How to request a mandatory reconsideration (CRMR1)
If the DWP has refused your child’s benefit, or awarded a rate you think is too low, that’s a hard letter to get - but a mandatory reconsideration is how you challenge it, and it’s the required first step before any tribunal appeal. You usually have one month from the date on the decision letter. The key is simple: don’t repeat your claim, quote each reason the DWP got wrong and answer it with specific, dated evidence.
- Deadline
- 1 month from the date on the decision letter (later requests may be accepted up to 13 months with a good reason)
- Time to complete
- Allow 1 to 2 hours
- Who it’s for
- Parents and carers challenging a DWP decision on a child or young person’s benefit, for example DLA or PIP that was refused or awarded at too low a rate.
- Where it applies
- England and Wales
Scotland and Northern Ireland run these benefits themselves, so the form and the office are different there. In Scotland, check Social Security Scotland. In Northern Ireland, check nidirect.
GOV.UK is the official source and is always the most up to date. These copies are provided for convenience.
We’ve put the parts that decide the claim first. The question numbers tell you where each one sits on the form.
The one-month deadline, and how to act fast
A mandatory reconsideration (MR) is the required first step before you can appeal a DWP benefit decision to a tribunal. You usually have one month from the date on the decision letter to ask for it - tight, but workable if you start now. Don’t let gathering evidence push you past the deadline - send the request in time, then send evidence after.
Get your request in within one month
- What they’re really asking
- Whether you’re challenging the decision in time. The clock runs from the date on the decision letter, not the date you opened it.
- How to answer it well
- You can request an MR by phone (the number is on the decision letter), with the CRMR1 form, or by letter. The quickest is usually to phone, then follow up in writing. If the deadline is close, send a short request now that says you disagree and that you’ll provide full reasons and evidence shortly - this protects your date.
- Common mistake
- Waiting to collect every report before you ask. If you miss one month you may need a good reason for a late request, so secure the date first.
If you’re already late
- What they’re really asking
- Whether a late request can still be accepted, and why it’s late.
- How to answer it well
- A late MR can be accepted if you have a good reason (for example illness, a hospital stay or a bereavement), generally up to 13 months from the decision with the strength of the reason mattering more the later you are. On the form, question 16 asks if you’re asking within one month; if you tick No, explain why it’s late in the box provided or in the further-information space at question 21.
- Common mistake
- Assuming a missed deadline ends it. Ask anyway and explain the delay - many late requests are accepted.
Consider asking for the written statement of reasons
- What they’re really asking
- Whether you understand exactly why the decision went against you.
- How to answer it well
- If the decision letter is vague, you can ask the DWP for a written statement of reasons, which sets out the decision-maker’s reasoning in full. Asking for it extends your deadline by 14 days. You can’t rebut a decision properly until you know precisely what it said, so this is worth doing when the letter is thin.
What the form actually asks (Q1 to Q16)
Most of the CRMR1 is straightforward identification: pages 2 to 3 cover who the decision is about and, if you’re completing it for your child, who you are. Page 4 (Q16) confirms whether you’re in time. The reasons and evidence at Q17 onwards are where the decision is won or lost.
Q5 to Q6 - National Insurance number and which benefit
- What they’re really asking
- Whose benefit this is and which decision you’re challenging, so the DWP can find the right file.
- How to answer it well
- Q5 wants the National Insurance number of the person the decision is about. For a child claim, give your child’s NI number if they have one (children under 16 often don’t - leave it if unknown and rely on the other details). At Q6 name the benefit clearly, for example "Disability Living Allowance for my son" or "PIP".
Show the wording on the form
Q5, page 2
National Insurance (NI) number
Q6, page 2
Which benefit are you asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration of?
Q9 to Q15 - If you’re completing it for your child
- What they’re really asking
- Whether you’re acting as a representative, and your relationship to your child.
- How to answer it well
- Tick Yes at Q9 if you’re completing the form for someone else, then give your details and your relationship at Q13 (for example "parent" or "carer"). A parent or legal guardian completing it for their own child doesn’t need to send separate authority to act.
Q16 - Are you asking within one month?
- What they’re really asking
- Whether your request is in time, which sets whether the DWP needs a reason to accept it.
- How to answer it well
- Tick Yes if you’re within one month of the decision date and move on to Q17. Tick No if you’re late, and use the box to explain why (see the deadline section above).
Show the wording on the form
Q16, page 4
Are you asking us to look at your decision again within one month of the date on your decision letter?
Answer options: No / Yes
Deciding what was wrong with the decision
Before you write anything, read the decision letter line by line and pin down exactly which findings are wrong. A mandatory reconsideration succeeds when it targets specific errors, not when it restates the whole claim. For DLA and PIP, that usually means the points where the decision-maker played down or ignored a particular care, supervision or mobility need.
Find the specific findings you disagree with
- What they’re really asking
- Which parts of the decision are wrong: a refused component, a rate set too low, or a need the decision-maker dismissed or didn’t mention.
- How to answer it well
- Go through the letter and note each statement you disagree with, in their words. Typical examples: "does not need continual supervision", "no evidence of night-time care needs", "is independent in walking". For each one, you’ll write a short rebuttal at Q17.
- Common mistake
- Saying only "I disagree with the whole decision". Vague disagreement gives the new decision-maker nothing specific to change.
Map each finding to the real day-to-day need
- What they’re really asking
- How the decision’s findings square with the help, prompting and supervision your child actually needs.
- How to answer it well
- For each disputed finding, decide what the truth is and what proves it. If they said your child has no night-time needs, the answer is a care diary showing how often they wake and what you do. If they ignored supervision, the answer is concrete examples of the risk and how continuous the watching has to be.
Stuck on a question? The assistant can help you word it for your child.
Ask the assistantWriting the reasons (Q17)
Q17 is the heart of the form - up to around 950 characters to say what parts of the decision you disagree with and why (use the larger space at Q21 if you need more). Take each refusal reason in turn, quote it, say why it’s wrong, and give a specific dated example. Use plain, definite language: "needs", "cannot", "every time", not "I think", "sometimes" or "struggles".
Q17 - What parts do you disagree with and why?
- What they’re really asking
- A clear, point-by-point explanation of where the decision is wrong, with specific facts the decision-maker can act on.
- How to answer it well
- Use a short paragraph per refusal reason in this order: quote the decision ("Your letter states that..."), state it’s incorrect, give a specific dated example, and link it to what the benefit is for. For example: "The letter states my daughter does not need help at night. This is incorrect. She wakes three to four times most nights and needs fifteen to twenty minutes of help to resettle safely, as shown in the attached care diary."
- Common mistake
- Repeating the original application, or writing a long emotional account. Restating the claim offers nothing new; one clear paragraph per error is what gets read and acted on.
Show the wording on the form
Q17, page 5
What part(s) of your decision do you disagree with and why?
Use the room at Q21 if you run out of space
- What they’re really asking
- Whether you’ve said everything, given the character limits on the main boxes.
- How to answer it well
- Q21 is a large free-text space (around 3,300 characters) for anything else the DWP needs to know. If your reasons or evidence list don’t fit at Q17 or Q18, continue them here and write "continued at question 21" in the box you ran out of.
Show the wording on the form
Q21, page 7
Use this space to tell us anything else you think we may need to know.
Attaching new evidence (Q18 to Q20)
New evidence isn’t required, but it’s what turns many reconsiderations around - especially evidence that directly answers a specific refusal reason. Q18 asks whether you have new information and to list it; Q19 to Q20 ask whether you’ve attached everything, and to explain anything still on its way.
Q18 - Do you have new information?
- What they’re really asking
- Whether there’s anything the DWP hasn’t already seen, and a list of what you’re sending.
- How to answer it well
- Tick Yes and list each item: a care diary, a letter from a paediatrician, OT or CAMHS, an EHCP or care plan, a medicines list. Choose evidence that answers a specific point you raised at Q17 rather than sending everything you own. Evidence that describes daily needs is worth far more than a letter that only confirms a diagnosis.
- Common mistake
- Sending pages of general condition information that don’t link to a refusal reason - it dilutes the strong evidence.
Show the wording on the form
Q18, page 5
Do you have any new information we have not seen or heard of?
Answer options: No / Yes
Q19 to Q20 - If some evidence isn’t ready yet
- What they’re really asking
- Whether anything you intend to rely on is still outstanding, and why.
- How to answer it well
- If a report you’ve requested hasn’t arrived, don’t hold up the form. Send it in time, tick No at Q19, and explain at Q20 that a named report is on its way (for example "awaiting an OT report requested on [date]"). Send the document on as soon as it arrives, quoting the claim reference.
Show the wording on the form
Q19, page 6
Have you attached all the evidence listed?
Answer options: No / Yes
Q20, page 6
Details of why you have not attached the additional information.
What happens next, and the route to a tribunal appeal
A different decision-maker reviews your case and sends a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice with the outcome. Reconsideration success rates are modest, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t change - tribunal appeals succeed far more often, and the MR is simply the gate you have to pass through to get there.
Follow it up and keep copies
- What they’re really asking
- Whether your request is being dealt with, given that processing can take weeks or months.
- How to answer it well
- Send the form by a method you can track and keep copies of everything. Some reconsiderations, PIP in particular, can take a couple of months. If you hear nothing after about six weeks, phone the number on your decision letter, and follow up roughly every four weeks.
If the reconsideration doesn’t change the decision
- What they’re really asking
- Whether to take it to an independent tribunal once you’ve got the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice.
- How to answer it well
- You can appeal to the independent tribunal within one month of the date on the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice, using form SSCS1. The tribunal looks at everything afresh and asking for an oral hearing tends to improve your chances. You’ll need the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice to appeal, so keep it safe.
- Common mistake
- Giving up after a refused reconsideration. Many people stop here even though appeals succeed at a much higher rate.
Common questions
It’s asking the DWP to look at a benefit decision again. A different decision-maker reviews your case using your original claim plus anything new you provide. It’s the required first step before you can appeal a benefit decision to an independent tribunal.
Usually one month from the date on the decision letter. A late request can still be accepted if you have a good reason, such as illness or a bereavement, generally up to 13 months from the decision. If you might be late, ask anyway and explain why.
No. You can ask by phone (the number is on your decision letter), by letter, or with the CRMR1 form. The form is helpful because it prompts you for the details the DWP needs. Whichever way you ask, keep a copy or a note of the call.
Take each part of the decision you disagree with, quote what the letter said, explain why it’s wrong, and give a specific dated example. Use definite language - "needs", "cannot", "every time" - rather than "I think" or "sometimes". Don’t simply repeat your original claim.
No, but it helps a lot, especially evidence that answers a specific reason the decision gave. A care diary, a letter from a professional who knows your child, or an EHCP can make the difference. Send the request in time even if some evidence is still on its way.
That’s a discouraging letter, but you can appeal to an independent tribunal within one month of the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice, using form SSCS1. Tribunals look at the case afresh and succeed far more often than reconsiderations, so it’s usually worth continuing if you believe the decision is wrong.
Related forms
Sources
Get this form right, together
Open SEND Parents Help in ChatGPT and get help worded for your child. It’s free, for parents.
Get help with this form in ChatGPT