Benefits and Savings

poppy123456

You can't claim the old income related ESA because it no longer exists for you because UC has replaced it.

Claiming benefits alone do not give entitlement to New style ESA because you need to have worked and paid NI contributions. You can only claim New style ESA as a credits only claim.

LittleKitten

But I can make a new claim for ESA when the first ends and the credits gotten from the credits only ESA claim should count towards the NI contributions for having the 2/3 years needed, right?

poppy123456

No, you can't because the NI credits alone from the New style ESA is not enough to claim the NS/ESA and receive payments. You need to have also worked and paid the correct amount of NI contributions. Fully explained here. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/employment-and-support-allowance-contribution-based

Once you're claim for NS/ESA is in credits only and you're assessed, if you're placed into one of the groups and you have successfully claimed PIP then you can claim UC and this is the only way around it.

LittleKitten

This is what it says for last year's NI contributions, I don't have any for the two years before that, though.

"You have contributions from

Paid employment: £3.31

National Insurance credits: 53 weeks

These may have been added to your record if you were ill/disabled, unemployed, caring for someone full-time or on jury service."

poppy123456

You were claiming Universal Credit and this pays class 3 NI credits. You don't have the correct NI contributions to be able to claim anything else but a credits only NS/ESA claim. You will not receive any payments.

LittleKitten

But I only started claiming UC about 6 or so months ago, and when I was working for a few months, it didn't pay much as it was minimum wage for under 18s at the time (£4.35ph) full time, which comes to a maximum of £174 per week, which meant I didn't have direct NI contributions from that, if I recall correctly.

poppy123456

You haven't paid enough to receive the payments from the NS/ESA claim. Please read the link i posted above and it explains the NI contributions that's needed.

I think i've exhausted all the advice i can give you here because i'm just repeating myself but i wish you good luck with the work capability assesment and your PIP claim.