PIP for cancer

There's no cancer-specific PIP form

PIP doesn't have a list of qualifying conditions, so a cancer diagnosis on its own doesn't decide a claim. DWP looks instead at how cancer and its treatment affect your daily living and mobility, using 12 set activities. Two people with the same type of cancer can get different results, because it's about the effect, not the diagnosis. See the PIP conditions list guide for more on this.

If you may have 12 months or less to live, special rules can mean a faster, simpler claim. See the special rules guide.

How cancer can affect the 12 activities

• Managing treatments - treatment you manage at home, like tablets on a strict timetable or looking after a line or dressing, can need reminders or help. Treatment given in hospital isn't counted here. "I take anti-sickness tablets on a strict timetable after chemotherapy, and I need reminders to keep to it." See managing treatments.
• Preparing food - fatigue, sickness or weight loss can make cooking hard to manage alone. "Some weeks I'm too tired and sick to stand at the cooker, so my partner cooks for me." See preparing food.
• Washing and bathing - fatigue and weakness from treatment can make washing tiring or unsafe alone. "After a treatment cycle I need to sit down halfway through a shower because I'm too weak to stand." See washing and bathing.
• Moving around - fatigue, breathlessness or pain can limit how far you can walk reliably. "On bad days I can only walk a short way before I need to stop and rest." See moving around.
• Mixing with people - anxiety or low mood since a diagnosis can make it harder to engage with people face to face. "Since my diagnosis I get very anxious meeting people I don't know, and on bad days I can't face anyone outside my family." See mixing with people.

What 'reliably' means with cancer

DWP should only count what you can do safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time (no more than twice as long as someone without cancer or its treatment).

Fatigue from cancer or its treatment often builds up. You might manage a task once, then need hours or days to recover, or need someone to prompt or check on you. Say what happens after you try something, not just whether you can do it once.

Good days and bad days

Cancer and its treatment can affect you differently depending on where you are in a treatment cycle, or whether you're recovering from surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. DWP looks at what's true on more than half of days over a year, so describe a typical day and your worst days, and how often they happen. A diary can help you track this against your treatment plan.

Evidence that helps

Useful evidence includes a letter from your oncologist, GP, specialist nurse or hospice team, your treatment plan, your prescription list, or a statement from a carer or family member. A diary showing fatigue and bad days can help too. Send copies, not originals. See what to send with your PIP form.

Things people often leave out

People often don't mention how tired treatment makes them, or that they need help with things they used to manage alone, like cooking or washing. It's easy to leave out the effect of side effects like sickness or pain, or that a 'good' day still takes real effort. Say what actually happens, including help from family or friends.

Common questions