ESA rates

siobhan1 · September 2019

Good evening

Just been offered a job and unsure whether I can accept it at the moment as I need to check if I can take a month off for an op and a few other things.

I just ran my details though a benefit calculator to see if I could work out how much better I would be in work and I am confused over the amounts it is telling me I should be getting, as we actually recieve a lot less. Wondering if anyone could help with a quick calculation?

I claim ESA, income based and am in the support group. I get PIP enhanced for both. My partner gets carers allowance for looking after me and also standard rate daily living PIP only.

I thought what we should be getting is ESA couples rate, one lot of SDP for my partner and the support component. We recieve about £214 a week. Next week we are cancelling my partner's carers allowance as he is too unwell to care for me any more anyway, so I would assume they would then add on my SDP and overall we would be about £28 a week better off?

Thing is when I out all the details into various sites it says we should already be getting about £280 a week now before we make any changes.

Policy in Practise works out my partner's entitlement to income support instead even though I don't want it to.

Turn2us and entitledto both give the amount of about £280 a week AND the carers allowance which doesn't seem right?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.

poppy123456 · September 2019

Hi,

A benefits calculator is only correct if you put all the details correctly into it. The amount you're receiving is correct and i'll break it down here for you. However, if your partner wasn't claiming carers allowance for looking after you then you would have been claiming SDP couples rate but because he's claiming carers allowance then you're worse off each week by him doing this.

ESA couples rate £114.85

ESA Support Group rate £38.55

Enhanced disability premium Couples £24.10

Severe disability premium single rate £65.85

Total amount... £243.35 per week.

Carers allowance is deducted £1 for £1 from the total amount £243.35 - £66.15 =£177.20

Then a carers premium is added £36.85. Grand total is £214.05 per week. The carers allowance is paid weekly separately to that.

IF your partner wasn't claiming carers allowance your total week ESA would be £309.20

This means that you are approximately £29 per week worse off by your partner claiming carers allowance for looking after you.

Hope this helps.

siobhan1 · September 2019

Thank you so much, for the break down as well. That's so helpful. We are calling CA after my next PIP payment to cancel it and calling ESA to claim the higher SDP rate.

poppy123456 · September 2019

You're welcome. I wouldn't delay calling CA to cancel the claim, the longer it's delayed the more money you're losing out on.

siobhan1 · September 2019

Hi, sorry for reopening the discussion but I think perhaps DWP have made a mistake.

Been unwell so not had chance to deal with this yet.

We filled in the new change of circumstances form for Carers Allowance online recently, effective a few days ago,to state my partner is no longer my carer.

Called ESA existing claims line today and reported that my partner is no longer a carer and can I please claim SDP or have IS10 form... The advisor told me that stopping caring triggers a claim for UC. I advised that is only when the carer is getting Income Support. I was told I was wrong and that I now have to claim universal credit.

Surely this isn't right as we can't claim UC anyway as we get SDP for my partner. I hung up as they were getting argumentative with me which was stressing me out. I am calling back now but been on hold for 40 mins. Any advice on what to say? Thank you

poppy123456 · September 2019

Stopping carers allowance doesn't trigger a claim for UC, you have been advised incorrectly.

As you're claiming ESA as a couple then claiming SDP couples rate is definitely possible. My advice is to ring back and speak to some different.

siobhan1 · September 2019

Thanks for your help. I got through to someone else who told me they don't make calculations it gets passed through to back office... But as my partner's CA is still showing as active to call back in a week. I asked if I could just write my request and change of circumstance in a letter and post it to ESA, as by the time they recieve it, it should be updated, and he said that was fine. There was no record of my previous conversation either. So frustrating but never mind.

poppy123456 · September 2019

I wouldn't advise writing a letter for a change of circumstances because it's not really a change of circumstances. You're asking to apply for SDP couples. Also they may not acknowledge the letter, which does happen.

I'd advise you to ring back in a couple of weeks and ask to apply for it again or as them to send you the IS10 form. Applying by phone is the quickest way.

ESA rates

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