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How far back can arrears for severe disability premiums be paid for INCOME SUPPORT
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Posts: 545 Scope community team
This discussion was created from comments split from: Unexpected letter- "we need to look at your claim".
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Hope everyone is well?
Does anyone know how far back arrears for severe disability premiums can be paid for INCOME SUPPORT .
Thank you
It's complicated. It will depend upon why the severe disability premium wasn't paid from the date when it was due.
Why wasn' t it paid before and from when?
Gill_Scope
My friends neighbour was not aware apparently esa told her to ring income support
Which she did and complete the form that two emailed her .
Her then support worker did not even know that she was eligible for sdp .
Esa awarded in April 2018 moved from income support and incapacity benefit as a single person
On the basis that it's sometimes a mistake to get advice second-hand or even third- hand, I think it would be best for your friend's neighbour to get advice themselves. You could suggest that they join our community!
Best wishes
Gill_Scope
I managed to have a phone call last Tuesday to fill out the ESA3 form over the phone. The DWP representative also filled out both forms for the standard and enhanced disability premiums at the same time.
I received a txt message within a few hours and a letter further explaining the newly awarded decisions, Saturday just gone.
I've been switched over to income based esa, aswell as been awarded both premiums. My new amount is £191 a week.
As neither txt or letter spoke about back dated money, I called up just now to speak about what the time frame and such was for backdated money. I've been told that the goverment say they're aiming to settle all backdated accounts by March 2019, due to the amount of people effected. I was told that, that means the amount could land in my bank any time between now and then, the amn I spoke to today did say he has seen some people already receive the back dated money though. It would probably appear before I'd recive a letter informing me as letters take 5 days to land whereas payments take 3 days. More importantly as the amounts are over the allowed savings amount it wouldn't be taxable as long as I reduced the amount in my bank within a year, so it would have zero effect on my benifits.
Thank you for all the heads up info everyone gave me during this switch around. It greatly helped and settled my nerves
I waited just over 2 months before i contacted them only to be told they had missed me out so if i were you i would ring them every 2 weeks just for your own peace off mind.
P.S. Thanks Anth22
This is from Hansard, 19/7/18, where an MP asked the Minister for Disabled People a question about arrears being paid with no strings attached, as it were:
Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP)
Sarah Newton
The normal rule for whether benefit arrears can ever reduce current entitlement to benefit is that any arrears over £5000 and due to DWP error are not counted in the assessment of savings indefinitely. Therefore the only arrears not covered by that general rule would be arrears under £5000. This extract from Hansard may serve as an indication of government intention about these arrears, I hope.
Gill_Scope
Please do let us know if we can do anything else!