The Short Answer
65% of PIP decisions cleared at a tribunal hearing were overturned in the claimant's favour. That figure covers initial decisions made between April 2021 and March 2026, published by the DWP. A further 17% of appeals lodged were lapsed, meaning the DWP changed its own decision before the hearing. Only 7% of initial decisions are appealed at all, so the high overturn rate applies to a small, self-selected group.
The Headline Figures
Every stage of the challenge process, with the period each figure covers. The two official series measure different things and are never added together.
| Measure | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial decisions awarded PIP | 54% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Decisions with a reconsideration registered | 20% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Completed reconsiderations changing the award | 15% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Reconsiderations changing the award | 26% | Quarter ending Jul 2026 | DWP |
| Completed reconsiderations then appealed | 35% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Appeals lodged that were lapsed | 17% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Decisions cleared at a hearing that were overturned | 65% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Initial decisions appealed | 7% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
| Initial decisions overturned at a hearing | 3% | Apr 2021 – Mar 2026 | DWP |
Last checked:
The DWP's figures come from its quarterly PIP official statistics, published on 15 September 2026; the base is 3.7 million initial decisions following a PIP assessment across the five-year window.
The Tribunal Series
The Ministry of Justice publishes the courts' own view of the same hearings. Its main figures cover all social security and child support appeals rather than PIP alone, and PIP is the largest component of them.
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| SSCS disposals | 31,000 | Apr – Jun 2026 |
| Disposals cleared at a hearing | 65% | Apr – Jun 2026 |
| Hearings revising the decision in the claimant's favour | 60% | Apr – Jun 2026 |
| PIP overturn rate at hearings | 67% | Apr – Jun 2026 |
| PIP share of SSCS receipts | 59% | Apr – Jun 2026 |
| Open SSCS caseload | 129,000 | End of June 2026 |
| Mean age of a case at disposal | 37 weeks | Apr – Jun 2026 |
Last checked:
The Ministry of Justice figures come from "Tribunal statistics quarterly: April to June 2026", published on 10 September 2026, which states that the "overturn rate varied by benefit type, with PIP at 67%". The two series differ because they count different populations: the DWP counts PIP decisions, the Ministry of Justice counts all social security appeals in a quarter. Both point the same way.
What the Figures Do Not Say
They are population rates, not the probability that a particular appeal will succeed. Nothing in either series predicts an individual case, and no reputable reading of them can.
Three qualifications matter when interpreting the 65% figure:
- The population is self-selected. Only 7% of initial decisions are appealed. Claimants who appeal are disproportionately those with a case worth making, often with advice-sector support.
- Lapsed appeals sit outside it. Seventeen per cent of appeals lodged never reach a hearing because the DWP changes the decision first. Those successes are not in the 65%.
- The base period is long. April 2021 to March 2026 includes years of changing practice. The DWP notes that numbers for later periods can rise as more appeals complete.
What the Pattern Suggests
Decisions change at every stage, and each stage has a different mechanism. The reconsideration stage changes 15% to 26% of decisions, depending on the series, and is decided inside the DWP. The lapse stage changes 17% of lodged appeals, also inside the DWP but after independent scrutiny becomes likely. The hearing stage changes 65% of what remains, decided by a panel independent of government.
The most defensible reading is the simplest one: the further a case travels, the more likely it is to have merit, and independent scrutiny finds more of that merit than internal review does. What that does not license is any claim about how a specific case will end.
Where the Figures Come From
The DWP's quarterly PIP official statistics, and the Ministry of Justice's quarterly tribunal statistics. Both are official statistics publications, updated on a quarterly cycle: the DWP release used here was published on 15 September 2026 and the Ministry of Justice release on 10 September 2026.
Figures on this page are checked against each new release. Where a figure here differs from a newer publication, the newer publication governs.
The Route Itself
The process behind these numbers, with its deadlines and forms, is on the challenging decisions explained page, and what happens at the hearing is on the tribunal page.