NS- ESA

AndrewHall
AndrewHall Online Community Member Posts: 332 Empowering
in Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)

I am on LCWRA and I want to apply for the New styled ESA. If I am entitled, will I be put in the support group without further re-assessment. Can I close down my UC claim and claim housing benefit from my local authority.

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 8,478 Championing

    To be eligible for New Style ESA you'd need sufficient NI Contributions from the past few years, earned from working unless you've received something like Carers Allowance that pays Class 1 NI (UC & IR ESA pay Class 3).

    You can only get Housing Benefit under working age if you live in sheltered or supported housing.

  • AndrewHall
    AndrewHall Online Community Member Posts: 332 Empowering
    edited December 2025
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1089192#Comment_1089192

    Many thanks for your response. How many years do I have to claim Carer Allowance to be eligible for NS-ESA and if I am accepted to the supported group, is it awarded for life ?

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 8,478 Championing

    It is a complex area to advise on but I don't believe you could now claim Carers Allowance as a means to gain eligibility for New Style ESA.

    https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/employment-and-support-allowance-contribution-based#:~:text=The%20tax%20year%20runs%206,before%20the%20relevant%20benefit%20year

    (this link takes you to an information page on NS ESA not a benefits calculator)

    If you were eligible no it isn't awarded for life, you'd still have to go through medical reassessment in future.

  • Trevor_PIP
    Trevor_PIP Online Community Member Posts: 1,224 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1089255#Comment_1089255

    There is no benefit awarded for life without reassessments.

  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Online Community Member Posts: 17,410 Championing

    I hesitated to answer this query as it seemed somewhat hypothetical.

    However, if he's eligible to claim CA for another eligible person, then he must wait quite some time before being able to claim ns-ESA. Then, only if he's received at least 26 weeks of NI contributions in any tax year of his working life prior to the 2 full financial years needed, as mentioned in the link above, he may be eligible for ns-ESA due to this relaxation of the first contribution condition.

    If he's never worked to gain such NI contributions, then none of this would be relevant.

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