People with PTSD can qualify for PIP — and many do. The assessment focuses not on your diagnosis but on how your symptoms affect you day to day. Flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance, and anxiety can all score points across the PIP daily living and mobility descriptors. Here is how the assessment works and what you can claim in 2026/27.
PIP Rates 2026/27
| Component | Standard rate | Enhanced rate |
|---|---|---|
| Daily living | £72.65/week | £108.55/week |
| Mobility | £28.70/week | £75.75/week |
You can receive either component, or both. Enhanced daily living requires 12 points; standard requires 8 points. Enhanced mobility requires 12 points; standard requires 8 points.
How PIP Assesses PTSD
PIP does not assess diagnoses — it assesses your ability to carry out 10 daily living activities and 2 mobility activities. PTSD commonly affects several of these:
Daily Living Activities Most Relevant to PTSD
| Activity | How PTSD may affect it | Points available |
|---|---|---|
| Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition | Need reminders, prompting, or assistance to take medication or attend therapy | Up to 8 points |
| Making budgeting decisions | Difficulty with concentration, decision-making, and managing finances due to cognitive symptoms | Up to 6 points |
| Engaging with other people face to face | Social anxiety, hypervigilance, inability to initiate or sustain conversations with strangers | Up to 8 points |
| Communicating verbally | Difficulty expressing yourself during dissociative episodes or flashbacks | Up to 8 points |
Mobility Activities Relevant to PTSD
Activity 1 — Planning and following journeys: If PTSD causes you to avoid unfamiliar routes, public transport, or being in public spaces, you may be unable to plan or follow a journey without assistance. Scores up to 12 points (enhanced rate) if you cannot travel in unfamiliar places alone.
What to Include on the PIP2 Form
When filling in the “How your disability affects you” (PIP2) form:
- Describe your worst days, not your typical days
- Explain how PTSD symptoms affect you — flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, dissociation, avoidance, emotional dysregulation
- Be specific: “I cannot use public transport because loud noises trigger flashbacks and I become unable to function”
- Include the frequency of symptoms: “I experience flashbacks 4–5 times per week lasting 15–30 minutes each”
- Describe how long activities take and whether you need someone with you
Supporting Evidence to Gather
Strong supporting evidence significantly improves your chances:
- GP letter confirming diagnosis, duration, and impact on daily life
- Psychiatrist or psychologist letter if you are under specialist care
- CMHT care coordinator letter if you have a care plan
- Therapist’s letter (CBT, EMDR, or other trauma therapy)
- Prescription details for any medication (antidepressants, medication for sleep, anxiety)
Worked Example: James, 38, Complex PTSD
James was diagnosed with complex PTSD following childhood trauma. He experiences frequent flashbacks, cannot use public transport, struggles to go to appointments alone, and finds budgeting overwhelming due to concentration difficulties.
- Daily living: 10 points (managing medication prompts + engaging with people + budgeting difficulty) → Standard daily living rate: £72.65/week
- Mobility: 12 points (cannot follow unfamiliar routes alone) → Enhanced mobility rate: £75.75/week
- Total PIP: £148.40/week = £7,717/year
James also qualifies for free road tax and can apply for the Motability scheme on the enhanced mobility component.
If Your Claim is Rejected
Rejection is common on first application — don’t give up. Request a Mandatory Reconsideration within one month. If that fails, appeal to tribunal. Around 65–70% of PIP mental health appeals succeed at tribunal. Get support from Citizens Advice or a mental health charity such as Mind.
See our what happens if PIP is stopped guide, PIP for chronic pain, and Universal Credit guide.