Random ESA payment?

FluffyCatMeow

Hi all,

I applied for UC on the 10th and got my final ESA payment last Friday but today I suddenly received an extra payment but of just more than half of what I usually get, and I am so confused.

My UC hasn’t started yet, so it’s not that, plus it says ESA on the bank statement.

Could it be because I applied for UC half way through the usual two-weekly ESA payments, so I got last week’s payment and then a kind-of-half payment for the second week (if that made any sense whatsoever 😅)?

I usually get £318.10 every two weeks and got £136.33 today, if those numbers help explain anything?

Thank you ☺️

poppy123456

Have you received any letters from ESA? was part of your ESA contributions based? If it was then this part will continue to be paid but at a rate of £138.20/week (£276.40 fortnight) The ESA will revert to New style ESA automatically. It would be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. The UC will top up your income.

If all of your ESA was Income Related then that payment may have been made in error and this would mean that amount would be deducted from your first UC payment.

I'd advise you to ring ESA to ask what the payment was for and they should be able to tell you.

ChrisSCOPEhtfc94

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972167#Comment_972167

Based off this thread, maybe this is why it’s so important to get the timing correct to initiate a claim and not do that half way through the fortnightly ESA payments and not on the day of an ESA payment. Maybe this is why you have to get the timing right for your UC claim spot on, to avoid hassle to do with the run on payment AND to avoid any deductions being applied to a first UC payment.

I do think - no deductions should be applied to my first UC payment if I do a claim 😱, I’m in the Support Group on ESA for goodness’ sake, and I don’t have any savings/capital above £6,000. I only get my Income Related ESA and my PIP. I live off these two benefits.

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

Why, why, why does it have to so confusing?!

I wouldn’t want any deductions to be applied to my first UC payment, I’d want it to be correct. Maybe the two week run on payment shouldn’t exist if they’re going to apply any deductions/harsh deductions to a first UC payment after moving across from Income Related ESA!

ChrisSCOPEhtfc94

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972176#Comment_972176

I WANT to do a claim, I have thought for so long that I am not in a position where I have to wait for a migration notice because I’ll be financially better off than my current entitlement from my Income Related ESA (the Support Group). But, I don’t want any deductions to my first payment, just because they might actually classify as the run on payment from ESA as actual income in my first assessment period. The two week run on payment, maybe it shouldn’t exist if it’s going to affect a person’s first payment.

ChrisSCOPEhtfc94

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972178#Comment_972178

Like you @FluffyCatMeow, my current entitlement from ESA is £318.10. The Severe Disability Premium isn’t in my ESA, only the Enhanced Disability Premium. I would be getting more money 💶 versus that £318.10 every fortnight entitlement on ESA. But, I’m now actually going through an incredible amount of confusion on when it’s best to do my actual claim, on the day of my next ESA or the day after my next ESA? Plus, I don’t want any deductions to be applied to my first UC payment because of a two week run on payment. It’s like, if I get the timing wrong for a claim, will UC actually class the run on ESA payment as income in a first assessment period? 😱😱😱😱😱

poppy123456

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972178#Comment_972178

There would not be any deductions from UC for the run on payment. There would only be a deduction if you received another payment after that run on one. I did advise you this in a different thread.

FluffyCatMeow

Thank you for the advice, I gave them a call and it’s all sorted - phew 😅

just an update for anyone who stumbles across this thread in future with the same problem - the extra payment I got today was the top up for the two weeks run-on of ESA and that’s why it wasn’t the full amount.

(I had thought two weeks of ESA meant you’d get one more payment, even if it was just the next day after submitting the UC claim or something, but no, it’s two weeks of money and that can include a top up based on when your last full ESA payment was - so mine was last week, so today I got my final 6 days of the two weeks payment ← sorry, I’m bad at explaining 😂)

poppy123456

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972183#Comment_972183

Thank you for returning with an update. I'm glad it's sorted. The way it works confirms my advice that it doesn't matter when you claim UC, you will still receive a 2 week payment run on, after you submit the UC claim.

ChrisSCOPEhtfc94

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972180#Comment_972180

Well, ESA better ensure that they don’t send me an “extra” payment after what SHOULD be my final payment two weeks after that claim is submitted. Once I get the run on payment, they must be NO MORE payments from ESA. I know it can take up to a few weeks for UC and ESA to communicate with each other. But, ESA need to make sure that they get that Support Group info ℹ️ sent over to UC no problem and get my ESA claim CLOSED DOWN.

If it doesn’t get closed down in the way that it needs to, it’s like something could go wrong in the background (with the automated systems) and I could be issued a further payment of ESA after the two week run on.

It’s meant to be the same for everyone, no further ESA payments after the run on payment. You need to be listening to me ESA, get that all-important info on my Support Group status sent to UC no problem and shut down my ESA claim.

Things can go wrong in the world of computing 💻🖥️⌨️, algorithms, automated systems.