways to start a PIP claim:
- Ring 0800 917 2222.
- Write to Freepost DWP PIP 1 asking to claim PIP. Include your name and address.
- In some parts of England, you can claim fully online.
The PIP2 form comes on paper, or as a link to fill it in online after a phone claim. Send it back within 1 month. Send the PIP2 back in the return envelope that comes with it, with the address showing in the window. No stamp is needed. If you need more time, ring the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 before the deadline.
A diagnosis alone isn't enough. PIP looks at how the condition affects daily living and getting around.
You don't need a diagnosis to fill in Part 1. An approximate start date is fine for each condition - "about 3 years ago" is a perfectly good answer.
Q1: your conditions and medication
What it's really asking: Every condition you're claiming for, roughly when it started, and your medication – name, dose, how often, and any side effects.
What to include: One row per condition, with an approximate start date - "about 3 years ago" is a perfectly good answer. For medication, side effects matter as much as the medicine itself: drowsiness, nausea or brain fog can affect daily life as much as the condition it treats.
Example answer: “Fibromyalgia, about 4 years. Amitriptyline 10mg once a night, causes drowsiness in the morning.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q1: your other treatments
What it's really asking: Anything else you have that isn't a tablet – physiotherapy, counselling, dialysis, injections – who provides it and how often.
What to include: Name the treatment, who provides it, and how often you have it.
Example answer: “CBT, NHS talking therapies, every 2 weeks.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q2: health professionals
What it's really asking: Up to three people involved in your care – who they are, and roughly when you last saw them.
What to include: Pick people who actually know how you manage day to day, not necessarily the most senior specialist on your file. A GP seen every few months is often more useful here than a consultant seen once, two years ago.
Example answer: “Dr Patel, GP, Riverside Surgery, last seen last month.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q3: preparing food
What it's really asking: Whether you can prepare and cook a simple meal on your own – safely, to a normal standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time, on more than half your days.
What to include: Which part is hard (standing at the cooker, lifting a full pan, using a knife), what you use or who helps, and what actually goes wrong without help – not “it's difficult” but the real result: you skip the meal, you burn yourself, it takes three times as long.
Example answer: “I find lifting pans and standing at the cooker hard. I use a perching stool. Last month I dropped a hot pan because my hands gave way.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q4: eating and drinking
What it's really asking: Whether you can cut up food, eat and drink safely and reliably, on more than half your days.
What to include: Whether cutting up food, or eating and drinking itself, is what's hard; what aid or help you use; and what happens without it – missed meals, choking risk, needing reminding.
Example answer: “I find remembering to eat hard. On my worst days I forget until the evening because the pain takes over.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q5: managing your treatments
What it's really asking: Whether you can manage your medication or therapy, or monitor a health condition, on your own – including how many hours a week any therapy actually takes.
What to include: What's hard about managing it (opening packaging, remembering doses, the therapy itself), what you use or who helps, and roughly how often a dose or session is missed.
Example answer: “I find opening blister packs hard. I use a pill organiser. I've missed doses more than once when packaging was too fiddly on a bad day.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q6: washing and bathing
What it's really asking: Whether you can wash and bathe safely and reliably, on more than half your days.
What to include: Which part is hard (getting in or out of the bath, washing your hair, washing below the waist), what aid or help you use, and what happens without it.
Example answer: “I find getting in or out of the shower hard. I use a shower seat and grab rails. I slipped reaching for the shampoo and now keep everything within reach.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q7: toilet and incontinence
What it's really asking: Whether you can manage toilet needs or incontinence safely and reliably, on more than half your days.
What to include: What's hard, what aid or help you use, and what happens without it – this is a sensitive question, so specific, honest detail is what actually helps here, not a vague answer.
Example answer: “I need help managing incontinence most days. I use pads, and someone changes them for me.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q8: dressing and undressing
What it's really asking: Whether you can dress and undress, including choosing appropriate clothing, safely and reliably, on more than half your days.
What to include: Which part is hard (fastenings, your lower or upper body, choosing what to wear), what aid or help you use, and how much longer it takes.
Example answer: “I find fastening buttons hard. I use adapted fastenings. Buttons and shoelaces take me ten times as long on a stiff morning.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q9: talking, listening and understanding
What it's really asking: Whether you can communicate reliably with people who don't already know you, on more than half your days.
What to include: What's hard (finding words, following a conversation, being understood), what aid or communication support you use, and what happens without it.
Example answer: “I find following a conversation hard. I use writing things down. I've lost track mid-conversation and had to ask people to repeat themselves.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q10: reading
What it's really asking: Whether you can read and understand ordinary written information – letters, forms, signs – safely and reliably, on more than half your days.
What to include: What's hard (ordinary print, written instructions, signs), what aid or help you use, and what actually happens without it – not opening post, missing information.
Example answer: “I find reading a letter or form hard. I use a magnifier. I've ignored letters because I couldn't face reading them.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q11: mixing with other people
What it's really asking: Whether you can engage with other people face to face, on more than half your days.
What to include: What's hard (somewhere new, noise or crowds, people you don't know), what help you use, and what happens without it – leaving early, avoiding it altogether, becoming overwhelmed.
Example answer: “I find noisy or crowded places hard. I need someone I trust with me. I left a birthday party after twenty minutes because I was overwhelmed.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q12: managing money
What it's really asking: Whether you can make budgeting decisions – simple or complex – reliably, on more than half your days.
What to include: What's hard (complex decisions, simple decisions, or both), what help you use, and what actually goes wrong – a missed bill, an overspend.
Example answer: “I find keeping track of bills hard. My partner manages my money for me after I missed two payments.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q13: planning and following a journey
What it's really asking: Whether you can plan a route and follow it, including somewhere you haven't been before, without getting lost or needing someone with you the whole way.
What to include: What's hard (planning, an unfamiliar route, a familiar one), what aid or help you use, and what happens if a plan changes.
Example answer: “I find coping with a change of plan hard. I use a satnav app. A cancelled train once left me stranded because I couldn't work out another route.”
Let the helper write this one →
Q14: moving around
What it's really asking: The furthest you can walk, on a normal surface, before pain, breathlessness or another effect of your condition means you have to stop – using any aid you'd normally use.
What to include: Pick the band that reflects a normal day, not your best day: unable to stand or move at all, under 20 metres, 20 to 50 metres, 50 to 200 metres, over 200 metres, or it varies – say why if it varies a lot, and name any aid you use.
Example answer: “I can walk between 50 and 200 metres, using a stick, before I have to stop.”
Let the helper write this one →
Part 4: good days and bad days
What it's really asking: Whether your condition stays much the same day to day, comes with good and bad days, or comes and goes in flare-ups – and roughly how many bad days you get in a typical month.
What to include: Pick the pattern that actually fits, and be honest about the count of bad days – DWP looks at what happens on more than half your days, so this number matters.
Example answer: “It comes and goes in flare-ups. I have bad days on 16 to 20 days a month, more than half the month.”
Let the helper write this one →
Part 4: describe a bad day
What it's really asking: This is the one place on the form built for detail rather than ticking boxes.
What to include: Describe a normal week honestly, including bad days and how often they happen. Being specific and honest here isn't exaggerating; it's the point of the question.
Example answer: “I can't get out of bed before midday, every joint aches, and I don't wash, dress or eat properly.”
Let the helper write this one →
Part 4: anything else
What it's really asking: Anything genuinely new that didn't fit the questions above.
What to include: Keep this short. It's not a second chance to repeat what you've already said elsewhere.
Example answer: “The depression and the fibromyalgia feed each other – the pain wears me down and the low mood makes the pain feel worse.”
Let the helper write this one →
A quicker way to do this
Working through this much detail takes time, and it's easy to under-describe what's actually happening, especially on a form you only fill in once.
Our free PIP helper asks the same ground in plain English, one question at a time, and writes the form wording for you from what you say – nothing invented, nothing promised. Your answers stay in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
Questions people ask
What if a question doesn't apply to me?
Leave it blank, or say it doesn't apply. The form only scores what you actually describe – there's no benefit to answering a question that isn't relevant to your condition.
Should I describe my best day or my worst day?
Neither on its own. DWP looks at what happens on more than half your days. Describe a normal week honestly, including bad days and how often they happen. Describe your worst days truthfully. Don't play things down, and don't exaggerate.
Can I write more than the box allows?
Yes, if you're filling in the paper form you can continue on a separate sheet and note that it's a continuation. The helper writes each answer at the length it needs.
What if my condition varies a lot day to day?
Say so directly, with roughly how many bad days you get in a typical month. Part 4's good days and bad days question exists specifically for this – it isn't dishonest to describe a range.
You can apply to DWP directly, and Citizens Advice can help at no cost.
Sources
- Personal Independence Payment, GOV.UK - checked 24 September 2026
- How to claim PIP, GOV.UK - checked 24 September 2026
- PIP2 "How your disability affects you" form and guidance notes, GOV.UK - checked 24 September 2026
- The Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, Schedule 1 (SI 2013/377) - the "safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time" test – checked 24 September 2026