The Short Answer
Mobility activity 2 assesses standing and then moving, in fixed distance bands. More than 200 metres scores nothing; above 50 metres scores 4 points; 20 to 50 metres scores 8 unaided or 10 with an aid; 20 metres or less scores 12. The distance counted is the one you can repeat, on an ordinary outdoor surface, without severe discomfort such as breathlessness, pain or fatigue.
| Activity | Mobility activity 2: Moving around |
|---|---|
| Component | Mobility, scored under regulation 6(3) |
| Descriptors | 6, lettered a to f |
| Points range | 0 to 12 |
| Reaches a threshold alone | Yes — the top descriptor alone reaches the 12-point enhanced rate |
The Moving Around Descriptors
One descriptor is scored, the highest that applies on more than half of the days.
| Descriptor | Points |
|---|---|
| a. Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. | 0 |
| b. Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided | 4 |
| c. Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. | 8 |
| d. Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. | 10 |
| e. Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. | 12 |
| f. Cannot, either aided or unaided, – (i) stand; or (ii) move more than 1 metre. | 12 |
Last checked: 7 August 2026
Reproduced verbatim from Schedule 1 of the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, as amended. The highest descriptor this activity can score is 12 points.
This is the only activity in the whole assessment scored by a measured number. Everything else is scored by the kind of help needed, which is why a carefully measured distance is worth more here than any description.
What the Activity Considers
Physical ability to move, without severe discomfort. The guide states that the activity "considers a claimant's physical ability to move around without severe discomfort, such as breathlessness, pain or fatigue".
Those three symptoms are in the definition itself. A distance achieved only by pushing through pain is not the distance the descriptor asks about.
Last checked: 7 August 2026
How the Distance Is Measured
On an ordinary outdoor surface, including kerbs. The guide directs that the activity "should be judged in relation to a type of surface normally expected out of doors, such as pavements on the flat and includes the consideration of kerbs".
Standing has a precise meaning: "to stand upright with at least one biological foot on the ground with or without suitable aids and appliances". The guide adds the worked example: "a prosthesis is considered an appliance, so a claimant with a unilateral prosthetic leg may be able to stand, whereas a bilateral lower limb amputee would be unable to stand under this definition".
Standing and then moving "requires an individual to stand and then move independently while remaining standing".
Wheelchairs Are Outside the Distance
Two sentences settle it. The guide states that standing and then moving "does not include a claimant who stands and then transfers into a wheelchair or similar device", and that "individuals who require a wheelchair or similar device to move a distance should not be considered able to stand and move that distance".
A wheelchair user is therefore not credited with the distance the chair covers.
Pauses Are Not Always Stops
A favourable rule that cuts the other way too. The guide states: "Limited pauses do not necessarily mean the bout of moving has come to an end. For example, a claimant who has some difficulty with balance may pause before avoiding a small obstacle or stepping up onto a kerb — the claimant should not be viewed as completely stopping at that point."
That covers a hesitation at a kerb. It does not cover stopping to recover breath or to let pain settle, which ends the bout.
Reliability Applies to the Number
The guide says so directly: "The reliability criteria should be applied when assessing what distances the claimant can achieve." So the distance recorded should be the one that can be managed repeatedly, to an acceptable standard, in a reasonable time, on more than half of the days.
A single 200-metre walk followed by two days of recovery is not a 200-metre capability for scoring purposes.
Measuring Your Own Distance
Pace a known route on several different days, and note where you stop and why. Twenty metres is roughly two double-decker buses or five parked cars; fifty metres is about the length of an Olympic swimming pool. Record the date, the distance, whether an aid was used, and what happened afterwards.
The 20-metre boundary is the one that decides the mobility rate in most physical claims, so a figure near it is worth measuring rather than estimating.
Conditions That Commonly Score Here
Physical conditions affecting the legs, spine, heart or lungs. Osteoarthritis, back pain and sciatica reach it through pain. COPD and heart conditions reach it through breathlessness. Multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue reach it through fatigue and the repeatability limb.
Check Your Score
Moving around is one of two mobility activities, and its points add to those from planning and following journeys. Score both in the PIP points calculator, or read the full set on all 12 PIP descriptors.