Comparison · 2026/27
PIP Daily Living vs Mobility Component
Personal Independence Payment is made up of two independent components — daily living and mobility — each assessed against its own set of activities and scored separately. This guide explains what each component covers, how points translate into standard or enhanced rate, and how the two interact with other support such as Motability.
At a Glance
| Feature | Daily Living | Mobility |
|---|---|---|
| Assesses | Everyday self-care tasks | Planning journeys, moving around |
| Number of activities | 10 | 2 |
| Rates | Standard / Enhanced | Standard / Enhanced |
| Linked scheme | Carer's Allowance (for carer) | Motability (enhanced rate) |
| Taxable? | No | No |
| Can claim both? | Yes, assessed independently | |
Exact weekly rates change each April — verify the current figures on gov.uk before relying on them for a specific calculation.
Daily Living Component Explained
The daily living component looks at ten activities: preparing food, eating and drinking, managing treatments, washing and bathing, managing toilet needs, dressing and undressing, communicating, reading, engaging with other people, and managing money. An assessor (often a health professional contracted to DWP) scores each activity based on the descriptor that best matches the claimant\'s ability, considering reliability, safety, repeatability and reasonable time to complete the task.
Points across all ten activities are totalled to determine the daily living outcome — broadly, a lower point threshold qualifies for the standard rate and a higher threshold for the enhanced rate. Because scoring depends on the combination of activities where points are earned, two claimants with the same total score can have quite different underlying support needs.
Mobility Component Explained
The mobility component covers just two activities: planning and following a journey (which captures cognitive, sensory or psychological barriers to getting somewhere, not just physical ones) and moving around (physical ability to walk a given distance safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a reasonable time, with or without an aid). This is why the mobility component can apply to claimants with conditions like severe anxiety or autism that make journey planning difficult, not only those with physical mobility impairments.
The enhanced rate of the mobility component is the qualifying route into the Motability Scheme, which converts the cash payment into a leased car, scooter or powered wheelchair with insurance, servicing and breakdown cover included. The standard rate does not qualify for Motability but still provides a cash contribution towards transport costs.