The Short Answer
Another person can start a PIP claim on 0800 917 2222 only with the claimant present, unless the DWP has made them an appointee, who then makes the claim, receives the payments and reports changes. GOV.UK allows another person to be added to the claim call, or to call on the claimant's behalf where the claimant is with them. The DWP appoints an appointee only where the claimant cannot manage their own benefit affairs.
Helping Without a Formal Role
Most help needs no authority at all. GOV.UK sets out three options on the claim call: ask for the helper to be added to the call, ask someone else to call on the claimant's behalf where the claimant is with them, or ask for a Welsh speaker.
Beyond the call, a helper can complete the PIP2 form with the claimant, gather evidence, attend the assessment and write a supporting statement. None of that requires appointeeship, and a statement from someone who provides day-to-day help is often the most useful document in a claim.
A home visit from a DWP officer can also be requested during the claim call, which GOV.UK notes for anyone who needs help making the claim.
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When an Appointee Is Needed
Where the claimant cannot manage their own benefit affairs. An appointee is appointed by the DWP, not chosen privately, and the DWP satisfies itself that the arrangement is necessary before agreeing to it.
| The appointee does | The appointee must |
|---|---|
| Make and manage the claim | Spend the benefit "in the claimant's best interests", in GOV.UK's words |
| Receive the payments | Report changes of circumstances straight away |
| Complete forms and correspondence | Keep the money for the claimant's use |
| Deal with reviews and challenges | Tell the DWP if they can no longer act |
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The reporting duty transfers with the role. Where an appointee does not report a change, the consequences GOV.UK sets out — repayment, and potentially a penalty or court — attach to the claim.
Power of Attorney Is Not the Same Thing
A power of attorney is a legal instrument; appointeeship is a DWP arrangement. Having one does not automatically give the other, and the DWP may still ask for appointeeship to be put in place for benefit purposes.
Where an attorney or deputy is already acting, telling the DWP is the first step. The PIP enquiry line is 0800 121 4433, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. The change of the person acting is itself reportable, and GOV.UK lists it among the changes that must be reported straight away.
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Writing the Form for Someone Else
Describe their ordinary day, not the help you give. The commonest error in a form completed by a carer is that it describes the carer's work rather than the claimant's function.
Both belong on the form, but they answer different questions. GOV.UK puts the frequency test as expecting "to have difficulty more than half of the days over a 12-month period", so days per week is the unit that decides the descriptor. What the helper does — prompting, supervision, assistance — is what shows which descriptor applies. Writing both, activity by activity, is what a decision maker can score.
The form is called 'How your disability affects you', and it is returned within 1 month of the date it carries.
At the Assessment
Someone else can attend, and what they say counts. GOV.UK states that you can have someone with you, giving a friend or support worker as examples.
A helper who is present should expect to be asked directly what they do. Being specific — how often, for how long, what happens without it — is more useful than a general statement that the claimant needs a lot of support.
The setting is worth knowing in advance. An assessment can be at an assessment centre, at the claimant's home, over the phone or by video call, it usually takes 1 hour, and the audio is recorded.
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The Rest of the Process
An appointee changes who acts, not what is assessed. The same twelve activities, the same 1-month deadlines and the same challenge route apply, and a first award still runs for between 9 months and 10 years.
The full sequence is on claiming pip explained.