Told I cannot receive ESA because of lack of NI contributions do I need to continue sending fit note

Jayneolivia123
Jayneolivia123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
edited November 2021 in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Problems with ESA claim

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  • Jayneolivia123
    Jayneolivia123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    Told I cannot receive ESA because of lack of NI contributions do I need to continue sending fit notes?
  • Jayneolivia123
    Jayneolivia123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    Help
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    Hi and welcome to the community 

    If you can't apply for esa due to ni contributions then you will need to apply for uc and if you are usable to work then report a medical condition and provide fit notes 

    However you will be classed as fit for work until the assessment is completed and a decision made and this csn take months 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    Also if you get any tax credits these will stop if you claim uc 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Hi,
    Whether you're entitled to claim Universal Credit will totally depend on your circumstances. As it's a means tested benefit, if you live with a partner then you'll need to claim as a couple. If you have savings/capital of more than £16,000 you're excluded from claiming. Use a benefits calculator to check entitlement. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=28876266-46ca-4a9c-9a73-c264e7f5b7d6 You can report a health condition when claiming and send it fit notes to start the work capability assessment process off.

    If you're not entitled to UC then you can continue to send in fit notes for the ESA and go through the work capability assessment. If you're placed into either of the groups you will receive class 1 NI credits which will be useful for your state pension, if needed. Depending on your age, if you don't need those NI credits then there will be little point in continuing with the ESA. You can check your state pension forecast here.

  • Alex_Alumni
    Alex_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,538 Championing
    Hi @Jayneolivia123 and welcome to the forum, to help members answer your question I've moved it into the ESA category and changed the title a little.

    Do let us know if you're still unsure about anything and we'll do what we can to help :)

    Alex
  • Jayneolivia123
    Jayneolivia123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    janer1967 said:
    Hi and welcome to the community 

    If you can't apply for esa due to ni contributions then you will need to apply for uc and if you are usable to work then report a medical condition and provide fit notes 

    However you will be classed as fit for work until the assessment is completed and a decision made and this csn take months 

  • Jayneolivia123
    Jayneolivia123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    Thank you all for help.I am going to find out where I stand on NI contributions.I have worked all my life up until two yes ago,I was living on pension ,which I cashed in.Disappointed with benefit system
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,000 Championing
    edited November 2021
    Jayneolivia123 said:
    Thank you all for help.I am going to find out where I stand on NI contributions.I have worked all my life up until two yes ago,I was living on pension ,which I cashed in.Disappointed with benefit system
    It doesn’t matter how many years you have paid NI for. Entitlement to ESA will look at whether you have enough NI contributions in the two tax years 2018-19 and 2019-20. If you stopped work in 2019 your tax year 2019-20 will probably not be complete (depending on how much you earned before stopping) and if so you do not qualify. Unfortunately you should have claimed sooner after stopping work (although I understand that you might not have known this).

    As others have said you might qualify for UC depending on your circumstances.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    edited November 2021
    Jayneolivia123 said:
    Thank you all for help.I am going to find out where I stand on NI contributions.I have worked all my life up until two yes ago,I was living on pension ,which I cashed in.Disappointed with benefit system

    This is the problem here. New style ESA is based on your NI contirbutions in the previous 2 tax years, at the moment the relevant tax years are April 2018 to March 2020. If you haven't worked for 2 years then unfortunately, DWP are correct and you won't be eligible to receive any ESA payments.
    Working all previous years prior to this doesn't help you. If you had a health condition 2 years ago and you had claimed back then, it may have been possible.
    As advised, check entitlement to UC.

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