Answers · Question
How do I challenge a PIP decision?
Ask for a mandatory reconsideration first. You usually have one month from the date on the decision letter. The DWP looks at the decision again. Only after that letter comes back can you appeal to an independent tribunal.
- In the quarter to July 2026, 86,000 PIP mandatory reconsiderations were registered, and 26% of those cleared changed the award.
- Of PIP appeals decided at a hearing in April to June 2026, 67% changed the decision in the person’s favour. That figure is the hearing, not every claim.
What to send
Say which task is wrong and why, using the same four tests. Add anything you did not have at the assessment: a diary, a letter from the person who helps, a clinic letter.
Do not send a new diagnosis and nothing else. The gap is usually the description of the task, not the name of the condition.
If the reconsideration still says no
The letter explains how to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. There is a time limit on that too, usually one month from the reconsideration letter.
You can ask for the appeal to look at the papers or to hold a hearing. A hearing is where the published overturn rate is measured.
GOV.UK, Personal Independence Payment
Indicative only. Not advice. Confirm it on the official page before you rely on it.