The clock starts the day the letter lands
Everything in this process runs on deadlines, so start by finding yours. The decision letter (or the message in your UC journal) carries a date — from that date you have one month to ask for mandatory reconsideration. Put the letter somewhere you won't lose it; you'll need the details on it for every step that follows.
Missed the month? Don't give up yet. DWP can accept late requests if you have a good reason — a hospital stay, a bereavement, never receiving the letter. The longer the delay, the better your reason needs to be. And there's a backstop: even if DWP refuses a late reconsideration, you can usually still appeal that refusal to a tribunal provided you're within 13 months of the original decision.
Step one: ask them to look again
Mandatory reconsideration means exactly what it says: a different DWP decision-maker reviews your case. You can request it by phone (the number on your decision letter), by letter, through your UC online journal, or with DWP's request form. Phone is fastest for getting it logged; a written request is better for setting out your argument in full. Many people do both — call to start the clock, then follow up in writing.
Expect the review to take 2 to 8 weeks. When it's done, DWP sends a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice: the decision stands, or it changes. Be aware it can change in either direction — increases, decreases and reinstatements are all possible, which is why the evidence you submit matters.
What to put in your request
Vague disagreement loses; specific evidence wins. Go through the decision letter line by line and challenge each point you dispute, in plain language: "You scored me 0 for preparing food, but my OT report dated 12 March says I cannot safely use a cooker unsupervised." Attach everything relevant — medical reports, care plans, prescription lists, statements from people who see your daily reality. If a report is thin, ask the professional to spell out functional impact, not just diagnosis: tribunals decide on what you can and can't do, not on the name of your condition.
One tactic that matters more than people realise: keep a copy of everything you send, and note dates. If DWP later says it never received your evidence, your paper trail is your proof.
Step two: the tribunal
If reconsideration doesn't fix it, you can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal — run by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, independent of DWP. A judge (usually with a doctor and a disability specialist for health-related appeals) hears both sides and makes a legally binding decision.
You need two things to appeal: your Mandatory Reconsideration Notice and to act within one month of its date. Appeal online through GOV.UK or on paper with form SSCS1. You can choose a paper hearing (decided on documents alone) or an oral hearing — attending in person or by video lets you explain things the paperwork can't, and representatives from Citizens Advice or welfare rights teams can come with you. If the deadline is looming, lodge the appeal now with what you have; you can add evidence while it's being prepared.
What actually moves the needle
Three things, consistently: specificity (challenge each disputed point, don't just say "it's wrong"), functional evidence (what you can't do, documented by someone qualified), and persistence (most people who give up do so after the first refusal — before the stage where decisions most often change). The tribunal statistics are the reason this guide exists: a large share of PIP appeals succeed, which means a large share of first decisions were wrong. DWP's first answer is not the final word unless you let it be.
Sources & accuracy: 1-month MR deadline (late requests with good reason; 13-month appeal backstop), request routes (phone/letter/journal/form), 2–8 week review window, MR Notice requirement, 1-month tribunal deadline, SSCS1 form and online appeals via HMCTS, per GOV.UK — Appeal a benefit decision and Citizens Advice guidance. Tribunal success context per Citizens Advice reporting. This guide is general information, not legal advice — for tailored help contact Citizens Advice or a welfare rights adviser. We are an independent guide, not DWP.