ESA50 form

Faithlong

I am filling the ESA 50 form and I have some questions, I would be very grateful for your help.

It says I have to write in capital letters, what if I mess this up and is it ok to not do that? Also, can I use separate sheets of papers? I estimate I’m gonna need to use at least 10 extra separate sheets, is that ok? Finally, how long is it taking to process legacy esa reviews now?

Thank you so much

Emilee

They request capital letters as it can make things clearer for them to read, but many people don’t use them, and that’s perfectly fine.

Yes, you can use separate sheets of paper, but be sure to include your full name and National Insurance number on each one. Also, make it clear what each sheet refers to. I would suggest that 10 additional sheets is quite a lot and remind you to only include information that is relevant.

OverlyAnxious

You should try to write in block capitals to make it easier to read.

If you've got a lot of information to write then you could type it and print it off instead. There is no limit to the number of extra sheets you can use, but don't forget the assessor will have to read it all, so it's better to keep it as short as you can, while still getting all the necessary information in.

Make sure to write your National Insurance number on every extra page you use.

I don't know how long the wait is for ESA reviews. There aren't many happening currently, so it depends on whether they are done by the same team who do the UC reviews or not. If it's a different team then it may be pretty quick.

poppy123456

For quite sometime now I've been typing out my answers when filling out the form but I never use capital letters, same when I used to write them by hand. The reason I don't do this is because I personally find it more difficult to read something that's full of capital letters and I always worry that someone else will be the same as me.

If I was writing the form myself using a pen writing in capital letters is really hard for me so that's another reason I wouldn't do that.

If you prefer not to use capital letters then that's absolutely fine.

OverlyAnxious

Interesting range of opinions on capital letters here. 🙂

Personally I fill in my name and basic details in pen on the form using block capitals as I feel that is clearer than my normal handwriting.

But then type the main text in normal case on computer, using a clear font at a decent size.

Jimm_Alumni

I know they insist on block capitals because they are much easier to read but I often find myself slipping into my usual handwriting. I have been trying to do what Poppy says more and more which is typing everything out. I just find typing so much easier and less tiresome than having to write all the words out. It really has made filling out such forms less work.