Form CRMR1 is how you ask the Department for Work and Pensions to look at a decision again in writing. This tool takes you through it in five short steps and fills in the current version of the form, 01/26, for you. The answers are yours: the tool puts them in the right boxes in the right order and makes sure that whatever does not fit carries on in question 21.
About youStep 1 of 5 · questions 1 to 8
The details of the person the decision is about. If you are filling this in for someone else, put their details here and yours further down.
Fill this in only if you are not the person the decision is about, for example their carer, parent, relative, friend or legal Deputy.
As well as the form, send signed authority for you to act on their behalf, which can be a signed letter. You do not need to if you are already registered as their appointee or Deputy with the DWP, or you are their parent or legal guardian.
The decisionStep 2 of 5 · question 16
Why you disagreeStep 3 of 5 · question 17
Take one activity at a time. The form says that if you disagree with more than one part of the decision, you must say why you disagree with each part. Write in your own words: the tool only puts them in order. If you are filling this in for someone else, describe what happens to them.
EvidenceStep 4 of 5 · questions 18 to 21
Check and downloadStep 5 of 5 · declaration
Your completed CRMR1
The official form with your answers typed in. The boxes stay editable, so you can still change a word on screen before you print.
Form CRMR1 (01/26) is published by the Department for Work and Pensions on GOV.UK. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Your completed copy is the same form with your answers typed in and, if needed, continuation sheets added by PIPexpert, which is not part of the DWP. Prefer to fill it in yourself? Download the blank form (the GOV.UK file, unchanged).
What to do now
- Print every page and read each answer through.
- Sign and date the declaration on page 8 by hand, then tick "Signed this form".
- Post it to the address at the top of your decision letter, with any new evidence at the same time. You usually need to ask within one month of the date on the letter, and if you post the form it must arrive by then.
- Keep a copy of everything you send and proof of posting.
- The DWP will send you a text message or letter to tell you it has received your form.
A full Done For You report for all 12 activities, a point-by-point challenge of your decision letter, a pre-filled Mandatory Reconsideration letter and an evidence gap finder. Plus tribunal materials if the MR fails: a pre-filled witness statement, an appeal submission letter, a skeleton argument, a hearing day walkthrough and a hearing day checklist.
View MR Pack pricing →MR Pack from £149.99
Free as well: check your points in the Decision Analyser or see what a line of your letter means with the Decision Letter Translator.
What the CRMR1 form is
CRMR1 is the DWP's mandatory reconsideration request form. Its full title is "If you disagree with a decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions". You use it to ask for a decision to be looked at again by a different decision maker, who checks whether it was right or wrong. It is not only for PIP: question 06 asks which benefit your request is about.
The current version is dated 01/26. It has 8 pages and was last updated on GOV.UK on 20 January 2026, together with the notes booklet CRMR1A, "How to disagree with a decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions". GOV.UK describes it as a form you download, fill in on screen, save and then print, and the form says you can type your information instead of writing if that is easier for you. A Welsh version is on the same page.
Do you have to use the CRMR1 form?
No. There are three ways to ask for a mandatory reconsideration of a PIP decision:
- By phone. The form itself says it is easier to call: your claim is looked at in exactly the same way, it is much quicker and you can explain why you think the decision is wrong without filling anything in. The number is at the top of your decision letter. If you call, have your question 17 text in front of you and read from it.
- By letter. Write to the address on your decision letter with your name, date of birth, National Insurance number, the date of the decision, which part of it you want looked at again and why that part is wrong. Our free MR letter generator sets it out for you.
- With form CRMR1. The same information, in numbered boxes. It helps if you are not sure what to include, and you keep a copy of exactly what you sent.
Whichever you choose, write down the date and the name of anyone you speak to, or keep a copy of what you post.
The deadline
You usually need to ask within one month of the date on your decision letter, not the date it reached you. If you post the form, it must arrive by then, so leave time for the post. The tool above works out the date for you and ticks question 16 to match. It counts a calendar month, so a letter dated 31 January runs to the last day of February.
If the month has passed, you can still ask if you have a good reason, for example a stay in hospital or a bereavement. Answer No at question 16 and explain why your request is late. GOV.UK suggests calling the number on your decision letter first in that case.
How to fill in the CRMR1 form, box by box
| Box | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| 01 to 08, About you | Title, name, date of birth, National Insurance number (it is at the top of your decision letter), the benefit (write Personal Independence Payment), your address, phone numbers and the best times to call. If you write by hand, the form asks for black ink and capitals. |
| 09 to 15, representative | Only if someone else is filling in the form for you, such as a carer, relative or legal Deputy. They also send signed authority, unless they are already your appointee or Deputy with the DWP, or your parent or legal guardian. |
| 16, within one month | Yes if you are asking within a month of the date on the letter. If No, say why you are late. |
| 17, what you disagree with | The heart of the form: each part of the decision you disagree with and why. See the next section. |
| 18, new information | Yes or No, then a list of everything new you are sending with the form. |
| 19 and 20, attached evidence | Whether all of it is enclosed. If not, what is missing and why, for example a medical report you have asked for that has not arrived yet. |
| 21, further information | Anything else the DWP may need to know, and the rest of any answer that ran out of space. |
| Declaration, page 8 | Your name, then your signature and the date by hand. The checklist asks you to confirm you have explained what you disagree with, attached all the evidence and signed the form. |
What to write in question 17
Question 17 asks: "What part(s) of your decision do you disagree with and why?" It is the most important box, because it tells the decision maker exactly what you think is wrong and why. For PIP, a part of the decision usually means an activity, so take them one at a time:
- Name the activity and the descriptor. Give the descriptor on your letter and the one you think applies, with its points. Our descriptors guide lists them all.
- Describe what actually happens when you try, in your own words, with a real example if you have one.
- Say what goes wrong. You only count as able to do an activity if you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time, which means no more than twice as long as someone without your condition would normally take (regulation 4 of the PIP Regulations 2013).
- Say how often. A descriptor applies if it is true on more than half of the days (regulation 7).
- Correct the report. Quote anything in the assessment report or the letter that is wrong, and say what is true. Our guide to assessment report errors shows the common ones.
Daily living and mobility are scored separately: each part needs 8 points for the standard rate and 12 for the enhanced rate (regulations 5 and 6), so one activity moving up a step can change the award.
Daily living activity 4 - Washing and bathing: I was awarded 0 points (descriptor 4a). I believe descriptor 4e applies (3 points): "Needs assistance to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower." I cannot lift my leg over the side of the bath because of pain and stiffness in my hips, so my partner holds my arm and steadies me every time. Twice this year I slipped when I tried on my own. This happens every day. The assessment report says "able to wash and bathe independently", which is not correct because I told the assessor that my partner helps me in and out of the bath.
Evidence that helps
Evidence should back up what you say in question 17. The CRMR1A notes list what helps for PIP: new medical reports from nurses, doctors or other professionals who look after you, reports or care plans from therapists or nurses the DWP has not seen, test or scan results and your current repeat prescription list. They ask you not to send information you have already provided, factsheets about your condition, medical appointment letters or cards and bus or train tickets to appointments.
GOV.UK adds two practical points: write your full name, date of birth and National Insurance number at the top of each piece of evidence, and you cannot claim back the cost of evidence you pay for. A diary of your bad days and a statement from someone who helps you can also show what happens on most days: our free symptom diary and carer's statement template are built for that. The notes and the form are both on the GOV.UK page Challenge a decision made by the DWP.
Where to send it
Print the form, sign and date page 8 and post it to the address at the top of your decision letter, with any new evidence at the same time. Keep a copy of everything you send and proof of posting. The DWP will send you a text message or letter to tell you it has received your form.
What happens next
A different decision maker looks at your claim and any new information, and may call you if they need to know more, which is why the form asks for the best times to call. The form is clear that the outcome can go either way: the amount you are awarded could go up, down or stay the same, and your benefit could also be stopped. When they have decided, you get a letter called a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice.
If you still disagree, you can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal, usually within one month of the date on the notice. Our PIP tribunal guide explains how it works.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
CRMR1 is a DWP form. In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment has replaced PIP, and Social Security Scotland has its own re-determination process: see mygov.scot, or our sister site ADPexpert. In Northern Ireland, PIP is run by the Department for Communities, so use the contact details on your decision letter to ask for a reconsideration. The activities, descriptors and points there are the same, so the question 17 text from this tool still helps you set out what you disagree with.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Sources
- GOV.UK: Challenge a decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), form CRMR1 (01/26) and notes CRMR1A, updated 20 January 2026.
- GOV.UK: Challenge a benefit decision (mandatory reconsideration).
- The Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013: regulation 4 (safely, acceptable standard, repeatedly, reasonable time), regulations 5 and 6 (8 and 12 points), regulation 7 (more than 50% of days) and Schedule 1 (activities and descriptors).
- The Personal Independence Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, Schedule 1.
- Scotland: mygov.scot, how to challenge a decision.
- Open Government Licence v3.0, under which the form is used.
Guidance only, not legal advice. PIPexpert is not part of the DWP, and the decision on your claim is made by the DWP. Checked against the sources above in September 2026.