Previous earning from work question in to-do list

sean1904

I have recently moved from Employment and support allowance to UC I have the limited capability to work and work related activity component and before moving to UC i was on esa for 7 years however i'm confused by the question in my to-do list

the first question asks In the 12 months before you claimed Universal Credit, were there any gaps in your employment? to which I answered yes because I wasn't working,

the next question asks during the 12 months did I have a partner to which I answered yes.

but the question after that asks In the 12 months before you claimed Universal Credit, were the total earnings of you and your partner less than £542 per month at any time?

 I am unsure how to answer this one because technically I had more that £542 a month from ESA but I didn't earn that money so should I answer yes or no .

poppy123456

Hi,

This question confuses a lot of people. It's all to do with the benefit cap grace period, which doesn't apply to you anyway because you were previously in the Support Group, which means you'll be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim.

To answer your question, you answer "yes" there were gaps in your employement because you've been claiming ESA.

sean1904

Thanks for the response so how would I answer the following question In the 12 months before you claimed Universal Credit, were the total earnings of you and your partner less than £542 per month at any time? should I put no as technically I wasn't earning the money it was getting it from ESA 

poppy123456

You simply answer "yes" and nothing more is needed.

poppy123456

It's irrelevant anyway because the benefit cap doesn't apply to you.