How to improve your search results

Using the search field

You can find caselaw summaries by entering search terms such as:

• the case name (for example, SSWP v MJ) or distinctive parts of the case name (for example, MJ)
• the citation (for example, [2025] UKUT 35 (AAC))
• the appeal reference (for example, CPIP/1532/2015)
• relevant words or phrases (such as 'epilepsy', 'benefit cap’, ‘Activity 8’ or ‘regulation 28’)

Using common abbreviations such as LCWRA may work, although in some cases you might get more accurate results if you use the full term. For example, searching for work capability assessment rather than WCA.

Using the filters

You can use filters with or without a search term, to filter our caselaw summaries by:

• Date of the decision – this allows you to find caselaw summaries about cases decided:
  • between two chosen dates
  • after a chosen date
  • before a chosen date
• Benefit or payment – useful if you only want to look at cases relating to a particular benefit
• Jurisdiction – for example, Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court

You can use any combination of search terms and filters to narrow your search.

General tips

If your first search doesn’t return useful results:

• try alternative search terms or check spellings
• try searching using one search term at a time rather than using combinations of terms
• think about whether adding or removing a filter, or using a more broad or narrow search term would improve results

You can sort your results by relevance or the date of the decision (either starting with the oldest decision or the most recent one).

Searching for PIP or WCA activities or descriptors

You can search for summaries of cases relating to specific PIP or WCA activities. 

For example, to find summaries mentioning PIP activity 8, you can either:

• add activity 8 as a search term and filter by benefit personal independence payment, or
• use the search term PIP activity 8

Searching for summaries of cases that relate to particular descriptors may work if you us the format number(letter). 

For example, if you’re looking for PIP Activity 7, descriptor b, enter: PIP descriptor 7(b)

However, this may not return all summaries mentioning  a particular descriptor, so it’s worth also widening your search to look at all the results for the activity itself. 

You can use the words descriptor and activity  interchangeably, so, for example, searching for activity 7(b) should return the same results as descriptor 7(b).

Quotation marks and Boolean terms

The search doesn’t recognise:

• quotation marks (for example "limited capability for work")
• Boolean operators such as AND, OR, or NOT

Using these won’t narrow or refine your results. Instead, the search looks for individual words and phrases you enter.

Just type the search terms you think are most important, without punctuation or operators.

Contact us

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, get in touch and maybe we can help. We're also keen to hear your feedback in general about this new area of the site. Email us at: [email protected]