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Free PIP tribunal checklist · 2026PIP tribunal checklist: ready for your hearing.
Everything to do from sending your appeal to getting the decision, in one list you can tick off. It shows the right steps for a face-to-face, video or phone hearing, with the latest 2026 tribunal figures.
- 5 stages, from sending your appeal to the decision
- Your ticks save as you go, and it prints cleanly
- Written by a team led by a former DWP decision maker
Last reviewed
Your PIP tribunal checklist
Choose your hearing type, then tick things off as you go. Section 4 is the one to keep in front of you on the day.
When you send your appeal
When the DWP’s response arrives
Before the hearing
At the hearing
Afterwards
Your ticks are saved on this device only. Nothing is sent to us.
Your tribunal at a glance.
Who decides
An independent panel: a tribunal judge, a doctor and a disability member. Nobody from the DWP decides.
How long it takes
PIP appeals took a median of 28 weeks from sending the appeal to the outcome in April to June 2026 (Ministry of Justice).
Your chances
67% of PIP appeals decided at a hearing went the claimant’s way in April to June 2026 (Ministry of Justice).
Go in prepared, not nervous.
The checklist gets you organised. These help you say the right things.
PIP Tribunal Preparation Pack
This checklist gets you organised. The prep pack helps you on the day: what happens, what the panel usually asks, and how to describe your worst days.
- What happens at the hearing, step by step
- The questions the panel usually asks about each activity
- How to explain your worst days clearly
- A printable PDF, emailed straight after you order
PIP Tribunal Appeal Letter
Your written submission, activity by activity, showing the descriptors you should have scored with your own examples. Reviewed by a former DWP decision maker.
Face-to-face, video, phone or paper.
Your hearing letter says which one you’re having. The checklist above changes to match.
| Type | Good to know | How it’s arranged |
|---|---|---|
| Face-to-face At a tribunal venue | Travel costs for you and someone with you can be claimed. Ask for step-free access or breaks if you need them. | Usual for PIP |
| Video From home | Test the link beforehand. You can still have notes and someone with you. | If you ask |
| Phone From home | Use a quiet room. Have your bundle and notes in front of you. | If you ask |
| Paper No hearing | The panel decides from the papers alone. You can’t explain or answer questions, so a hearing is usually better. | Your choice |
The rules the panel applies.
The ‘most days’ rule
A descriptor applies if it fits you on more than half of days over a year. That’s why your bad days matter.
The four reliability tests
You can only count as able to do something if you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time.
The points you need
8 points for the standard rate, 12 for the enhanced rate, scored separately for daily living and mobility.
See every descriptor and its points in the PIP Descriptors & Points Guide, or score yourself with the PIP Points Calculator.
Tools for your PIP claim.
PIP tribunal questions answered.
An independent panel (a judge, a doctor and a disability member) asks you about how your condition affects your daily life and getting around. It usually lasts under an hour, and you often get the decision on the day.
Your appeal bundle, any new evidence, your notes, a list of your medication and something to drink. If it’s face-to-face, keep receipts for travel costs.
Yes. A friend, family member or representative can come with you for support, and to speak if you need them to.
An oral hearing (in person, by video or by phone) lets you explain and answer questions. Most people are better off attending.
As early as you can, quoting your appeal reference. Late evidence can still be considered, but the panel needs time to read it.
A tribunal judge, a doctor and a disability member with experience of disability. They are independent of the DWP.
The hearing itself is usually under an hour, and most panels give their decision on the day. Waiting for a hearing took a median of 28 weeks in April to June 2026.
You can ask for a written statement of reasons within one month of the decision. That’s the first step to a further appeal to the Upper Tribunal.
Hearing coming up? Go in prepared.
Your written submission, activity by activity, reviewed by a former DWP decision maker and ready in 48 hours. Flat £49, and you keep all of your backpay.
This checklist is general guidance, not legal or benefits advice. Your hearing letter and the tribunal’s instructions take priority. Figures from the Ministry of Justice Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, April to June 2026.