ESA to UC Migration - is it possible to cancel new style ESA and just claim LCWRA/Universal Credit?
Hi there, I’m a newbie here. I hope everyone one is well.
I am very nervous, but here goes.
I made a migration claim from ESA Support Group to Universal Credit on the 10th July and have now found out like many others that I was claiming ESA(Contribution Based), that I wasn’t aware of, as I left work eleven years ago. I received a letter that stated my ESA(Income Based) has ended and I then became confused.
I received a call from the Jobcentre to have a telephone interview and go through the Claimant Commitment, which I did.
I am ex DWP staff so I know about JSA, but not ESA and Univeral Credit.
My question is I have now found out that after receiving the two week run on from ESA on the 24th July 2025, I am now going to be receiving New Style ESA on the 7th August 2025 and every two weeks thereafter.
My claim has not been processed as of yet and my Universal Credit statement is not due until the 12th August 2025 and payment on the 16th August 2025 and to my understanding the deduction for (NS)ESA is taken from the first day of the UC claim and not Day 15 if I had been receiving ESA (Income Based). Therefore I will technically lose out on two weeks money in the first assessment period.
Is it possible to cancel the ESA(NS) claim and just claim the full Universal Credit with LCWRA element instead before they process the (NS)ESA.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Comments
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hi and welcome to the forum unfortunately I am not an expert in this area but what I can do is recommend that you visit the coffee lounge for a general chat or the games den for some fun.
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Anyone have an answer for this?
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Broadly speaking I don't know the answer, but It's too late now for your original intended purpose, any cancellation wouldn't be backdated.
You could try a trained benefits advisor
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Update: I managed to get my NS(ESA) claim closed down from the start date, therefore I did not receive a payment on the 7th August, as ESA managed to close down the claim in time. I have now received my first Universal Credit payment minus approx two weeks of Old Style ESA. So from next month onwards I will be in full receipt of Universal Credit only.
I have chronic illnesses and disabilities so I haven’t worked in over ten years and also very unlikely to ever return back to work, therefore I would prefer to be on Universal Credit only and not New Style ESA/Universal Credit.My brain can’t handle budgeting:
1) New Style ESA every 2 weeks
2) PIP every 4 weeks
3) Universal Credit every month2 -
Hi there, I contacted ESA on 0800 1690310 and asked them to close the NS ESA claim down.
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You might be able to close the NS ESA claim down in time, as I closed mine down on the 30 July, eight days before my NS ESA payment was due on the 7th August.
But I would advise you to speak to an expert on Benefits or Citizen Advice Bureau. I can’t advise unfortunately. I don’t want to give you incorrect information.
Nobody answered my query at the time so I just took a chance.
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I got my phone call for the NS ESA claimant commitment before I closed my claim down. I didn’t even know that they had me down as NS ESA and that’s how I found out.
But I did write and inform UC in my journal.1 -
First of all I told ESA to close my NS ESA claim and then I wrote it in my UC journal that I wanted to claim UC LWRCA only.
Be warned that they deduct two weeks money of ESA from your first payment of UC.
The extra two weeks of normal ESA called the run on is so that you don’t have to wait five weeks for your initial UC payment. The next month you will get the FULL UC payment.1 -
If you were claiming ESA Support Group Income Related or Contributions Based topped up with Income Related you should be able to migrate over to UC LCWRA with no problem. I believe the claimant commitment interview will be cancelled as you are no longer claiming NS ESA. They will send a letter confirming this along with a P60.
And yes I definitely told UC in my journal I had closed the claim down. If they make a mistake they will readjust your first statement and send out a faster payment, as they are pretty quick. Good luck
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The first time you'll see the word LCWRA is on your first payment statement. But sometimes they haven't heard from ESA in time.
If it's missing from your statement you let them know via Journal (using the payment option). Once it's been confirmed a letter would be added to your Journal stating the amount owed due to underpayment. The money will then be paid within a few working days.
In the meantime you can check the amount of advance payment you are offered, or the wording on your work commitments both of which can give clues about how your UC claim is progressing.
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As long as you were in the Support Group you will get UC LCWRA which is the standard allowance (£400.14) if you are single and over 25 plus the LCWRA (health element) which is usually £423.27 per calendar month
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No that means they have done a manual ESA payment.
When a manual ESA payment is made, the reference is JSA.
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did you ask why the 2 week run on was deducted from your first uc payment, or was it just the CB ESA part that was deducted? I thought that the 2 week run on payment (IB part of ESA) did not need to be paid back according to CAB??? https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/moving-from-other-benefits/if-youve-got-a-migration-notice/#:~:text=When%20your%20legacy%20benefits%20will,after%20you%20claim%20Universal%20Credit
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No just the ESA (Conts) was deducted. The case manager was trying to tell me that it was the run on that was deducted and I had to tell him that he was incorrect.
A manager and ESA had to intervene, then the case manager denied ever talking to me and telling me that, but that’s a story for another day!1 -
@teresasu e Hi there. Sorry I never got back to you. Yes fortunately it worked out. This is the full breakdown of what UC sent me on my journal:“We have received an email which may explain what has happened better as it appears you had been receiving both contribution based ESA and income related ESA. Income related ESA was the only benefit moving to UC and it appears you were receiving contribution based ESA up until 24 July which is deducted from UC as it is not a migrated benefit.
UC was claimed 10/07/25.At the time, you were in receipt of £140.55 ESAC and £21.20 ESAIR (EDP), total ESA £161.75 per week. The two week legacy benefit run-on for ESA(IR) was 10/07/25-23/07/25 inclusive, so ESA(IR) was correctly excluded from 24/07/25 and including. So ESAC and ESAIR were both paid up to 23/07/25 and just ESAC for 24/07/25 (your Thursday payday). On 30/07/25 The ESAC claim was then closed after 24/07/25 (the last paid date) at the customer’s request, so no further payments were issued.
Whilst the additional two-week run-on of ESAIR is completely disregarded by UC, ESAC is still taken into account from the outset.This means that UC have correctly taken just the £140.55 ESAC into account from 10/07/25-24/07/25 (15 days) and deducted £300.35 from the first UC payment.This deduction is slightly less than the actual amount of ESAC paid to you during this period (£301.79) due to the UC system averaging the ESA award over 12 months, and there being 31 days in the first UC assessment period 10/07/25-09/08/25 due to being in July.”
So my FIRST UC payment on the 15th August was £823.41 minus £300.35 (ESA Conts taken into account)= £523.06. Then I received my second payment of full UC on the 16th September for £823.41.
Hope this helps.
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Whats difference new style esa and lwcra ?
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New style esa is paid fortnightly, UC monthly (unless an alternative payment arrangement is requested).
New Style ESA is not means tested, UC is.
When someone is on both, reassessment notification is done through UC & the form is labelled UC50. This is identical to the ESA50 form.
It's one assessment and the result applies to both benefits.
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If you give up your new style ESA you will loose that benefit and not be topped up for that amount from UC. I get 281 every 2 week i could surrender the esa but would loose that amount. You dont actually loose any money. To calculate, use your old esa as bench mark. See your monthly amout times 13. UC payed monthly caculate that for 12 months calculate your newstyle for 13 months add UC+NEW STYLE ESA together then compare it to your older ESA payment for the year
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I actually get £823.41 per month full Universal Credit inclusive of the Health Element. I was on ESA Contributions based topped up with ESA income Related (Support Group) for over 10 years (I didn’t know)I am unlikely work again due to several degenerative conditions).
I am now £122.50 per month better off on Universal Credit.
Here’s a breakdown of my previous ESA(Conts Based with Income Related:
£323.50 per fortnight x 26 weeks for the year = £8411 per year divided by 12 months = £700.91 per month.New Universal Credit £823.41.
I did say somewhere on one of my posts that I didn’t want to receive three different amounts of payment i.e New Style ESA (fortnightly), PIP(four weekly) and Universal Credit (monthly) as it is a budgeting nightmare for my brain with the amount of medication I take (lol).
Fortunately everything has worked out fine. Thank God.
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You are better off because you migrated with no Severe Disability Premium.
UC pays more than ESA did for those circumstances.
As I've advised many people, it all adds up to £823.41 monthly, whether that is 100% UC, or New Style ESA £609.05 +£214.36 UC.
PS yes it is a budgeting nightmare on all 3 lol!
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