When you ask for an appeal online, you are sent a confirmation email. In that email is a link that enables you to set up an account to manage your appeal online. Once you have an account you will be able to keep track of how your appeal is progressing, upload evidence or a statement (we show you how to write one), or update your details if you move. You will also be able to ask for an audio recording of the hearing after it has happened.  

The service will also send you texts or emails to let you know that the DWP have responded to your appeal, to confirm evidence has been received, and when your hearing date has been scheduled. 

You can also create an account by calling 0300 123 1142 Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm or by emailing [email protected]. If you ask by email, you will need to include your National Insurance number, date of birth, and postal address.

HMCTS will send a copy of your appeal to the DWP and ask them to explain how they came to their decision. The DWP must do this within 28 days, although they can ask for an extension. 

You will receive a copy of the DWP’s response. It is often around 150 pages - do not be put off by the size of it. Most of it is just your application form and copies of the letters you already have, the assessment report and any evidence the DWP has gathered (or that you sent in). 

Keep it safe. You will need it to prepare for your hearing. You should start preparing now. 

You might have to wait a long time for the hearing but it is useful to start preparing as soon as you can. Some things can take a long time.

If you have not already tried to get help and advice, do so now – take a look at How to find an adviser to help with your benefits. Don't be too disappointed Some advisers may be able to help do some of this preparation for you. If you are lucky enough to find someone who can help with the preparation, make sure you are clear which things they are going to do for you, and which you need to do yourself.

The guidance below assumes you are preparing for a face-to-face hearing. Almost half of all hearings take place by phone or video call now. Some people prefer this option. All of the advice, except about actually travelling to the hearing applies equally to hearings by video or phone.

When will the hearing be?

Usually, you will not get told the date of the hearing until 3-4 weeks before (you should be given at least 14 days’ notice unless you agreed to be given less on the form). It can be a long wait unfortunately - usually between 6 months and a year.   

Do you need help with your appeal?

If you cannot get any professional help to prepare for the hearing, you might want to ask somebody else to help you to stop it from feeling too stressful. It might be particularly useful if you are not very good with paperwork or being organised.

The papers from the DWP

Soon after you ask for an appeal, you will be sent a big pack of papers by the DWP. These  explain why they made the decision they did. The Tribunal may call this ‘the papers’. 

Many people get very confused by the references to law at the beginning. Do not let them put you off. You can ignore this part. The Tribunal will know what law applies.

The most important part is the medical assessment report. Read through it and look for anything you don't agree with. 
 

• Did the assessor ask you the right questions and correctly record your answers?
• Do they have all of your conditions listed?
• Have they misunderstood something you said you used to do, as something you are able to do now?
• Are there things in there that did not happen or don’t reflect your conversation at all?
• If your health condition or disability is better or worse on different days, did the assessor understand that? 
   

Make a note of all the things that are wrong. If you can, say why they are wrong. You can include this in your statement to the tribunal. This is very useful as the wrong decision you have been given is probably based on this report.

Evidence from a medical professional

For lots of people, the thing that is most helpful is written evidence from a medical professional, or similar. The best evidence will come from people who know you well and who understand your situation. This could be your GP, or social worker or community psychiatric nurse, a paid carer or support worker, a personal assistant, your occupational therapist, somebody who works at a day centre you go to, or somebody else. 

The most useful evidence will explain how your illness or disability affects you, and the help you need (paying particular attention to the descriptors that you meet). Make sure the professional you are asking for evidence understands that.

See How to write useful evidence for PIP . This is a guide for your doctor, social worker, or anybody else writing evidence for you. When you ask anybody for evidence to support your appeal, show them this page (you can email it or whatsapp it to them, or print it and hand it to them).  It will help them to write evidence that will be really helpful to you. 

When you give them the guide, tell them which activities and descriptors you believe you meet or mark them on the page. 

Read any evidence you have through - does it support your case? If it does not, you don't have to give it to the panel (but if they ask if you had any evidence that you didn't send them, you have to tell the truth). 

If you do not think the evidence is useful it may be worth going back to the person who wrote it and discussing it with them. Is there anything they can add or change? 

If you have useful evidence, upload it using the Manage your appeal service or photocopy it and send it to HMCTS before your hearing. Send it as soon as you can and always have it with you on the day in case the panel has not seen it. (You don’t need paper copies, having it on your phone will be fine). 

Sending the evidence in advance is useful because it increases the chance of the DWP changing the decision in your favour before the appeal hearing. It also gives the tribunal time to consider if your evidence helps your appeal.

On the day, ask the clerk if the panel has your evidence. If not, the clerk will give the panel your copies of your evidence before your hearing starts. (If you only remember about your evidence when the hearing has started, you can still ask the tribunal to look at it. The panel may need to pause the hearing quickly to decide if they can accept it. )

It is likely that the hearing will take place using the method you asked for when you submitted your appeal. The options are by phone, by video call or face-to-face.

Sometimes the tribunal decides on one you did not ask for. If you think you should have a different type of hearing instead, do not be shy to ask for this. For example, if you would find it too difficult to attend a face-to-face hearing because you cannot leave home, they should agree to a video or phone hearing instead if that is the only way you can participate.

Who will be in the hearing?

The panel will be made up of a judge, a doctor, and someone who knows a lot about disability and may have a disability themselves. Remember the panel does not work for the DWP. They are here to see that you get the benefit if you are entitled to it. 

The DWP has a right to send somebody to your appeal to explain why they made their decision. They are also allowed to ask questions. Do not worry about this though. If they do send someone, it will not be the person that made the original decision about your claim. 

The panel should introduce themselves and explain what will happen, in a way that is clear and easy to follow.

Usually, the three members of the panel will be nice and easy to talk to and will just want to get a full picture of your illness or disability and the help you need. 

Ask a friend or family member to come with you for emotional support if you think it might help. They might also be able to help by reminding you of things you have forgotten.  (They cannot speak to the panel for you, but they can speak to you). If you do ask a friend, show them How to support a friend or family member at a PIP tribunal.

Claiming expenses

You should be able to claim travel expenses for the day of the hearing if you use public transport or travel by car. You can also claim for a meal if you are away for more than five hours although it is very unlikely to take nearly that long. 

If you have to take time off work, you may also be able to claim some expenses for loss of earnings. 

And if you have had to pay a carer or childminder you can claim expenses up to the National Minimum Wage for the time you have been away. 

Before the hearing, check what the current rules on expenses are on GOV.UK. 

The clerk will help you fill in a claim form. Make sure you have receipts (and if you have lost earnings, a letter from your employer confirming this). 

Contact the tribunal before the hearing if you need help.

Arrive at the tribunal centre or log on in plenty of time – at least 20 minutes before the hearing is due to start.

If your hearing is by video you will have received a link and been asked to make a test call in advance to check everything is working. HMCTS have made a helpful video of what to expect. 

If your hearing is by phone, make sure you will be able to hear it ring when the tribunal calls. They may call you up to an hour before to check you are OK to take part. For more help with preparing for this, take a look at our guide called Court and tribunal hearings by video or phone call.

If your hearing is in person, the letter you receive about the hearing will usually give you details of public transport links and parking. At some venues, you can book an accessible parking spot if you phone them in advance. If you need a taxi, ask them to book one for you. This will usually be easier than arranging one yourself and they will pay if you need one because of your disability. Work out how you will get there and leave yourself plenty of time. You will not want the stress of worrying about being late.

When you arrive or log on, you will usually have a short wait (or longer). During this time, the clerk will explain what will happen. You can ask them to check if the panel has received your evidence. If you have made any notes of what you want to say, use this time to go over them.

When everyone is ready, the hearing will begin.

Whether you have a video hearing or face-to-face hearing these tips will help you get the right award and stop it from becoming too stressful.

• Do not dress up or make a big effort with your appearance. It is important that the panel see you as you are on a normal day. Otherwise, they might get the impression that you do not need help, even if you do.
• It does not matter if you get upset. It will not harm your chances. Many people find they get very emotional at the hearing. You can ask for a break whenever you need one.
• Be aware that you will be observed from the moment you are visible – on the video call or around the building where the tribunal is taking place. For example, if you have said you have trouble getting in and out of chairs, they will watch you as you sit down, or how you move around. If you are having a good day, and your illness or disability is normally worse, make sure you tell them that.
• If you have asked for any help with communication or translation and it is not available, insist on having the hearing another day.

Answering the panel’s questions

• Try to answer every question as broadly as you can. If you just give short answers, the panel will not be able to get a better understanding of your situation. For example, if they ask if you need help to get washed in the morning, do not just say yes or no.  Spell out exactly what bits of your body you needed help to wash and why, and if you need help with anything else in the morning.
• Remember to include the help you give yourself – maybe you have a seat in the shower or use a long-handled sponge. If you do not need help because you don't usually have a wash in the morning, explain why you don’t.
• If you need different amounts of help on different days, you will need to make this clear. It is best if you can say roughly how often you need help with each thing, rather than saying 'sometimes'. For example, 'My health is bad for three weeks out of every four. For those weeks, my joints are very painful, and I cannot dress or undress myself at all'. If you have kept a diary of your needs, you should be able to use that to work out how often you need help with different tasks.
• They usually ask whether your condition has changed since the decision. Remember that you need to prove that the DWP made the wrong decision at the time, so it is unhelpful to dwell too much on how your condition has got worse. It is better to emphasise where your difficulties have remained broadly the same.
• Do not worry about using the 'right' language. It is much better to use your own words. If you think they have not understood something you have said, say it again in a different way.
• They will often ask if you had any problems this morning. If somebody has helped you (perhaps by physically helping you to get up and dressed, or by encouraging you to get yourself ready and keeping you calm) - be sure to tell them. Tell them if you needed help to read or understand the instructions to log onto the video hearing or how to get to the tribunal centre.
• Do not make light of your illness, condition, or disability. Be as frank about your condition as you can be and explain the help you really need rather than how you manage.
• Try to make sure you do not exaggerate the problems that you have either. If you do this, the panel might not believe you when you are not exaggerating.
• If you do not understand a question, ask them to repeat it or put it another way. If you still do not understand, tell them that. Do not agree to anything you don’t understand.
• If they say something that is not right, make it clear that it is not true. For example, if they say, “You don’t have much trouble walking 50 metres, do you?” make it clear if you do have trouble with walking that distance.
• If it feels like they are asking you the same question repeatedly, they are probably trying to check that your answers are consistent. So, make sure you are consistent - do not vary your answer just to move on.
• If you have not said everything you want to say because they haven't asked the right question - tell them anyway. A clever tactic is to make notes about what you want to tell them (for example, take a list of everything you think you should have been given points for and why you meet those descriptors) and tick them off as you say them. Make sure that they are all ticked off before you leave. If you have taken somebody with you for moral support - this is a very useful thing for them to do. 

If you had an in-person hearing, you will usually get the result on the same day. After your hearing, the panel will ask you to wait in the waiting room for 10–20 minutes while they  discuss your case and make a decision. They will then call you back in to tell you the result and  will give you a written outline of their decision as well. 

Sometimes the panel will not be able to make a decision quickly. If this happens, they will post it to you instead. It should arrive within a week.

If you had a video or telephone hearing, you usually won't be told the result during the call. The judge will explain that they need to deliberate privately. You will typically receive the decision notice via the Manage your appeal service or by post within 3 to 5 working days.

What happens after the decision?

If you were successful, the DWP will work out how much they owe you. You will start receiving the new amount every month, and a sum covering the amount they should have been paying you all along. You will usually receive your money in about 4 - 6 weeks.

If you were not successful, you will be sent a leaflet to explain your options. Sometimes you might be able to appeal to the Upper Tribunal. This is like a higher court. 

However, this can only be done if the panel did not follow the law, by mistake. It is very complicated, and very few people can do this without an experienced adviser. If you want to look into this possibility, you need to move quickly - you will need to ask for a copy of the tribunal’s statement of reasons within one month. See How to find an adviser for more help.

The DWP also has the right to appeal to the Upper Tribunal if they think the tribunal panel did something wrong. This does not happen often though. If it does happen, they will write and tell you.

Can the DWP take away my current PIP if I appeal?

Technically yes as the independent panel looks at the whole decision again to see if it is correct - but getting a lower award is not likely. If you are definitely entitled to at least the award you are receiving, you should not worry about this.

If you take part in a hearing, and the panel are considering reducing your existing award, the judge will give you warning and ask if you want a few minutes to consider your options. This is rare. But if it does happen to you, ask for the hearing to be stopped and explain that you wish to withdraw the appeal. If you do this, the Tribunal is very unlikely to take away the benefit you get at the moment.

How long does a PIP appeal take in 2026?

It depends where you live, but at the time of writing most people were waiting 25-40 weeks for a hearing. Use the time to prepare and write a statement.

Do I need someone to represent me for a PIP tribunal?

No - just take part yourself and you will be fine. Write a statement and send that in advance so you don’t have to remember everything you want to say on the day.  

What happens if I miss the 1-month deadline?

Don’t worry - appeal anyway. Just give a reason for the delay. Your appeal is likely to be accepted if it is within 13 months of the decision.

Do I need more evidence to have a chance of winning my appeal?

No. Recent DWP figures show that only 1% of appeals were won thanks to people providing new evidence! Over half of all appeals are won thanks to a different decision based on similar or the same evidence. The rest of the appeals are won thanks to people speaking at their appeal about how their illness, disability, or treatment impacts on them. This shows how important it is to take part in a hearing - either  over the phone, video or in-person. 

What are the chances of winning a PIP appeal?

At the time of writing more than 60% of claimants who got as far as a hearing won a better award. But that doesn’t include all the people who asked for an appeal and had their decision changed before the appeal hearing happened. Research shows that 90% of people who used Advicenow’s help with PIP got their award changed. 

Next steps >>>>  Write a statement

Find the appeal form or ask for an appeal online

You can find both the online system for asking for an appeal and the latest form to use if you wish to do it by hand/post at Appeal a benefit decision - submit your appeal gov.uk 

Speak to the DWP

PIP Enquiry Line

Telephone: 0800 121 4433
Textphone: 0800 121 4493
Free to call - Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm

More information about appeals

GOV.UK

Benefit appeals come under the section known as the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. You can find details about how to appeal, how to claim expenses, appeal venues and how to get to them, as well as other information about the appeal process.

Appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice have some helpful information about PIP, how claims are assessed, and how to appeal. 

Citizens Advice

Find an adviser

See How to find an adviser to help with your disability benefits.

Adviser   - This is a benefits expert who can give you advice about your claim. They may also be able to help you prepare for the hearing or even represent you. Be aware though that advice centres are overstretched and most people have to do most or all of the work themselves. 

Appeal  -  This means the process of asking a panel  (a judge, a doctor and someone who knows about disability) who do not work for the DWP to look at your claim and see if the right decision was made. If they think the wrong decision was made, they will change it.

Carer  - This is a person who helps you often, like every day or every week. It might be somebody you pay, or might be your partner, a family member, or a friend or neighbour. The help they give you might be physical help (for example to get in the bath or up the stairs), they might help you by getting your shopping or helping you prepare a meal, or they might help you by encouraging or reminding you to do things.

Clerk to the Tribunal  -  This is the person who organises the hearing and deals with the paperwork, including your expenses.

Department for Work and Pension (DWP) - This is the government department that deals with most benefits, including Personal Independence Payment. Sometimes they will send somebody called a ‘Presenting Officer’ to represent them at the hearing. But try not to worry, they have not had anything to do with your PIP decision so far and they are not there to accuse you of doing anything wrong.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) -This is the government department that organises the panel and the hearing.

Hearing -  This is when your appeal is looked at by the Tribunal. You can have a hearing in-person when you go and speak to the Tribunal face-to-face, or you can have a hearing via video or phone call. These three types of hearing are sometimes called an ‘oral hearing.’ Or you can have a written hearing (also called a ‘paper hearing’) when the tribunal just looks at the papers again on their own. We strongly advise you to go to a hearing in person or have a video hearing if you can. You have a much better chance of success if you do.

Mandatory reconsideration - This means the DWP will look at their decision again. You must ask for a mandatory reconsideration before you can appeal a decision. 

Manage your appeal - A service from HMCTS that enables people to manage their appeal online, keep track of progress, submit further evidence (including video and audio), and a statement. 

Representative -  This is an expert in benefits who might help you prepare for the hearing and  attend your hearing to help you put your case. Cuts to legal aid mean most advice services can't offer representation now. 

Social Security and Child Support Tribunal  - This is the name for the tribunal that will hear your appeal. 

Supersession  -  This means having your claim looked at again because your illness or disability has worsened since the date of the decision.

SSCS1  -  This is the form you can use to ask for an appeal. You can also use the online system at Submit your appeal . See our advice on how to ask for an appeal. 

Tribunal Judge -  This is the person that sits in the middle of the panel. They are legally qualified. Their job is to apply the right laws to your personal situation.

Upper Tribunal  -  This is like a higher court. If you were not successful in your appeal, you might be able to appeal to the Upper Tribunal, but you can only do this if the panel made a mistake with the law. 

Video hearing -  Appeal hearings are now often held over video, usually using the Video Hearing Service (VHS). To understand more about how this works, watch HMCTS’ video. If you have a video hearing you will be sent a link to test everything is working properly before the day of the hearing.  If you are concerned that you will not be able to access or manage a video hearing properly, or if it will make you more anxious, you can ask for an in-person hearing.

Disclaimer

This information applies in England and Wales. It will also be helpful for claimants in Northern Ireland where the rules are the same but the relevant government departments and forms are different. 

The law is complicated. We recommend you try to get advice from the sources we have suggested.

The cases we refer to are not always real but show a typical situation. We have included them to help you think about how to deal with your own situation.

Acknowledgements

This guide was updated thanks to funding from the Ministry of Justice under the Onlien Support and Advice Grant. 

Advicenow would like to thank all those who provided advice and feedback on this guide, particularly Greg Brown from Money Matters Money Advice Centre, Jim McKenny, Rachel Ingleby, Jane Owen-Pam from The National Autistic Society, Sangeeta Enright from Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Christine Hallam-Cutler from Macmillan Benefits Rotherham, Sue Lovell from Cornwall Council, Richard Stacey from St Pauls Advice Centre, Chris Beer of Maggies Glasgow.