I'm new to the forums here, so hello to everyone – this has been a hugely useful resource for me and my partner. We have recently been navigating the process of Managed Migration from WTC to UC, with help from benefits advisers from Scope and CAB.
My partner is in the Support Group for contribution-based ESA. She is self-employed, but long-term sick – she has not de-registered as self-employed so has therefore been submitting zero returns during her period of ill health.
I am her full time carer, and this has been correctly recorded in our application and reflected in our UC award. Both of us are in receipt of ADP for health conditions.
However, a confusing question has arisen on our respective to-do lists.
"Confirm previous earnings from work Due by Monday 24 June 2024"
"In the 12 months before you claimed Universal Credit, were there any gaps in your employment? This doesn't include paid holidays, maternity or paternity leave."
The only option is to answer yes or no. It seems clear that the answer for me is "no" because even though I am caring for my partner full time and I am limited by my health conditions, I have been continuously self-employed during this period.
The answer for my partner is less clear. A benefit adviser from CAB said the answer is also "no" because even though she is off sick and in receipt of ESA in the Support Group, she has remained self-employed with zero income.
Is the advice from CAB correct? There seems to be some disagreement on this point in various threads on this forum.
