ESA and PIP, will my entitlements moe with me to UC? And can it be paid every 2 weeks?

India3910

Hi, I am in the syport group of ESA and claim PIP, I also claim housing benefit and council tax benefits. Will my entitlements move with me when I switch to UC and will I be worse of or better off moving over to UC, also can you give me a rough estimation of what I will receive when I switch? At the moment I get £489 ESA every 2 was and £598 PIP every 4 weeks. Can Uc also be paid every 2 was instead of monthly as I don't budget that well.

Manu thanks

Kimi87

PIP is paid separately to UC.

Your ESA group will transfer with you to UC, although it often takes a few weeks to confirm.

Unless you live in supported or sheltered housing, your rent will be paid via UC Housing Element.

You can request 2 monthly payments, this is not every fortnight. It does mean on your first payment date you only get half the award, then have to wait 14-16 days for the rest.

After you submit the UC application, you will have access to your online account which is called the Journal. You can write a Journal note (under the payment option) requesting 2 payments a month. Additionally you can request that your rent is paid directly to your Landlord.

If your UC award is lower than legacy benefits, Transitional Protection will be added to your claim to ensure you aren't worse off at the time of transfer. This does erode over time as other elements go up or new elements are added.

Council Tax Reduction is run by your local council. You do need to inform them you are migrating to UC, they will probably ask for your first payment statement. Your award will be re calculated, some areas treat UC differently to legacy benefits and some people have seen an increase in what they nerd to pay for CT.

As each area runs a different scheme we can't advise on individual cases from here.

Try a benefits calculator to estimate your UC entitlement

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators