The Short Answer
A PIP decision letter states the award, the points for each of the twelve activities and the deadline to challenge it. GOV.UK states that where you are eligible it also gives the date of your first payment, the weekday you will usually be paid, how long the award lasts and when it will be reviewed. The points section is the part to read first, because it names the descriptor chosen for each activity.
What the Letter Contains
Four things, and the third is the one most claimants skip. The letter is written to explain a decision, which is why the reasoning sits behind the outcome rather than in front of it.
| Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| The decision | Which components are awarded, at which rate, or that none is |
| The award period | The start date, the end date, and whether a review is planned |
| The points | The descriptor chosen for each of the twelve activities, and its score |
| What to do if you disagree | The one-month deadline and how to ask for a reconsideration |
Last checked: 7 August 2026
GOV.UK describes the payment content of an award letter directly: "the date of your first payment", "what day of the week you'll usually be paid", "how long you'll get PIP for", and "when and if your claim will be reviewed".
Reading the Points Section
It names a descriptor for every activity, including the ones scored at zero. All twelve are listed, with the points that produced the 8 or 12-point comparison under regulations 5(3) and 6(3). That makes it a map of the disagreement rather than a summary of it.
Work down the twelve activities with your own copy of the PIP2 form beside you. Most decisions differ from a claimant's account on two or three activities, not on all twelve, and those rows are where a challenge has something to work with.
Three patterns recur:
- A descriptor scored on capability rather than reliability. The activity was recorded as possible because it can be done once, without the repeatability, safety, standard or timing questions being applied.
- An activity scored at zero because it was not described. Nothing in the papers addressed it, so nothing was found.
- The majority-of-days rule read as an average. A fluctuating difficulty was recorded at its mildest rather than at the level that applies on most days.
The Wording That Signals a Problem
Phrases describing what was observed at the appointment carry particular weight. The DWP assessment guide requires informal observations to be recorded, and they sit in the report alongside the descriptor recommendations. Notes that you sat comfortably, made eye contact, arrived unaccompanied or handled the conversation without difficulty are informal observations, and they sometimes drive a descriptor choice more than the answers did.
Where such a note contradicts your ordinary experience, that contradiction is the substance of a challenge. Requesting the assessment report shows how the observation was used.
The Deadline
One month from the date on the letter, not from the date you read it. That is the shortest deadline in the whole process and the one most often missed.
A late request can be accepted up to 13 months where there are reasons for the delay, but acceptance is not automatic and the reasons have to be given. Asking within the month removes the question entirely.
Where the letter has not arrived, call the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) and ask for the decision date and a copy. The clock runs from the letter's date regardless of the post.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
When the Decision Is an Award
Read the award period and the arrears alongside the points. A partial award is still a decision that can be challenged, and the one-month deadline applies to it in the same way as to a refusal.
Two figures decide whether the back payment is right: the date the award starts, which should be the claim date or the date entitlement arose, and the rate applied to each part of the backdated period. A start date recorded as the decision date is the commonest cause of a short payment.
Award length is set by likely change rather than by condition. GOV.UK states that a first award "will be between 9 months and 10 years, depending on whether your needs are likely to change".
What to Do Next
Decide within the month, and use the points section to decide. 27% of mandatory reconsiderations cleared in the quarter ending January 2026 changed the award, excluding withdrawn ones. Where the descriptors chosen match your account, the decision is likely to stand. Where they do not, the gap is documented.
The route and its deadlines are set out on the PIP Appeals page, and the request itself is covered on the mandatory reconsideration page. Keep the letter either way: every later stage refers back to it.