Activity 1: Preparing food

This activity scores whether you can prepare and cook a simple one-course meal for one from fresh ingredients. It is the most commonly under-scored activity on assessment, often because claimants describe what they do on a good day rather than what they can do safely, repeatedly, and to an acceptable standard.

All figures on this page are taken from Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (DWP, published April 2026) and the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Act 2025. Author: Oliver Wakefield-Smith. Last full review: 22 June 2026. Next scheduled review: April 2027 (post-uprating). See the full sources register.

Descriptors and points

A. Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided.
0 pts
B. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
2 pts
Common scoring pitfall: A perching stool or one-handed peeler counts as an aid.
C. Cannot cook a simple meal using a conventional cooker but is able to do so using a microwave.
2 pts
Common scoring pitfall: Use of a microwave because a gas hob is unsafe is scored here, not at descriptor a.
D. Needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
2 pts
E. Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
4 pts
F. Cannot prepare and cook food.
8 pts
Common scoring pitfall: Reserved for claimants who cannot safely or reliably do the activity even with help; medical evidence is essential.

Worked example: Fibromyalgia with hand-grip pain

You can chop vegetables on a good day but cannot grip a saucepan safely when your hands flare. You use a perching stool because standing for ten minutes triggers pain. Reliability test: you cannot do this safely or repeatedly more than three days a week, so descriptor e (needs supervision or assistance) applies.

Descriptor scored: E, 4 points.

Reliability test

Whatever descriptor you pick must apply to you safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time. If you can only manage the activity on a good day, the next-higher descriptor usually applies. This is the single most common reason claimants are under-scored on assessment.

Source

Descriptors and points are taken from Schedule 1 of the Social Security (PIP) Regulations 2013. Interpretation guidance is in the PIP assessment guide (DWP, Feb 2026).

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