PIP
PIP descriptors for ADHD: which ones apply and how to evidence them
Last updated 2026-03-16
ADHD affects executive function. That means planning, sequencing, initiating tasks, remembering, managing time, and regulating impulses. These difficulties map onto several PIP descriptors, but the DWP does not use the language of executive function. You have to translate your experience into their framework. This article shows you which descriptors are most relevant to ADHD and how to evidence them.
Preparing food: Activity 1
This is one of the most common scoring activities for people with ADHD. The DWP is assessing whether you can make a simple cooked meal from fresh ingredients. Not whether you can order a takeaway or use a microwave.
With ADHD, the issues are usually about distraction and sequencing. You start cooking and walk away. You forget the hob is on. You cannot follow multiple steps at once. You burn food regularly. You leave water boiling until it evaporates.
If you need someone to prompt you to start cooking, that scores 4 points (descriptor D). If you need someone to supervise you while cooking because it is not safe to leave you alone, that scores 6 points (descriptor E). If you can only use a microwave because the cooker is unsafe, that scores 2 points (descriptor C).
Evidence that helps: a statement from someone you live with describing how often you burn food, leave the cooker on, or need reminding to eat. A letter from a clinician noting that your ADHD causes significant difficulties with task sequencing and sustained attention during cooking.
Managing therapy and medication: Activity 3
This activity is about managing medication and monitoring your health. For ADHD, this is almost always relevant.
Forgetting to take medication is one of the defining features of ADHD. If you need prompting to take your medication, that scores 1 point (descriptor B). If you need prompting to manage therapy that takes more than 3.5 hours a week but no more than 7 hours, that can score 4 points (descriptor F). Therapy includes things like physiotherapy exercises, mindfulness practices, or psychological techniques you have been told to do at home.
The medication prompting descriptor is worth only 1 point on its own, but it adds up. Combined with points from other activities, it contributes to your total.
Double-dosing is a safety issue. If you take medication twice because you forgot you already took it, describe that. If you miss doses regularly and that affects your functioning, describe that too.
Evidence that helps: a letter from your prescriber confirming you have been advised to use medication reminders or require prompting. A GP record showing missed or irregular prescription collections. A statement from a partner or housemate who prompts you.
Engaging with others and budgeting: Activities 9 and 10
Activity 9 covers engaging with other people face to face. ADHD can cause difficulties here. Impulsivity means you interrupt people, say things you do not mean, or react disproportionately. Rejection sensitivity means you avoid social situations. Sensory overload in busy environments means you cannot function in groups.
If you need prompting to engage with others, that scores 2 points (descriptor B). If you need social support to engage with others, that scores 4 points (descriptor C). If you cannot engage with others at all due to overwhelming psychological distress, that scores 8 points (descriptor D).
Activity 10 covers making budgeting decisions. Impulsive spending is extremely common with ADHD. If you need prompting or help to make simple budgeting decisions, that scores 2 points (descriptor B). If you need prompting or help for complex decisions, that scores 4 points (descriptor C). If you cannot make any budgeting decisions, that scores 6 points (descriptor D).
Evidence that helps: bank statements showing impulsive spending patterns. A statement from a partner or family member who manages your finances. Letters from debt advice services. For social engagement, a letter from a therapist or support worker describing your difficulties with social interaction.
Washing, dressing, and planning journeys
Activity 4 is washing and bathing. If you go days without showering because you cannot initiate the task, that is relevant. This is not about being lazy. It is about executive function failure. If you need prompting to wash, that scores 2 points (descriptor C). If you need help to get in or out of the bath or shower, that scores more.
Activity 6 is dressing and undressing. If you need prompting to get dressed, that scores 2 points (descriptor C). If you wear the same clothes repeatedly because you cannot make decisions or initiate the change, describe that.
Mobility Activity 1 is planning and following journeys. This is not a daily living activity but it is highly relevant to ADHD. Getting lost because you cannot follow directions. Missing buses because you cannot manage time. Being unable to plan an unfamiliar journey without help. If you need prompting to undertake a journey, that scores 4 points. If you cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, that scores 10 points.
Evidence that helps: for washing and dressing, a statement from someone who lives with you. For journeys, examples of times you got lost, missed connections, or could not leave the house without prompting.
Reading and communication: Activities 7 and 8
Activity 7 is communicating verbally. For ADHD, this can be relevant if you lose track of conversations, struggle to process verbal information in real time, or say things impulsively that cause problems. If you need someone to help you understand or be understood in complex situations, that scores points.
Activity 8 is reading and understanding signs, symbols, and words. If you cannot concentrate long enough to read a letter from the DWP, that is relevant. If you need someone to read official correspondence to you and explain it, that scores 2 points (descriptor B). If you cannot understand complex written information even with help, that scores higher.
These activities are more commonly scored by autistic people than by people with ADHD alone. But if you have both conditions, or if your ADHD significantly impairs your ability to process written or verbal information, include them.
Evidence that helps: examples of official letters you could not understand without help. A statement from someone who reads and explains correspondence for you. Clinical evidence of processing difficulties.
How to write about ADHD on the PIP form
The DWP does not understand executive function. Do not use that phrase on your form. Instead, describe what actually happens.
Do not write: "My executive dysfunction makes it difficult to prepare food."
Write: "I start making toast and walk into another room. I forget I am cooking. The toast burns. This happens 3 or 4 times a week. My partner has to remind me to eat. If she is not home, I do not eat a cooked meal."
Be specific. Use frequencies. Say how many days a week it happens. Name the person who helps you and what they do. Use the words "prompting," "supervision," and "assistance" because those are the words in the descriptors.
Prompting means someone reminds you or encourages you to do something. Supervision means someone watches over you to keep you safe. Assistance means someone physically helps you do something.
Describe what happens when you do not have help. If nobody prompts you, what is the consequence? You do not eat. You miss your medication. You do not wash for days. You overspend. That is the information the DWP needs.
Write about your worst days. The DWP applies the 50 per cent rule. If something happens more than half the time, it counts. You do not need to be at your worst every single day.
Frequently asked questions
What if I mask my ADHD symptoms and appear to cope?
Masking is very common, especially in women with ADHD and autistic people. The PIP form asks how your condition affects you, not how well you hide it. Describe what is really happening behind the mask. If you appear to cope but collapse afterwards, say that. The cost of appearing functional is itself a disability impact.
Should I list all my conditions or just ADHD?
List everything. ADHD rarely comes alone. Anxiety, depression, autism, sensory processing disorder, insomnia, and other conditions all contribute to your difficulties. The DWP looks at the combined effect of all your conditions, not each one in isolation.
How many points do most people with ADHD score?
There is no typical score. It depends entirely on how your ADHD affects you. Some people score enough for the enhanced rate of both components. Others score nothing because they did not describe their difficulties in terms the DWP understands. The key is translating your experience into the language of the descriptors.
Can I use my Access to Work assessment as evidence for PIP?
Yes. If you have had an Access to Work needs assessment, the report can be useful evidence. It documents workplace support needs that demonstrate functional impairment. Your Access to Work award letter also shows that the government has already assessed you as needing support because of your condition.
What does prompting mean on the PIP form?
Prompting means someone reminds you, encourages you, or verbally guides you to start or complete a task. It includes physical prompts like handing you your medication. If you need someone to tell you to eat, remind you to shower, or prompt you to take your tablets, that is prompting and it scores points.
Related guides
This article provides general information. It does not constitute legal, financial, or medical advice. Always check GOV.UK and NHS.UK for the most current official guidance.