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Question regarding income based ESA

My sister and her husband were claiming ESA income based as a couple. They are no longer claiming any benefits. They have discovered my sisters husband was not receiving NI contributions for the full length of her claim. Is this correct? my sister claimed and received the couples rate in the support group.
Replies
I am sure some one from the team will be answer it or some one from our community.
As soon as possible. In the meantime have looked at our benefits advice the posts and threads.
Take care
@thespiceman
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Her husband has over a decade of missed national insurance contributions which they thought were being paid by the DWP.
The difference has to be that your sister's husband didn't claim ESA. Unlike income-based JSA where both parties have to sign and to try to get work, with an ESA couple claim, only one person has to fulfil claim requirements. The other person doesn't have to do anything, This leaves the other person with unpaid NI contributions unless they put in a claim for ESA themselves. In such a case, only one person claims the money, as it were.
Your sister's husband can try to make voluntary contributions for part of the period, to protect his eventual state pension entitlement, but there is a time limit on doing this. It would be best for them to make enquiries of the NI department as soon as possible.
The NI helpline number is included in the link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/national-insurance-enquiries-for-employees-and-individuals
Gill_Scope
This is what I was responding to:
"They (your sister and her husband) have discovered my sisters husband was not receiving NI contributions for the full length of her claim. Is this correct? my sister claimed and received the couples rate in the support group.... Her husband has over a decade of missed national insurance contributions which they thought were being paid by the DWP".
I understood form this that the ESA claim is in your sisters name, and the question for us was why her husband did not get national insurance contributions.
You have also written:
I currently claim ESA contribution based in the support group and my wife gets NI contributions paid by the DWP as a dependent.
To clarify this, I do not think that your wife will currently be getting contributions paid as a result of your ESA claim. It is completely possible though that she is getting contributions because she has child benefit.
To make sure about this, as clearly you wish to, please contact the DWP Contributions Department to verify and clarify this.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/national-insurance-enquiries-for-employees-and-individuals
(The phone number is in this link)
Gill_Scope