Help please re ESA

davejo

i was made redundant about 2 half yrs ago where i had been a carer working 11hr week, i have medical issues and im on pip , it was getting tough to work anyway. I applies for ESA but was told by dwp i couldnt claim as i hadnt been paying NI as my hours were low. But if i sent in fitnotes they would credit my NI and that what i have been doing up till now. I have just got a letter from health assessment to fill a capability for work form. I also claim carer for my other half and just recently been told i get a credit from that , question is what do i do with this form ? im nearly 64 worked all my life up till being made redundant , sounds like i dont need the fitnotes from the ESA so what do i do with the form ?

any help greatly appreciated

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

You will still need to complete the Work Capability Assessment form in order to get New Style ESA.

I think there's been some crossover in advice regarding NI Credits and limited work capability. Both parts are needed in order to claim NS ESA.

However, it is not possible to claim Carers Allowance at the same time as New Style ESA, so you won't be much better off by swapping from CA to NS ESA if my maths is correct.

You may be eligible for Universal Credit though I can't say from the info we have so far. Have you already tried applying for UC or only ESA?

davejo

Hi thanks, I'm come plating leaving the ESA as it only credits and just earn the credit from carers. I only submitted fit notes as they asked me to but I had no idea I would earn credit from carers, just didn't know if I had to phone them to stop ESA credits or just let the fit note relapse and they will stop it.

OverlyAnxious

Ah, I see what you mean now. The NS ESA would be a credits-only claim, without any payments.

Yes, if you want to cancel it, you should contact ESA ideally, they are likely to contact you if you don't return the form. However, you may still be eligible for Universal Credit. If you complete the WCA process now, then you would be able to move to Universal Credit quickly without having another assessment.

If you have under £16,000 in savings between yourself and your partner then I would recommend using a benefits calculator to check whether you would be eligible for Universal Credit as a couples claim.

davejo

Hi thank you, our savings are too much, will contact them Monday and cancel just concentrate on my caring duties, maybe could go about UC but just avoid the system if possible due to stress levels

Thanks so much for responding and advice it's really appreciated