CB ESA wants partners payslips

walnut

Hi all. First post here and I’m slightly worried. 

I migrated from IB to Contribution based ESA some years ago. The DWP have asked me to supply my partners pay slips for the past 6 months, they have never done this before as I thought your partners earnings weren’t relevant with CB ESA. Her earnings have increased quite a bit since my migration but didn’t tell them as it seems irrelevant. I claim no other income related benefits such as housing benefit or council tax relief. Should I be worried? 

A very anxious poster. 

Alex_Alumni

Hello @walnut and welcome to the community. Thanks for reaching out here, to help our members answer your query I've tagged it as unanswered. I'm afraid I lack the relevant knowledge, but hopefully someone can advise you soon.

If you need a hand navigating the forum, or have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Alex

walnut

Thank you for your reply. I will have to wait until I get the letter before I can contact them as I received this by text. Am I right in saying that my partners earnings are not counted with CB ESA? I have never been asked for her payslips since leaving income support. They ask for my Ill health retirement pension rise every year but never my partners earnings. Thank you ? 

calcotti

When you transferred from IB to ESA the ESA is both contribution based and income based. It may be that your own income means that you have no income based entitlement regardless of your wife’s earnings and in the past they have realised that and not bothered to ask about them. Somebody else may now be looking at the award and is doing a complete check, as strictly they should. I wouldn’t read anything more into it.

walnut

calcotti said:

When you transferred from IB to ESA the ESA is both contribution based and income based. It may be that your own income means that you have no income based entitlement regardless of your wife’s earnings and in the past they have realised that and not bothered to ask about them. Somebody else may now be looking at the award and is doing a complete check, as strictly they should. I wouldn’t read anything more into it.
Thanks Calcotti for your help although I’m rather confused about the income based and contribution based together. Does this mean I could end up owing them money or getting less money because of my partners earnings?

calcotti

walnut said: I’m rather confused about the income based and contribution based together. Does this mean I could end up owing them money or getting less money because of my partners earnings?

Old ESA has two aspects, contribution based and income based. When you were transferred from IB you were entitled to contribution based ESA but would have also been assessed for income based ESA entitlement as an addition to the contribution based award. The contribution based part is an individual entitlement. The income based part has to be assessed on your joint income, hence your partner’s income is relevant.

if you have only ever actually been paid contribution based ESA then this will not change and you cannot owe any money. The only income that would reduce your contribution based ESA is if you had pension income in excess of £85/week.

walnut

Thank you, that makes it a bit clearer. As far as I know I have always been on contribution based ESA since transfer from IB. The only information I have supplied to them is my annual pension increase as they ask for it every year, and because they never asked for my partners earnings I just assumed they didn’t require it. The thought of the fact I may owe them thousands in overpayments fills me with dread. I’m going to have a few sleepless weeks ahead of me. 

calcotti

ESA Support Group is £114.10. You may get a bit extra as transitional protection when transferred from IB. There will then be income base s elements added. There will be a reduction of 50% of any pension income over £85/week and for other income. If the deductions exceed the income based bots you are left with just the contribution based parts payable.

Your ESA award letter will show how your award is calculated.

If you have capital (joint) in excess of £16,000 you are excluded from income based ESA.

walnut

That was the amount I got when transferred plus the transition protection money. To my knowledge no other income based elements were added. I believe the letter said that under income based I was entitled to £156 ish a week but because I’m contribution based my payment would be £126pw. 

calcotti

walnut said:

That was the amount I got when transferred plus the transition protection money. To my knowledge no other income based elements were added. I believe the letter said that under income based I was entitled to £156 ish a week but because I’m contribution based my payment would be £126pw. 

So there must have been a deduction due to your pension or other income of £30 or more/week To wipeout the incomebased entitlement. A pension of £145/week (£7,540/annum) would do that.

Were you single at the time of transfer? Did you tell them when you formed a couple?

walnut

No, there was no pension to take into account at the time and I was with and declared partner and her earnings at that time. The only thing we may have had at that time was child tax credits but that ceased a long time ago. 

calcotti

walnut said:

No, there was no pension to take into account at the time and I was with and declared partner and her earnings at that time. The only thing we may have had at that time was child tax credits but that ceased a long time ago. 

Then it was her earnings that wiped out the Income based entitlement.

Rest assuredly that of you have only been paid contribution based amounts taking into account any relevant pension income then you cannot owe any money. Perhaps they are just doing a check to confirm whether or not there is still no income based entitlement.

walnut

Thank you for all the time you’ve taken replying and I really appreciate that. I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens now after I’ve sent in the payslips. This ESA seems a minefield to us lesser mortals and I always worry that I may have missed giving them some relevant information…..but I don’t think I have. 

Thank you again and have a good evening.