PIP letters are written in the language of the law. "You do not satisfy the descriptor", "informal observations", "can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided": each of these has a precise meaning, and most of them decide points. This translator knows all 67 descriptors in Schedule 1 to the PIP Regulations 2013, the legal terms inside them and the phrases that come up again and again in decision letters, reconsideration notices, assessment reports and DWP messages.
In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment has replaced PIP. ADP letters come from Social Security Scotland, with different time limits: 42 days to ask for a re-determination and 31 days to appeal. Our sister site ADPexpert covers ADP.
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Decision letter
Assessment report (PA4)
More from assessment reports
Mandatory reconsideration notice
Descriptor wording
Texts and progress letters
Northern Ireland
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The deadlines that matter
Every PIP challenge runs on one-month clocks. The date that counts is the date on the letter, not the day it reaches you, and a written request has to arrive within the month.
| Step | Deadline | If you are late | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory reconsideration | One month from the date on the decision letter | Can still be accepted up to 13 months from the decision if you explain why you could not ask in time | Regulations 5 and 6, Decisions and Appeals Regulations 2013 |
| Appeal to the tribunal (England and Wales) | One month from the date on the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice | Up to 12 months after the deadline, with your reasons; treated as in time if the DWP does not object | Rule 22, Tribunal Procedure Rules 2008 |
| Appeal to The Appeals Service (Northern Ireland) | One month from the date of the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice | Only in special circumstances, and never more than 12 months after the deadline | Regulations 31 and 32, Decisions and Appeals Regulations (NI) 1999 |
| Sending back a form or information the DWP asks for | One month from the request, or longer if the DWP agrees | That part of the claim is refused unless you had good reason | Regulation 8, PIP Regulations 2013 |
Living in Scotland? Adult Disability Payment has replaced PIP there, and Social Security Scotland finished moving PIP awards across in August 2025. ADP decisions have their own time limits: 42 days to ask for a re-determination and 31 days from the re-determination letter to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (mygov.scot). Our sister site ADPexpert covers ADP decisions.
The rules behind every descriptor
Reliability: four testsYou 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(2A) and (4)).
Majority of daysA descriptor applies if it is true on more than 50% of days across the 3 months before and the 9 months after. If different scoring descriptors apply on different days and together cover more than half, the one that applies most often is chosen (regulation 7).
Points thresholdsDaily living and mobility are scored separately. For each part, 8 points gives the standard rate and 12 points the enhanced rate (regulations 5 and 6). From April 2026 that is £76.70 or £114.60 a week for daily living and £30.30 or £80 for mobility.
Help you need, not help you getThe assessment looks at the underlying need for help, not whether help is available, so you can score for help you need but do not currently have (PIP Assessment Guide part 2, 2.1.18).
What the DWP's own guide says about assessment reports
The PIP Assessment Guide is the manual assessors work to. Several of its paragraphs answer the phrases that appear most often in reports, so they are worth quoting back in a reconsideration.
- Snapshots are not enough. A snapshot of your condition on one day at one time is not an adequate assessment; function should be looked at over the year (part 1, 1.6.30).
- Observations must be balanced. Informal observations should be weighed against evidence from professionals who see you more often (1.6.31), and an inconsistency must be weighed with full reasoning (1.6.34).
- Pain and fatigue are hard to see. Assessors must take account of symptoms that are hard to observe, and the level of painkillers does not necessarily match the level of pain (1.6.35).
- Medication is not a measure of severity. Not everyone with a mental health condition takes medication, and severity does not necessarily match the type or dose (1.6.36).
- Your account must be recorded. The assessor must write down what you describe even if they doubt it, and deal with that doubt when justifying their advice (1.6.15).
Refused, or scored too low?
The Mandatory Reconsideration Pack takes your decision letter apart activity by activity: a point-by-point challenge, a pre-filled MR letter, a full Done For You report of all 12 activities, an evidence gap finder and tribunal papers if the MR fails. £149.99.
See the MR Pack →Prefer to start free? Check your points in the Decision Analyser or write your letter with the free MR letter tool.
Frequently asked questions
Is the decision letter translator free and private?
Yes. It is free with no sign-up, and it runs in your own browser: what you paste is never sent to us or stored. Only if you ask us to email the explanation do we send anything, and then only the list of explanations shown, the type of letter, your country and the letter date you entered, never the text you pasted. We keep your email address in our email system to send occasional PIP guidance, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
What is a descriptor on a PIP decision letter?
A descriptor is one of the fixed sentences in Schedule 1 to the PIP Regulations 2013 that describe a level of difficulty with an activity, for example "Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided" (0 points) or "Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal" (4 points). The decision picks one descriptor for each of the 12 activities. Daily living and mobility are scored separately: 8 points gives the standard rate and 12 the enhanced rate.
How long do I have to challenge a PIP decision?
You usually have one month from the date on the decision letter to ask for a mandatory reconsideration, and if you write, the request must arrive within that month. A late request can be accepted up to 13 months from the decision if you explain why you could not ask in time. After the mandatory reconsideration you have one month from the date on the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice to appeal, and a late appeal can be accepted up to 12 months after that deadline.
What does "you do not satisfy the descriptor" mean?
It means the decision maker found that none of the scoring descriptors for that activity applied to you on more than half of the days, so you got 0 points for it. 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, so if that is not true on most days the 0-point descriptor is wrong and the activity can be challenged.
What are informal observations in a PIP assessment report?
They are what the health professional noticed during the consultation, such as how you walked in, sat, looked or sounded. The DWP's own PIP Assessment Guide says they must be balanced with evidence from professionals who see you more often and that a snapshot of one day is not an adequate assessment. An observation shows what you did once; it does not show whether you can do an activity repeatedly or on most days.
Can the DWP award more points than the assessor recommended?
Yes. The health professional's report is advice. The decision is made by a case manager at the DWP, or at the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, who must weigh the report against all the other evidence and can choose different descriptors.
Is it different in Northern Ireland?
The activities, descriptors and points are the same, under the Personal Independence Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016. The decision is made by the Department for Communities, and appeals go to The Appeals Service on form NOA1(SS) instead of the HMCTS tribunal. The one-month time limits for the reconsideration and the appeal are the same.
I live in Scotland. Does this apply to me?
Not directly. In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment has replaced PIP, and Social Security Scotland finished moving PIP awards across in August 2025. ADP broadly aligns with PIP on the activities and points, but the letters come from Social Security Scotland and the time limits are different: 42 days to ask for a re-determination and 31 days from the re-determination letter to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. Our sister site ADPexpert covers ADP decisions.
Related guides
Sources
- The Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013: regulations 2, 4 to 10 and 12; Schedule 1 (definitions, 10 daily living and 2 mobility activities).
- The Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2013: regulations 3, 5, 6 and 7.
- The Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Social Entitlement Chamber) Rules 2008, rule 22.
- The Personal Independence Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, the Decisions and Appeals Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 and regulations 31 and 32 of the 1999 Regulations.
- DWP: PIP Assessment Guide for Assessment Providers, parts 1 to 3 (updated 31 August 2026).
- GOV.UK: mandatory reconsideration, appeal a benefit decision and PIP rates; nidirect: appeal a benefits decision.
- Ministry of Justice: Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, April to June 2026.
- Award extensions: SI 2026/457 (England and Wales) and regulation 22A of the Northern Ireland Decisions and Appeals Regulations 2016, inserted by SR 2026/88, both in force from 2 June 2026.
- Scotland: mygov.scot, how to challenge a decision; Social Security Scotland, Adult Disability Payment transfer complete (28 August 2025).
Guidance only, not legal advice. Letters vary in wording, so the translator matches the phrases that come up most often; the decision maker's own reasons in your letter always come first. Checked against the sources above in September 2026.