Need help with new ESA claim

sazzajt

Hi everyone,

I’m new to this forum so please excuse if this has been asked somewhere.

I commenced a claim for ESA in March 2025. I am already on LWCW UC however I am going to be going over the 16k threshold soon so wanting to make the move over. I applied and then received a P45 around a month later with no decision letter or anything. Just a P45 which I apparently now know means claim closed.

I managed to finally get through to someone at the DWP today and they said my claim was automatically closed and he thinks it is because I have not paid enough NI contributions.

I said I believe I have as according to my NI record, in 2022-2023 I worked for seven consecutive months and paid £593.04 class 1 NI contributions and then in 2023-2024 consecutively following on from that prev tax year I worked three months earning £246.55 before I then had to leave work due to illness.

I thought you only had to have worked six months to claim new style ESA and that amount of NI would be sufficient? He said he will go back to the ESA team and get them to have another look if I think I have paid the right amount as he couldn’t see on his system how much I had actually paid. He just gave the generic reason ESA provided. If anyone could advise me that would be great as I am very confused.

Many thanks in advance.

Kimi87

It has to be sufficient contributions within those two years.

Further guidance here:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/employment-and-support-allowance/help-with-your-esa-claim/check-if-you-can-claim-esa/#:~:text=Check%20if%20you%20can%20claim%20new%20style%20ESA,year%20from%20National%20Insurance%20credits

sazzajt

@Kimi87 hiya, many thanks for your message. It was the amount I put above so it that classed as sufficient? I’ve checked my NI record and that is what it says in terms of the amount.

Kimi87

I'm not an expert in NI but personally I wouldn't have thought the contributions you have made are enough to meet the qualifying threshold.

There are more specific details in the link I provided (click on the purple text).