ESA Contributions Based. Will I have to migrate to Universal Credit?

sugarland
sugarland Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
edited July 2022 in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
If you are on ESA Contriutions Based (in the support group) and have been for the lasr 4 years, will I be included in having to migrate to Universal Credit?  I can only find information regarding ESA Income based?  Thank You

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  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    edited May 2022
    sugarland said:
    If you are on ESA Contriutions Based (in the support group) and have been for the lasr 4 years, will I be included in having to migrate to Universal Credit? 
    No. Only income based benefits are replaced by UC.
    https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit
    Universal Credit is replacing the following benefits:
    • Child Tax Credit
    • Housing Benefit
    • Income Support
    • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
    • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
    • Working Tax Credit

  • sugarland
    sugarland Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
    Thank you for the information - I was having great difficulty in getting my head around this.  I went into melt down when I first applied for benefits and was dreading having to go through it all again.  I feel a bit calmer now - but people I know that are on income based are still having to worry about it.  It is not fair that the disabled/ill people of soceity seem to get put on.

  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    edited May 2022
    sugarland said:  It is not fair that the disabled/ill people of soceity seem to get put on.
    It's everybody on the affected benefits, not just those who are ill or disabled (although a high proportion will indeed be so).
  • Zena13
    Zena13 Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
    Don’t go onto universal credit if u are in esa support. U will loose money. Though the legacy benefits are not get any uplift like the universal credit did!
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,722 Championing
    edited June 2022
    Zena13 said:
    Don’t go onto universal credit if u are in esa support. U will loose money. Though the legacy benefits are not get any uplift like the universal credit did!

    That's not exactly correct. It will depend on the claimants circumstances. If their ESA includes the Severe disability premium and they're in the Support Group then UC equivalent (LCWRA) will pay less.
    If the ESA doesn't include the SDP then LCWRA for UC pays more.
    The uplift for UC ended almost a year ago.
    For managed migration, there will be a transitional support protection in place so we won't be worse off. However, this will erode over time and in some cases it will erode very quickly.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    Zena13 said:
    Don’t go onto universal credit if u are in esa support. U will loose money. Though the legacy benefits are not get any uplift like the universal credit did!
    As a general statement not true (as highlighted by poppy). In OP's case irrelevant as they are not on income based benefit.
  • HJP290
    HJP290 Online Community Member Posts: 45 Connected
    I was wondering this aswell and couldnt find definate answer i was scared incase was migrated as i received 450 off industrial injurys and that would be took out off uc and leave me 300 worse off a month . Althought not happy to be missing out on the 650 payment and the uplift uc had  threw covid . 

    Is the any reason were penalised and ignored on contribution based ? 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,722 Championing
    HJP290 said:
    I was wondering this aswell and couldnt find definate answer i was scared incase was migrated as i received 450 off industrial injurys and that would be took out off uc and leave me 300 worse off a month . Althought not happy to be missing out on the 650 payment and the uplift uc had  threw covid . 

    Is the any reason were penalised and ignored on contribution based ? 

    Contributions based?new style ESA are both not means tested so will never be part of UC. The reason why contributions based benefits are not included in the £650 cost of living payment is because they're both not means tested so you can claim these even if you have savings of more than £6,000. Or live with a working partner, as well as have a pension of up to £85 per week.
    If you were claiming Income Related ESA then your IIDB would also reduce it £1 for £1 so in a way you're better off.
  • HJP290
    HJP290 Online Community Member Posts: 45 Connected
    Thats good to no that will never being included in uc
    I dont have partner or 6000 and and 35 years away from pension age but i no im still better off being on new stye esa . If didnt get industrial injurys money would be worth swapping over . 
  • Purplewitch
    Purplewitch Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
    Is contribution based esa means tested? I am getting muddled up with income related and contribution based. Please help me if you can. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,722 Championing
    Purplewitch said:
    Is contribution based esa means tested? I am getting muddled up with income related and contribution based. Please help me if you can. 

    Advice given on your other thread here. https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/93599/hi-my-name-is-purplewitch#latest

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