The Short Answer
You can get PIP with functional neurological disorder (FND) if its effects on daily activities or moving around score at least 8 points in a component on more than half of the days; the diagnosis alone does not decide it. PIP scores what you can do safely, repeatedly and in a reasonable time, and the descriptors are the same whatever the cause. Eight points pays the standard rate, 12 points pays the enhanced rate, and the two components are scored separately.
Can You Get PIP for FND?
Yes, PIP can be awarded for FND when its effects on the assessed activities score at least 8 points in the daily living or mobility component. The regulations name no condition, so the medical conditions list shows how each diagnosis maps onto the same 12 activities rather than ranking any of them.
GOV.UK sets out the eligibility test in four parts, checked on 30 September 2026. You are 16 or over, you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, you have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around, and you expect the difficulties to last at least 12 months from when they started. Nothing in that test asks about the cause of the difficulty or how a condition is treated.
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Points for the standard rate | 8 in a component | PIP Regulations 2013, regs 5(3) and 6(3) |
| Points for the enhanced rate | 12 in a component | PIP Regulations 2013, regs 5(3) and 6(3) |
| How often a descriptor must apply | Over 50% of the days of the required period | PIP Regulations 2013, reg 7(1) |
| The required period | 3 months before and 9 months after the assessment date | PIP Regulations 2013, reg 7(3) |
| Duration test | Difficulties expected to last at least 12 months | GOV.UK, PIP eligibility |
Last checked:
Which PIP Activities Can FND Affect?
PIP scores FND through whichever of the 12 activities its effects limit for you, and the table quotes the Schedule 1 descriptors for six of them. The other six can apply in the same way, because the assessment reads effects on tasks and never the diagnosis.
| Activity | Descriptor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Daily living 1: Preparing food | d. Needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal. | 2 |
| Daily living 1: Preparing food | e. Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal. | 4 |
| Daily living 4: Washing and bathing | c. Needs supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe. | 2 |
| Daily living 4: Washing and bathing | e. Needs assistance to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower. | 3 |
| Daily living 6: Dressing and undressing | b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to dress or undress. | 2 |
| Daily living 6: Dressing and undressing | e. Needs assistance to be able to dress or undress their upper body. | 4 |
| Daily living 7: Communicating verbally | c. Needs communication support to be able to express or understand complex verbal information. | 4 |
| Daily living 7: Communicating verbally | d. Needs communication support to be able to express or understand basic verbal information. | 8 |
| Mobility 1: Planning and following journeys | d. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. | 10 |
| Mobility 1: Planning and following journeys | f. Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. | 12 |
| Mobility 2: Moving around | c. Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. | 8 |
| Mobility 2: Moving around | e. Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. | 12 |
Last checked:
One descriptor is scored per activity, and the score is the highest one that applies on more than half of the days. The full wording for each distance is in the moving around descriptors, and every descriptor is quoted from Schedule 1 of the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, fetched from legislation.gov.uk.
How Do Functional Seizures Count for PIP?
PIP assesses seizures by predictability and risk of harm, and the assessment guide's wording refers to seizures without naming a cause. The same test therefore applies to functional seizures, which some clinics also call non-epileptic seizures.
The guide defines supervision as "a need for the continuous presence of another person for the purpose of ensuring the claimant’s safety to avoid a harm occurring". It adds that "it is necessary to consider both the likelihood of a serious adverse event occurring, and the severity of the harm that might occur" and that supervision must be required for the full duration of the activity.
For cooking, the guide states that "claimants with unpredictable episodes may need to use a microwave due to the risk of burning themselves with a conventional cooker". It also says descriptor 1e "might apply to those where there is strong evidence that the altered consciousness is unpredictable and that they would not reliably be able to use a microwave". For falls, the guide's example is "seizures associated with loss of consciousness", where the risk of falling is assessed under planning and following journeys, and "any risks to an individual arising during the ‘recovery’ period" must be considered. These are the guide's examples, and whether they describe your situation depends on what happens to you.
The guide applies the PIP reliability criteria to every activity: safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time period, which means no more than twice as long as a non-disabled person would normally take. The PIP for Epilepsy guide sets out the same supervision test in full.
How Does the 50% Rule Treat Symptoms That Vary?
A descriptor applies when it is satisfied on over 50% of the days of the required period, so changing days are counted rather than averaged. Regulation 7(2) states that a descriptor is satisfied on a day "if it is likely that, if C had been assessed on that day, C would have satisfied that descriptor". GOV.UK puts the same test as expecting difficulty "more than half of the days over a 12-month period". The page on counting days under the 50% rule covers this in full.
This example is arithmetic only and does not describe any person or condition. Take one week as a stand-in for the required period, with moving around varying as follows.
- On 3 days in 7, descriptor e applies (more than 1 but no more than 20 metres, 12 points).
- On 2 days in 7, descriptor d applies (more than 20 but no more than 50 metres with an aid, 10 points).
- On 2 days in 7, descriptor a applies (more than 200 metres, 0 points).
- No single descriptor applies on over 50% of the days, but e and d together apply on 5 days in 7, or 71%. Regulation 7(1)(c) then scores the one satisfied on the greater proportion of days, which is e.
The result is 12 points for moving around, even though the best days scored nothing.
How Many PIP Points Could You Score With FND?
The score is one descriptor per activity, added within each component: ten daily living activities and two mobility activities. Regulations 5 and 6 keep the two components apart, so 8 points in one never combines with points in the other.
This example is illustrative arithmetic, not a forecast of any decision.
| Component | Descriptors that apply | Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily living | Preparing food e (4), washing and bathing e (3), communicating verbally c (4) | 11 | Standard rate |
| Mobility | Moving around c (8), planning and following journeys d (10) | 18 | Enhanced rate |
Last checked:
Eleven points in daily living is one point short of the enhanced rate at 12. To score your own answers, work out your mobility points for the two mobility activities, or add up your points across all 12 activities.
What Evidence Supports an FND Claim?
Evidence should describe what happens when a task is attempted, because the descriptors score function and the decision maker reads it alongside your form. Six kinds of evidence are useful.
- A letter from a clinician involved in your care that describes the effect on activities, not only the diagnosis
- A dated record over several weeks of the tasks affected and the days they were affected, which is what the 50% rule counts
- A record of any falls, injuries or emergency call-outs, with dates
- A list of aids you use and how long each has been in use
- A written statement from a person who supervises or helps you, describing when and why
- Any occupational therapy assessment of your home
Honest preparation means describing typical days accurately, both the harder and the easier ones. The decision maker counts days rather than peak difficulty, and the wider guidance on presenting it explains how evidence is weighed in appeals.
How Much PIP Would You Get With FND, and Is It Backdated?
PIP pays the same four weekly rates for every condition: £76.70 or £114.60 for daily living and £30.30 or £80.00 for mobility in 2026/27. No amount depends on the diagnosis, only on which rate each component reaches. The four weekly PIP rates are set out with their history.
| Award | Weekly | Every 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Daily living standard | £76.70 | £306.80 |
| Daily living enhanced | £114.60 | £458.40 |
| Mobility standard | £30.30 | £121.20 |
| Mobility enhanced | £80.00 | £320.00 |
Last checked:
If an award is made, entitlement starts from the date of the claim, or from the date the three-month qualifying period was satisfied for new claims, according to DWP statistics wording checked on 30 September 2026. Months spent waiting for a decision are therefore paid as arrears. To estimate them, see how far back an FND award reaches in the back pay calculator.