PIP guide
How to explain bad days and better days in a PIP claim
Many people worry that if they can do something on a better day, it means they should not mention the days when they struggle. But PIP is not just about whether you can do something once. It is about whether you can do it reliably, safely and repeatedly in real life.
- Plain English guide
- 4 minute read
- For PIP preparation
In this guide
A helpful way to think about it
"I can do it sometimes" does not always mean "I can do it reliably."
Why bad days and better days matter
Some conditions fluctuate. Your ability may change from day to day, or even during the same day. A short answer like "it varies" can be too vague on its own.
It is usually more useful to describe what varies, how often it varies, what happens on bad days and better days, and what support you need.
What "reliably" means
PIP looks at whether you can carry out activities reliably. In plain English, that means thinking about whether you can do an activity in these four ways.
Safely
Can you do it without risk of harm, falls, injury, confusion, panic, exhaustion or worsening symptoms?
To an acceptable standard
Can you complete it properly, not just start it or get through it badly?
Repeatedly
Can you do it as often as needed, not just once and then be unable to do it again?
In a reasonable time
Does it take much longer than it would for someone without your condition or disability?
A better way to explain "it varies"
This is only an illustration of useful detail. Do not copy it unless it is true for you. Your notes should be honest, specific and based on your own real-life examples.
Weak example
"Some days I can cook and some days I can't."
Stronger example
"On better days I can make a simple meal, but I usually need to sit down while preparing it and I avoid using heavy pans because of pain and fatigue. On bad days, which happen around three or four days a week, I cannot stand long enough to prepare food safely, so I rely on ready meals or someone else helping me."
Questions to ask yourself
You do not need perfect answers straight away. These prompts can help you describe the pattern more clearly.
- What does a better day look like?
- What does a bad day look like?
- How many bad days do you usually have in a week or month?
- What happens after you do the activity?
- Do you need help, prompting, supervision, reminders or aids?
- Do you avoid the activity because of pain, fatigue, anxiety, risk or previous problems?
- Can you do it again later if you need to?
Use real-life examples
A real-life example can help show what happens in practice, especially when your condition changes from day to day.
- What you were trying to do
- What happened
- What made it difficult
- Whether anyone helped
- How long it took
- What happened afterwards
- Whether this is typical
How PIP Companion can help
PIP Companion gives you a calmer place to prepare your notes before filling anything in officially.
- Save real-life examples when you remember them
- Build daily living and mobility answers section by section
- Collect evidence notes in one calmer workspace
- Review whether your draft includes enough useful detail
A gentle note
PIP Companion is not connected to the DWP or GOV.UK. It is not legal advice and it cannot guarantee any outcome. It is a preparation workspace to help you organise your thoughts, examples and evidence before filling anything in officially.
Start preparing your PIP notes
Use PIP Companion to collect real-life examples, build notes gradually and review useful details before filling anything in officially.