PIP mandatory reconsideration
A mandatory reconsideration asks DWP to look at a PIP decision again. Before you can appeal, you usually need to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. Your decision letter says if you can appeal straight away. For decisions made in 2025/26, DWP changed the award, up or down, in 15.3% of the reconsiderations it decided.
Source: gov.uk: Appeal a benefit decision. Checked 11 October 2026.
Source: DWP: Personal Independence Payment statistics to July 2026, published 15 September 2026. Table 5B (ii).
How to ask
Contact the office that made the decision, by phone, by letter or with form CRMR1. Say which part of the decision is wrong and why, and include any evidence you haven't already sent. It's free.
You usually have one month from the date on your decision letter to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. You can ask later if you have a good reason, such as a stay in hospital or a bereavement.
Sources: gov.uk: How to ask for mandatory reconsideration; gov.uk: Mandatory reconsideration. Checked 11 October 2026.
What DWP looks at
At a mandatory reconsideration someone looks at your whole claim again, so your PIP may stop, stay the same, go up or go down. You then get a letter called a mandatory reconsideration notice, explaining the decision and the evidence it was based on.
If a mandatory reconsideration changes the decision, the new decision usually takes effect from the date the original one did, so an increase is backdated to then.
Sources: gov.uk: Mandatory reconsideration, before you start; Social Security Act 1998, section 9(3). Checked 11 October 2026.
How long it takes
Mandatory reconsiderations DWP finished in July 2026 took a median of 45 days. The trend is on how long PIP takes.
Source: DWP: Personal Independence Payment statistics to July 2026, published 15 September 2026. Table 4A, calendar days.
If the decision doesn't change
Appealing is free. Appeal to the tribunal within one month of getting your mandatory reconsideration decision. If you appeal later you'll have to explain why, and the appeal might not be accepted. How often appeals succeed is on the PIP appeal success rate, and the process on PIP tribunals.
Source: gov.uk: Appeal a benefit decision. Checked 11 October 2026.
Questions people ask
How do I ask for a PIP mandatory reconsideration?
Contact the office that made the decision, by phone, by letter or with form CRMR1. Say which part of the decision is wrong and why, and include any evidence you haven't already sent. It's free.
How long do I have to ask?
You usually have one month from the date on your decision letter to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. You can ask later if you have a good reason, such as a stay in hospital or a bereavement.
How long does a PIP mandatory reconsideration take?
Those DWP finished in July 2026 took a median of 45 days from the request being registered to the decision.
Can my PIP go down at mandatory reconsideration?
Yes. At a mandatory reconsideration someone looks at your whole claim again, so your PIP may stop, stay the same, go up or go down. You then get a letter called a mandatory reconsideration notice, explaining the decision and the evidence it was based on.
We are not the DWP and can't see your claim. For help with a mandatory reconsideration, Citizens Advice and Scope give free advice.