ESA Contribution based help please

BacktoBack

Hi, ive just found this site and registered for help. I am diagnosed bipolar, agoraphobia, panic disorder.
I was claiming local housing allowance, esa both contribution based and income related and also the high rates of pip.

My mother died almost 2 years ago and i initially inherited around £100k which was declared to everyone.
Since that time i only claim pip and contribution based esa £114.10 a week.
As my capital has been over £16k i did not have any further communication with ESA.
In addition to the initial inheritance my mother left a house in trust for her partner to live in. He died shortly afterwards and i also inherited money from both the sale of the house and his estate. I did not notify ESA about this.
My capital now is around £210k

My money has been rotated around various app based accounts offering higher interest rates which are mostly now closed.
I have just received a letter from ESA which reads 'every year we look at savings and property that may affect your allowance'. The letter states they are aware of £100k savings only.
They are asking for all bank statements and other assets.

I thought just claiming contribution based ESA i would be left alone until a time my savings went below £16k?

Also i thought how i spent my inheritance (providing i did not deprive myself of capital to claim further benefit) could be kept private. I do not really like ESA going through transactions regarding how my inheritance is spent

I am not aware that i have done anything wrong, i am scared stiff about an investigation of some type. I have enough money from the inheritance to live on and was thinking of writing back to say just close the ESA claim. I struggle with very bad anxiety, makes me sick trying to deal with anything. Is it normal for them to ask for bank statements every year to see how an inheritance is spent?

calcotti

Your capital makes no difference to contribution based ESA. You could ask them why they want the information given that your award is contribution based. However, if they insist, you will need to co operate or risk having the claim suspended.

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @backtoback  

I hope that calcotti's reply has helped you to understand that a bit better. You may also find it interesting to read our page on lump sums and benefits.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother's death. How have you been coping? 

Do you feel you're receiving enough support to help you manage your bipolar disorder, agoraphobia, and panic disorder?