Free tool
PIP points self-checker: score yourself against the real descriptors
PIP is scored on 12 activities: 10 daily living and 2 mobility. In each activity, the highest descriptor that reliably applies to you scores points, and you need 8 points in a component for the standard rate or 12 for the enhanced rate. This checker uses the real descriptors and points from the Social Security (PIP) Regulations 2013, in plain English with the legal wording alongside, so you can see where your difficulties might score before you claim. It is an indication only: in a real claim the DWP decides, usually after an assessment.
Information only, not benefits advice and not a decision. A descriptor only counts if it applies safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, in a reasonable time, and on the majority of days. Answer honestly: a claim is decided on evidence, and overstating or understating both hurt you.
Rules in force checked 19 July 2026. The proposed "4-point minimum" rule reported in 2025 was dropped before becoming law: the PIP clauses were removed from the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill on 1 July 2025, and the Universal Credit Act 2025 makes no changes to PIP. An independent review of the PIP assessment (the Timms review) is due to report by autumn 2026. The activities, descriptors, points and rates on this page are the rules in force today. (Sources: Universal Credit Act 2025 (c. 22), legislation.gov.uk; Timms Review of the PIP Assessment, terms of reference (parliament.uk).)
Part 1: daily living activities
Pick the one statement in each activity that best matches you on the majority of days. "Simplified wording" is ours; expand each activity to see the exact legal text.
1. Preparing food 0 points
ADHD claims often turn on needing prompting to start or finish cooking, or needing supervision because of distraction around hobs and timers.
2. Taking nutrition (eating and drinking) 0 points
Skipped meals from time blindness, appetite suppression from stimulant medication, or needing prompting to eat can be relevant here.
3. Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition 0 points
Needing reminders or supervision to take ADHD medication on time, attend reviews, or monitor side effects counts here, though it scores modestly.
4. Washing and bathing 0 points
Executive dysfunction that means you do not wash without prompting on the majority of days is the descriptor that most often applies in ADHD claims.
5. Managing toilet needs or incontinence 0 points
Less commonly scored in ADHD-only claims; relevant where there is a co-occurring condition.
6. Dressing and undressing 0 points
Needing prompting to get dressed at all, or to dress appropriately for the situation or weather, is the ADHD-relevant descriptor.
7. Communicating verbally 0 points
Rarely scored for ADHD alone; relevant with co-occurring speech, hearing or processing conditions.
8. Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words 0 points
Needing prompting to read and take in complex written information (forms, letters, instructions) can apply, especially with co-occurring dyslexia.
9. Engaging with other people face to face 0 points
Needing prompting or social support to engage with people, or being unable to engage because of overwhelming psychological distress, comes up often in ADHD claims, particularly with anxiety.
10. Making budgeting decisions 0 points
Impulse spending, unpaid bills and needing help with complex money decisions map directly to this activity. It is one of the most cited in ADHD claims.
Part 2: mobility activities
In ADHD claims, mobility points usually come from planning and following journeys, not from physically walking.
11. Planning and following journeys 0 points
The mobility points in ADHD claims usually come from here: needing prompting to leave the house to avoid overwhelming psychological distress, or being unable to plan or follow a route.
12. Moving around 0 points
This is about physically walking. It rarely scores in ADHD-only claims; it matters where there is a physical condition too.
Your indicative score
Daily living
0 points
Below standard rate threshold
Mobility
0 points
Below standard rate threshold
Thresholds: 8 points for the standard rate, 12 for the enhanced rate of each component. Weekly rates 2026/27: daily living £76.70 standard and £114.60 enhanced; mobility £30.30 standard and £80.00 enhanced (Source: DWP, Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, gov.uk).
Next steps: can you get PIP for ADHD?, how to claim, step by step, how much PIP pays, or the complete PIP for ADHD guide.
Methodology and sources
Every activity, descriptor, point value and the 8/12 thresholds are taken directly from the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, Schedule 1 (thresholds in regulations 5 and 6), checked 19 July 2026. Weekly rates are the 2026/27 figures from DWP benefit and pension rates.
The plain-language options are our paraphrases for readability; the exact legal wording is shown under each option and prevails. The checker scores the single highest descriptor you pick per activity, exactly as the regulations do. It cannot test the reliability rules (safely, acceptable standard, repeatedly, reasonable time, majority of days), which is where real decisions are won and lost, so treat the result as a starting point for your evidence, not a prediction.
The "common in ADHD claims" tags are editorial, based on the descriptor types (prompting, supervision, psychological distress) that published welfare-rights guidance identifies as most relevant to ADHD and other neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions.
Frequently asked questions
How many PIP points do I need?
You need 8 points in one component for the standard rate and 12 points for the enhanced rate of that component. Daily living and mobility are scored separately, so you can get one component, both, or neither. Only the highest scoring descriptor in each activity counts, and the points thresholds are set by the Social Security (PIP) Regulations 2013.
Does this checker tell me what I would actually get?
No. It shows an indicative score based on the descriptors you pick. In a real claim the DWP decides which descriptors apply, usually after an assessment, and a descriptor only counts if it applies safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, in a reasonable time, and on the majority of days over 12 months. Assessors and tribunals often reach different conclusions from claimants on exactly these tests.
Can you score PIP points for ADHD without a physical disability?
Yes. PIP is scored on how your condition affects listed daily living and mobility activities, not on the diagnosis itself. In ADHD claims, points most often come from needing prompting with cooking, eating, washing, dressing, reading complex information, engaging with people, and budgeting, and from the planning and following journeys activity on the mobility side.
What does "needs prompting" actually mean?
Prompting means someone reminding, encouraging or explaining so you can do the activity. The key question is whether you need it, not whether you currently get it. If you live alone and no one prompts you, but without prompting you do not cook, eat or wash to an acceptable standard on the majority of days, the need still counts. Say so in the form and give real examples.
Is PIP changing? I read about a 4-point rule.
The proposed rule that claimants would need at least 4 points in one daily living activity was dropped before becoming law in July 2025. The independent Timms review of the PIP assessment is due to report by autumn 2026, and any change after it would need new legislation. The descriptors and thresholds in this checker are the rules in force today.
This tool is information only. It is not benefits advice, not a decision, and not a prediction of what the DWP will award. For advice on your own claim, Citizens Advice and local welfare rights services can help free of charge.
Editor, ADHD Helper
Adam leads ADHD Helper's editorial coverage of adult ADHD, and he writes it from lived experience: Adam has ADHD himself, diagnosed as an adult, and has been through the assessment routes and the daily workarounds this site covers. He is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and researches the plain-English explainers on getting an ADHD assessment through NHS Right to Choose or privately, and on the products and tools people use to manage ADHD, drawing on guidance from the NHS, NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is clear that the site is information, not medical advice, and that diagnosis is for a registered clinician.
Last reviewed: 19 July 2026