Since 28th October 2013, it has been necessary to submit a mandatory reconsideration to challenge a PIP decision before you can appeal to an independent tribunal.
A mandatory reconsideration is really just a fancy way of asking the DWP to look again at your PIP decision and you can make one for any reason that you think is appropriate.
Benefits and Work have detailed guides to PIP mandatory reconsiderations and appeals available for instant download in the members area. These include a 33 page collection of sample submissions, a 24 page guide to challenging PIP medical assessment reports and a 49 page guide to the mandatory reconsideration and appeals process. But below is some introductory information about mandatory reconsiderations.
Are there time limits for making a mandatory reconsideration?
You should make your mandatory reconsideration within one month of the date on your PIP decision letter.
However, if you have missed this deadline, you can still make a mandatory reconsideration request up to 13 months after the date on your PIP decision letter. If your mandatory reconsideration request is late, you will need to explain why. The later you are making your request, the better your reason will need to be for the request to be accepted, but it is always worth trying.
How do I make a mandatory reconsideration?
You can call PIP on the phone using the number on your decision letter and inform them that you want to challenge the decision. The call handler should take details of why you want a reconsideration and record these on your case.
If you’re not sure what to say on the phone or you are waiting for help from an advice agency, you could call PIP to register the mandatory reconsideration (to meet the time limits – see below) but could ask them for more time to submit detailed reasons.
Alternatively, you can send in your mandatory reconsideration in writing. It is best to do this using a CRMR1 form because the DWP’s post scanning system knows this is a mandatory reconsideration and will direct it to the right department more quickly. You should send the completed CRMR1 form to the address on your decision letter.
If you prefer, you can send a letter to the address on your decision letter. You should make it clear in your letter that you are asking for a mandatory reconsideration.
If you have new or extra evidence that PIP have not already seen, you can send this with your CRMR1 form or letter. If you have registered your mandatory reconsideration by phone, you can send your extra evidence with a cover letter to the address on your decision letter. Make sure you include your National Insurance number on any communications with the DWP.
If you have an appointee, they can make the mandatory reconsideration request for you. If you do not have an appointee, but would have trouble explaining your situation to PIP, you can ask someone to call for you, but you would need to be there to give your permission for them to speak for you.
What should I give as my reasons for a mandatory reconsideration?
The more detail you give, the better your chances of PIP changing their mind about their decision. If possible, use our PIP guides to work out which activities and points apply to you and explain these in your mandatory reconsideration.
If you aren’t sure which points apply, it is helpful to the decision maker for you to try and at least identify the activities you think you should have scored points for.
But you don’t have to be this specific if you don’t feel able to be. It’s enough simply to tell PIP you are unhappy with the decision and you want it to be looked at again. You could tell them you don’t feel the decision reflects the difficulties you have, or you don’t feel they have taken your health situation into account properly. This would be enough to at least register a mandatory reconsideration request, and you can always ask for more time to get advice and provide further grounds.
Should I bother? I’ve heard not many mandatory reconsideration requests are successful
In the latest statistics from January 2025, only 22% of mandatory reconsideration requests for PIP were successful. But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bother.
If you want to appeal your PIP decision to an independent tribunal, where over 60% of appeal succeed, you will have to go through the mandatory reconsideration stage first, however pointless that might initially seem.
Your chances of success at the mandatory reconsideration stage will be higher if you give PIP something new to go on. So, if you can, try and send them extra evidence about how your health affected you at the time of your decision. This could be letters from medical professionals, occupational therapy reports, social care information, supporting letters from people involved in your care, or anything else you think might help PIP to see why you meet the criteria for an award of benefit.
Can a mandatory reconsideration make things worse?
If your PIP claim was refused completely, you have nothing to lose by asking for a mandatory reconsideration. You don’t have any PIP now and that can’t get any worse.
If you were awarded PIP but you think it was at a lower level than you should have received, then you do need to be aware that submitting a mandatory reconsideration or appeal could result in a worse decision. So, you should think about which points you already scored and whether these are ‘safe’.
For example, Jenny has physical and mental health issues. She scored 8 points in total for the daily living component of PIP for needing aids for cooking, washing, dressing and using the toilet. Jenny wants to challenge the decision via a mandatory reconsideration, as she thinks she should also have been awarded points for problems with engaging with others and managing money due to her mental health problems. Jenny has an occupational therapy report that confirms the aids she uses because of her physical difficulties. This would make it quite difficult for PIP or a tribunal to justify changing any of the physical health points, so Jenny feels confident the points she has are ‘safe’ and decides to challenge the points in relation to her mental health.
What will PIP do with my mandatory reconsideration request?
You may receive a telephone call from a PIP decision maker to ask you more about your case and your reasons for wanting a mandatory reconsideration. If you don’t feel able to talk to them when they call, you can ask them to call back at a more suitable time when you can have someone with you or after you have taken advice.
The decision maker will consider the reasons you have given for wanting a reconsideration and any extra evidence you have provided. They will decide if they can change the decision. The possible outcomes are:
- They don’t change the decision – you can then appeal to an independent tribunal
- They award you more points but not enough for a PIP award or not enough for the rates you think you should have received – you can appeal to an independent tribunal
- They can change the decision in your favour – if you are happy with the new decision, then you don’t need to do anything else and PIP will pay you any arrears that you are owed.
The Mandatory Reconsideration Notice (MRN)
When the decision maker has finished carrying out the mandatory reconsideration, they will send an MRN setting out their decision. You will receive two copies of this. The reason for receiving two copies is that if you then appeal to an independent tribunal and you do this using a paper appeal form, you will have to send a copy of the MRN with it. Most people submit their appeal form online and, if you do this, you won’t need to send in a copy of the MRN.
