new style esa or uc?

freddy111

hi I was transferred from the old incapacity benefits to esa in 2013, my benefit rates upgrading letter says I'm on income related esa currently, when transferring from ESA income related TO UC do they look at your national insurance records from the last two years prior to migrating to see if your entitled to new style esa as esa pay your insurance credits,or do they do as esa have done to work out my current income related esa by looking at the two years prior to my incapacity benefits claim? basically do uc treat you as a brand new claimant and look at the last two years insurance contributions or do they go back like esa have done and use your insurance contributions record before the incapacity benefits claim?

Many thanks :)

Kimmy87

ESA letters are very difficult to understand, even for experienced advisors.

If you were transferred from the old Incapacity Benefit, then your ESA award is Contributions Based with an Income Related top up (if applicable).

When you claim UC your IR ESA will be replaced by UC, and the CB ESA changes automatically into New Style ESA.

The 2 years NI Contributions rule only applies to new claims. Your claim will be a transfer not a new claim.

freddy111

thank you looking back I think I was on income support because of illness and not incapacity benefit if so does this cancel the part where you said I'll of been put on esa contributions on transfer to esa and in fact will have been put on esa income related as my benefit uprating letter says I'm on?

Kimmy87

I'm not 100% sure but as Income Support is means tested, I would expect that would have changed into Income Related ESA.