Will I need to do a new work capability assessment when I move to UC?
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I am on Income related ESA and in the Support group and wandered if I move to Universal Credit with the migration notice I’ve received will I need to do a new work capability assessment or not?
Will I be worse off or the same?
I also receive housing benefit and council tax.
How long does it take to start receiving payments once you make the claim?
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Hello @princessj.
You shouldn’t be worse off under Universal Credit (UC); it should be roughly the same, or potentially better, depending on what you're currently claiming. Do you know if you're receiving the Severe Disability Premium (SDP) with your ESA at the moment?
As long as you submit your UC claim before the deadline on your migration letter, your support group status with ESA will be transferred to the LCWRA (Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity) group on UC. You should not be asked to have another Work Capability Assessment until your next regular review.
Once you submit your UC claim, you’ll receive a two-week run-on of both Housing Benefit and ESA. Your first UC payment will be made one month and seven days after you submit your claim. If you’re worried about the wait, you may be eligible for an advance payment, although this will be repayable in small instalments from your future UC payments.
If you have any other questions or if anything’s unclear, feel free to ask.
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Hi Morgan_Scope Thankyou for this information which is very helpful. Do you work for Scope organisation as you’re very knowledgeable?
The length of time it takes to receive payment 1 month 7 days is that also if you ask to receive your money fortnightly? as it’s quite a long time.
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Hello @princessj, yes I work for Scope.
Unfortunately, it is 1 month and 7 days for all claimants. If you request to have your payment made fortnightly, you will still have to wait 1 month and 7 days for your first Universal Credit payment. When it arrives, you will receive half of your usual monthly payment, with the second half paid 14–17 days later.
Remember, after you make your claim, you should continue to receive your Housing Benefit and ESA for an additional two weeks. You can also request an advance of your Universal Credit payment if you are unable to wait the full time.
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Thankyou so much for your response it is so helpful
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hi @Morgan_Scope I do receive severe disability payment with the ESA. I also receive Housing benefit and Council tax reduction.
Will I be paid the housing benefit and Council tax payments aswell and will I have to pay this to the Council myself?
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@Morgan_Scope Would you advise if it’s better to make my claim for Universal credit now or after Christmas as my deadline is 8th January 2025? As I am worried about the length of time payments may take to recieve, This is all worrying for me really
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Housing Benefit will change to Housing Element, paid under UC.
You can either pay this to landlord yourself, or ask UC to pay landlord directly.
Council Tax Reduction will continue, but you'll need to inform them when you claim UC. They may ask for your first statement.
CTR is decided locally, and I have seen a few cases where UC is treated differently in terms of entitlement, to legacy benefits. But most CTR awards remain the same.
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Hello @princessj, I can see @Nashota and @Kimmy87 have helpfully answered your questions already. Please let me know if you need any more help.
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As your ESA includes the SDP then I would wait until the last minute to claim UC. This is exactly what I plan on doing when I receive the migration letter.
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Hi @poppy123456 would I not be entitled to SDP on universal credit?
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No because it's not payable when claiming UC. You'll be entitled to Transitional Protection (TP) so you won't be worse off when you migrate across. This will erode over time so if other elements increase (such as April increase) or you become entitled to other elements the Transitional Protection decreases until eventually it erodes completely.
Your benefits will be frozen when you claim UC until the TP erodes. Which is why you should wait until the last minute to claim it.
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@poppy123456 who can I speak to in order to find this out or can I ask where did you get this information because if I won’t be worse off and this SDP isn’t given on UC then it erodes eventually which means that I will be worse off. This is so very stressful and affecting my anxiety now.
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The information came from the Transitional Protection rules, produced by the Government. See link.
Yes, sadly, eventually we'll be receiving the same as everyone else that doesn't currently receive SDP.
This was taken from the link above.
Changes that can decrease your transitional protection payments
Your transitional protection payments can decrease over time following a change in your circumstances. Changes can include:
- having a child
- starting to care for a child or disabled person
- an increase in housing costs (rent)
- a worsening health condition
- changes to government benefit rates
This is because these changes are likely to increase your Universal Credit amount.
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