New style ESA and universal credit

whufcjay

Hi I’ve just migrated from esa to universal credit and been awarded the full universal credit rate and the LCWLA rate too which is £823.41, also I’ve been put in the new style esa support group which is £562.20 a month but I’m being paid over two fortnightly payments , I was told I would only be deducted the £562.20 a month from my universal credit and they only take what you get on esa no more , yet I’ve been deducted £609 a month when it should only be £562.29 , I rang them up and they said it’s worked out on percentage averages? I only get £562.20 a month on esa so that’s what should be deducted , I’m £50 short a month , how can I get this back

Kimi87

The deduction is correct, see this thread for information:

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/134866/uc-shows-incorrect-new-style-esa

whufcjay

thank you I read your link but I am still confused as even if it is a weekly payment I’m still down on the £823 I was awarded I’ll only get £776 how can this be fare when I was told I would only be deducted my esa amount

Kimi87

ESA is £140.55 a week and there are 4.3 weeks in a month.

UC is a monthly payment (30 days).

You need to think of ESA as a monthly amount @ £609.05, calculated as explained in the thread I linked too.

So instead of £823.41 a month UC, you are receiving £609.05 ESA + £214.36 UC.

This adds up to the same money, £823.41 a month.

You are only being deducted for the ESA and you are not worse off.

whufcjay

Now the penny has dropped , thank you 🙂