PIP Evidence Checklist: What Evidence to Send With Your Claim
By the RightfulUK team • • 4 min read • Reviewed for accuracy
Strong evidence can make the difference between 0 points and enhanced rate. Yet most people either send too little evidence or the wrong type.
Here's your complete checklist of what to gather and send with your PIP claim.
Medical Evidence (Most Important)
✅ GP letter — Ask your GP to write about how your condition affects daily activities (not just your diagnosis) ✅ Consultant/specialist letters — Rheumatologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, etc. ✅ Hospital discharge summaries — From any recent admissions ✅ Prescription list — Current medications and dosages ✅ Mental health team letters — CPN, psychologist, counsellor ✅ Physiotherapy or occupational therapy reports ✅ Pain clinic letters ✅ Diagnostic reports — MRI, CT scans, blood test results
Pro tip: Ask your GP for a letter specifically stating how your conditions affect your daily living and mobility. 'Patient has fibromyalgia' is useless. 'Patient has fibromyalgia which significantly limits their ability to walk, prepare food, and maintain personal hygiene' is gold.
Witness Statements
✅ From your partner/spouse — What they help you with daily ✅ From family members — What they observe when visiting ✅ From friends — Changes they've noticed ✅ From carers — Professional carers' observations ✅ From support workers — If you have them
Each statement should include: - The writer's name, address, and relationship to you - Specific examples of what they help you with - How often they help - What they've seen you struggle with - How your condition has changed - A signature and date
Tribunals rate witness statements very highly. Even without medical evidence, a detailed witness statement can win your case.
Personal Evidence
✅ Symptom diary — Daily record of pain levels, what you could/couldn't do ✅ Photos — Of aids, adaptations, the state of your home on bad days ✅ Receipts — For aids purchased (walking stick, shower seat, etc.) ✅ Care plan — If you have one from social services ✅ Support plan — From any disability organisation
A symptom diary is powerful evidence. Record your worst days in detail: 'Monday 15th Jan — pain level 8/10, couldn't get out of bed until 2pm, didn't wash, partner made all meals, took 4 co-codamol.'
Evidence You DON'T Need
❌ Original documents (send COPIES only — the DWP loses things) ❌ Evidence older than 12 months (unless showing a long-term pattern) ❌ Generic condition information from the internet ❌ Letters that only state your diagnosis without mentioning impact ❌ Evidence about treatments that haven't started yet
Quality over quantity. Three strong letters that describe your functional limitations are better than twenty documents that just confirm your diagnosis.
How to Get Evidence When You Can't
GP won't write a letter? Ask them to print your medical records summary instead. Or request a Subject Access Request from your GP practice — they must provide your records within one month.
No specialist involvement? Your GP's evidence is still valid. Many people win at tribunal based on GP evidence and witness statements alone.
Can't afford to get letters? GP letters for benefits purposes should be provided on an NHS basis (free). If they charge, ask your surgery's practice manager to reconsider.
Haven't seen your GP recently? Book an appointment specifically to discuss how your condition affects daily life. Ask them to note the conversation in your records.
Related Articles
- PIP Eligibility: Who Can Claim PIP in 2026? (Simple Checklist) — 4 min read
- PIP Assessment Trick Questions: How to Answer Honestly Without Hurting Your Claim — 5 min read
- PIP Help UK: Free Help With Your PIP Claim, Appeal & Tribunal (2026) — 6 min read
- Disability Benefits UK: Complete Guide to Every Benefit You Can Claim (2026) — 7 min read
Related Tools & Guides
- Free PIP Eligibility Checker — estimate your likely points
- Mandatory Reconsideration Letter Builder — challenge the DWP decision
- Tribunal Preparation Tool — practice panel questions
- PIP Condition Guides — descriptors for your condition