Work and esa

ignacio_vardez

Hello, recently I started a new job whilst on esa and came to the decision it was not for me due to mental health reasons , the issue is I didn’t tell tell the job centre and I have completed only one weeks worth of work, obviously I’m going to ring them and tell them so they don’t pay me anything as I will be getting paid from the work at the end of the month, would anybody know what they will do as I want to stay on esa and most likely try for part time work and build up to full time instead of jumping straight into like I did 

poppy123456

HI and welcome,

You're allowed to do permitted work while claiming ESA but you must get permission before starting work. You must also work less than 16 hours per week and earn no more than £131.50 per week. If you did earn more than this then you won't be entitled to any ESA for the time you worked. If you did earn more than the maximum amount then you will need to ring DWP to tell them.

If you claim housing benefit, then you will also need to ring your local council to tell them about your earnings. Permitted work rules here. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-and-support-allowance-permitted-work-form/permitted-work-factsheet