Advice please.

JustJem

Hello, I do apologise in advance if this question has been already asked already or by myself etc.

With all the people from income related ESA going through a managed migration from ESA to UC from September 2024 - December 2025.. I'm still feeling rather confused due to my autism and anxiety about going over to a different benefit.

I am not 100% how much I would get as I would be in the LWCRA group of UC and I'm over 25 and single and would need to claim the housing element as I live in a housing association flat.

Would I be able to make arrangements with UC and my landlord to have direct payments for my housing element?

If I was to get an advance payment for example until my first payment, how much would the maximum be?

If I decided to have a part time job while claiming LWCRA how would that be affected?

Also if my partner claims UC and he moves in with me... I know we would have to do a joint claim for UC, but how would we go about doing this and who's uc entitlement would be used if that makes sense?

Sorry if I'm seeming a bit thick, the UC process is really confusing.. especially with the monthly payment dates, how would I know about my payments dates etc?

Thank you.

poppy123456

When you claim UC your Income Related ESA and housing benefit (if you claim that now) will continue for 2 weeks and then stop. If any part of your ESA is contributions based then this will continue but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. 

As you're in the Support Group for ESA then you'll be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. Your UC would include the standard allowance (25 and over) LCWRA element and housing element. If you claimed between now and next years annual increase then your UC would be as follows. 

Standard allowance (25+) £393.45 
LCWRA element £416.19
Housing element ?

Yes you can ask them to pay your landlord directly. 

For UC you have what's known as monthly assessment periods. Day one would be the first day you submit your claim, for example if you claim on 15th of the month your AP would be 15th to 14th of every month and your payment date would be 21st of every month. Unless that date falls on a weekend on bank holiday and then it will be paid on the Friday before. This means your first payment would be 1 month and 6 days after you submit your claim. 

You can ask for an advance payment but this will need to be repaid back and your future UC payments would be reduced. 

If you moved in with your partner after you claimed UC then you would need to report a change of circumstances if you have a journal. Then click living with a partner and report it through there. You will be sent a linking code. Your partner would then need to start a claim their self and use the linking code to join both claims together. Your entitlement will then be based on your joint circumstances.

Working while claiming UC. You will have the work allowance, which will be £404/month. This means you or a partner can receive that amount of earnings each month before the deductions apply. For every £1 over that amount your UC would reduce by 55p.

JustJem

Hi Poppy, thank you for the advice as always!

My rent is: £550.02 per month and its paid through Housing Benefit.

I'm extremely terrified of the switch from ESA to UC.

I am on income related ESA and PIP, will I get transitional protection once I migrate over?

Thank you for your time and patience, I know you help a lot of people online and it's truly appreciated.

poppy123456

No problem. Housing benefit and housing element are similar and you should be entitled to the same amount under UC. 

For Transitional protection then it will depend on the figures. Does your ESA currently include the Severe Disability Premium? 

JustJem

Hi Poppy, yes I get the SDP with my ESA and I also claim PIP.

With the managed migration you have up to 3 months from the date of the letter to migrate over, will my ESA remain in the process of the 3 months when I get the managed migration letter from the DWP or will my ESA stop as soon as I get the migration letter?

I know that I will get two weeks worth of ESA and housing benefit, but this process is awfully confusing so thank you for your patience.

poppy123456

Yes your ESA continues during those 3 months, that’s why it’s paid for an extra 2 weeks once you claim UC but you must claim within the deadline. 

As your ESA includes SDP then there will be some entitlement to TP. However, that TP erodes over time so if other elements increase the TP decreases until such a time it will erode completely. 

PIP continues as normal. Council Tax reduction is likely to be recalculated based on your UC entitlement. I can’t give specific advice on CTR because all LAs have their own rules. 

JustJem

Thank you Poppy, you've put my mind at rest.