PIP Supporting Evidence Checklist 2026: What to Send

What evidence should you send for PIP? Send copies of anything that shows how your condition affects daily life: a current prescription list, care plans, letters from your GP, consultant, nurse or therapist plus a statement from someone who helps you. Evidence is optional unless you claim under the special rules (form SR1). Never send originals.

GOV.UK asks you to include supporting documents "if you have them" when you return the "How your disability affects you" form (the PIP2), and names prescription lists, care plans and information from your doctor as examples. The checklist below turns that into a tick-list you can print, explains what makes each item strong, what to leave out and exactly how to send it so nothing gets lost.

The PIP Supporting Evidence Checklist

Tick what you already have, then ask for what is missing. You do not need everything. Two or three strong, recent items that describe what you can and cannot do are worth more than a thick folder of appointment letters.

Medical and health professional evidence

• ☐ Current repeat prescription list from your GP surgery, pharmacy or NHS app
• ☐ GP letter or GP summary listing diagnoses, treatment and, ideally, how your conditions affect daily tasks
• ☐ Consultant or specialist clinic letters (for example rheumatology, neurology, psychiatry, cardiology or pain clinic)
• ☐ Hospital discharge summaries for admissions linked to your conditions
• ☐ Test and scan results that show severity, such as MRI, nerve conduction, lung function or hearing tests
• ☐ Specialist nurse letters (MS nurse, diabetes nurse, epilepsy nurse, stoma or continence nurse)

Care, therapy and support evidence

• ☐ Care plan from social services, a community mental health team or a learning disability team
• ☐ Occupational therapy report listing aids and adaptations you were assessed for
• ☐ Physiotherapy report describing walking distance, balance or range of movement
• ☐ Mental health evidence from a CPN, psychologist, psychiatrist or talking therapy service
• ☐ Support worker or social worker letter describing the help you get and how often
• ☐ Education, health and care plan if you are 16 to 25 and still have one

Everyday evidence from you and the people around you

• ☐ A statement from a carer, partner, relative or friend describing what they see and do for you, with dates and how often
• ☐ A symptom or bad days diary covering at least one to two weeks
• ☐ A list of aids you use (perching stool, shower seat, grab rails, walking stick, pill organiser, alarms)
• ☐ Your previous PIP or DLA decision letter if you are being reviewed or reclaiming
• ☐ A short cover letter listing every enclosure (template below)

Do You Have to Send Evidence With Your PIP Form?

No, not for a normal claim. GOV.UK says to include supporting documents if you have them. There is one exception: if you are nearing the end of life, the special rules apply and you ask a medical professional for form SR1, which they either give to you or send straight to the DWP. Under the special rules you will not need a face-to-face assessment. See our PIP special rules guide for how that works.

For everyone else, sending evidence is still worth it. The DWP guidance for assessment providers says a health professional can advise on a claim without a consultation where the evidence already on file allows them to give robust advice. Good evidence can mean a paper-based decision or a shorter, easier assessment.

What Makes PIP Evidence Strong?

PIP is not awarded for a diagnosis. Points come from the descriptors for 12 activities, so the best evidence describes function. Look for these four things in every document:

1. What you cannot do, or need help to do. "Needs prompting to wash and change clothes" scores. "Has depression" does not on its own.
2. How often. A descriptor applies if it fits on more than 50% of days in the required period (regulation 7 of the PIP Regulations 2013). Evidence that says "most days" or "five days a week" helps the decision maker apply that test. Our bad days rule guide explains it.
3. Safety, standard, repetition and time. Regulation 4 says you can only be treated as able to do an activity if you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time (no more than twice as long as someone without your condition). A letter that mentions falls, burns, choking, missed medication or tasks taking twice as long speaks directly to that test.
4. Recent and relevant. The evidence should describe how you are now. Older letters still help when your condition is long-term and has not changed, especially alongside something from the last 12 months.

Compare these two sentences from a clinic letter:

• Weak: "Mrs Patel has fibromyalgia and is under the pain clinic."
• Strong: "Mrs Patel's fibromyalgia causes widespread pain and fatigue on most days. Her husband helps her wash and dress each morning, and she cannot stand long enough to cook a simple meal without sitting down several times."

Evidence by PIP Activity

Match each piece of evidence to the activities it supports. That makes it easier for the assessor to use and easier for you to spot gaps.

• Preparing food and eating: OT report, dietitian letters, evidence of tube feeding, statements about burns or forgetting food on the hob.
• Managing therapy and medication: prescription list, pill organiser or blister packs, district nurse records, home dialysis or physiotherapy routines.
• Washing, toilet needs and dressing: OT report for bath boards or rails, continence service letters, carer statements about daily help.
• Communicating, reading and engaging with others: audiology or sight loss reports, speech and language therapy, mental health letters describing panic, withdrawal or distress around people.
• Budgeting: evidence of an appointee, cognitive assessments, letters about memory problems.
• Planning journeys: mental health evidence about leaving home, sight loss reports, letters about getting lost or needing someone with you.
• Moving around: physiotherapy walking distance, pain clinic or vascular letters, falls records, mobility aid assessments. See Activity 12: Moving Around.

What NOT to Send

• Originals. Send photocopies or printouts and keep your originals. At a face-to-face assessment the health professional copies anything you bring and hands the original back.
• General leaflets about your condition. The DWP wants to know how you are affected, not what the condition is in general.
• Every appointment letter you have ever had. Letters that only confirm a date and time add pages without adding information.
• Evidence that contradicts your form without explanation. If an old letter says you were "walking well" before a decline, add a line in your cover letter explaining what has changed.
• Out-of-date evidence on its own for a condition that has changed. Pair it with something current.

How and Where to Send PIP Evidence

1. With your PIP2 form if you can. Put copies in the same envelope as the form. You should return the form within one month of receiving it; if you are still waiting for a letter, send the form on time and post the evidence later rather than holding the form back.
2. Write your full name and National Insurance number on every page. Loose sheets get separated, and the DWP guidance asks claimants to quote their National Insurance number when posting copies.
3. Use the PIP postal address. GOV.UK gives the PIP postal address as Freepost DWP PIP 1, with no postcode or stamp needed. If your form or letter gives a different return address, use the one on your paperwork.
4. Keep a copy and proof of posting. You will want the same bundle again for a review, a Mandatory Reconsideration or an appeal. Ask the Post Office for a free certificate of posting.
5. Check it arrived. A week or so later you can call the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) to check your evidence is on file.

Can You Send Evidence After Your PIP Form?

Yes. You can send further evidence at any point before a decision is made, and the DWP guidance says evidence that arrives after the assessment report has been sent is passed to the case manager to consider. Send it as soon as you have it. Evidence that arrives after the decision does not change that decision, but you can use it in a Mandatory Reconsideration, which you normally ask for within one month of the date on your decision letter.

Asking Your GP for a PIP Letter

A GP letter is useful but not essential. When you ask, be specific: request a letter that confirms your diagnoses and medication and describes how your conditions affect cooking, washing, dressing, getting around and being around people, how often and whether you are safe doing these things alone.

Some surgeries charge for letters you ask for yourself because this is not part of NHS treatment. When the DWP or the assessment provider asks your GP for a factual report, the DWP pays for that report, so you are not charged. If your GP will not write a letter, ask the surgery for a printed summary and prescription list, or request your records with a Subject Access Request, which is usually free and must normally be answered within one month. Our guide to getting a GP letter for PIP has a template request.

Does the DWP Contact Your GP?

Sometimes. The assessment provider can ask the professionals you list on your form for further evidence, using standard request forms or a phone call from a health professional, and only with your consent. The guidance says they should choose who is likely to have useful evidence rather than writing to everyone. So it may happen, but you cannot count on it. Sending your own evidence is the only way to be sure it is read.

A Statement From a Family Member or Carer

A statement from someone who sees your daily life is one of the easiest pieces of evidence to get and one of the most useful. The DWP guidance lists family members and informal carers among its evidence sources. It should be written in their own words, signed and dated. It should describe specific things they have seen: "Three times last week I found the hob left on" is more useful than "she struggles".

For what to include and an example layout, read how to write a PIP carer's statement.

Evidence If You Have No Diagnosis

You can claim PIP while you are waiting for tests or a diagnosis. In that case your evidence leans on function: GP notes about your symptoms, referral letters, prescription changes, a symptom diary and a statement from someone who helps you. Our PIP without a diagnosis guide covers this in detail.

Cover Letter Template for PIP Evidence

Put a one-page cover letter on top of your bundle. It tells the reader what is enclosed and stops pages being misfiled.

Keep a Diary Alongside Your Evidence

Letters from professionals describe snapshots. A diary shows the pattern across ordinary days, which is what the majority of days test is about. Note what you could not do, what help you needed, how long things took and any accidents or near misses. Our guide to keeping a PIP diary shows how, and the free printable below makes it quick. Then make sure the diary and the evidence match what you write on the PIP2 form.

Frequently Asked Questions

What evidence do I need for PIP?

There is no fixed list. The most useful items are a current prescription list, care plans, letters from your GP, consultant, nurse or therapist that describe how your condition affects daily tasks plus a signed statement from someone who helps you. A symptom diary adds the day-to-day pattern.

Do I have to send evidence with my PIP form?

No. GOV.UK asks you to include supporting documents if you have them. It is only required under the special rules for people nearing the end of life, where a medical professional completes form SR1.

Where do I send additional PIP evidence?

Post copies to the PIP postal address on GOV.UK, Freepost DWP PIP 1 (no stamp or postcode), or to the return address on your form or letter. Write your name and National Insurance number on every page and include a short cover letter listing what you have enclosed.

Can I send evidence after my PIP form?

Yes. Send it as soon as you have it, at any time before a decision is made. Do not delay returning your form while you wait for letters. Evidence that arrives after the decision can be used in a Mandatory Reconsideration instead.

Does PIP contact my GP?

It can. With your consent, the assessment provider may ask the professionals you list on your form for a factual report or call them, but it does not do this for every claim. Send your own evidence rather than relying on it.

Should I send originals?

No. Send photocopies or printouts and keep the originals and a copy of everything you post. You will need the same evidence for reviews, Mandatory Reconsideration or an appeal.

Can a family member write a statement for PIP?

Yes. A partner, relative, friend or carer can write a signed and dated statement describing the help they give and what they have seen, with examples and how often it happens. They do not need any medical knowledge.

Do I have to pay my GP for a PIP letter?

Some surgeries charge for letters you request yourself. If the DWP or the assessment provider asks your GP for a factual report, the DWP pays for it. A printed summary or prescription list from your surgery is a useful alternative.

How much evidence is too much?

Quality matters more than volume. A focused bundle of recent, specific evidence with your strongest items on top is easier to use than dozens of pages of appointment letters. Leave out anything that only confirms an appointment date.