UC managed migration guide

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Comments

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Community member Posts: 2,107 Trailblazing

    I was worried they see how I squander money but it is part of my disability so I'm not anymore worrying about what they will say but ask me anything

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Community member Posts: 2,107 Trailblazing

    Same does it go by surname like the alphabet ? Also them changing WCA I never had a problem with this never that's if they do change

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    @vikki66 please be aware that not everyone will qualify for a APA, it depends on each individual case.

    Please also note that if they agree to the APA once that starts it will be very difficult at first to manage your money. This is because you will have waited a whole month for your money and then your first payment will be for half of your usual payment. 2 weeks later you will receive the other half.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    It's random and doesn't depend on anyone's surname. The WCA for UC is the same as it is for ESA and there's been no changes.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    @vikki66 once you've actually claim UC then your ESA continues for 2 weeks, so there will be 1 more payment of Income Related.

    If any part of your ESA is contributions based then that will continue as normal but it will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. If you currently have an underlying entitlement to carers allowance then this tells me that part of your ESA is contributions based.

    Claiming carers allowance for looking after your child would not have affected your SDP. SDP is only affected if someone else claims carers allowance or carers element of UC for looking after you.

    When you migrate across you will not be worse off. Using a benefits calculator when migrating isn't helpful in my opinion and may not give you the correct result. It doesn't for me. How much TP you're entitled to will depend on the figures between your current benefits and what your UC figures are.

    If you're in the Support Group for ESA then you'll be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. However, the same person can't receive this element and the carers element at the same time. Although I would expect your TP to cover that anyway.

    For the APA, it's basically your UC payments being split into equal payments so you won't be worse off by this.

    If you're claiming by phone is that through the UC helpline or through citizens advice help to claim?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    @vikki66 If you're claiming Tax credits as well as ESA then your migration now is about right.

    The reason why you couldn't receive CA was because part of your ESA is contributions based, which means they are treated as overlapping benefits. Therefore you can't be paid both at the same time. You would receive an underlying entitlement to it so the carers premium was added to your ESA.

    No, you don't claim CA when you migrate to UC because you're already claiming it with the underlying entitlement to it. You will still not receive any payments for the CA even when you claim UC. This is because your contributions based ESA will continue (£138.20/week) but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

    This is good news for you because it will help you to manage your money a little better and you may not need to ask for the APA because you will receive ESA every 2 weeks and your UC every month.

    Yes, ESA letters are very difficult to understand and easy to misunderstand what they mean. Even if part of your ESA is contributions based, it will be known as Income Related.

    For your housing element, you should receive the same as you do on housing benefit. Housing benefit also continues for 2 weeks.

    It's not difficult or complicated to claim UC, it's just fear of the unknown. Once you've claimed everything is done through your journal.

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Community member Posts: 2,107 Trailblazing

    Pls may I ask is income based the support group? Thankyou sorry to jump in

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    Support Group can be either Income based or contributions based.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    @vikki66 Thank you. It comes from many years of personal experience, research and learning from others.

    Just incase Citizens advice don't advise this, once you have access to your journal please put a message on there to tell them you're in the Support Group for ESA. It may take a few weeks for your details to transfer from ESA so please don't panic.

    You will also be asked to provide a fit note BUT you do not need this so please ignore it. The system is set to automatically ask you to provide one when you report your health condition as part of the claims process.

    Do also be aware that Transitional Protection erodes overtime, which means if other elements increase the TP decreases until it will eventually erode. To put it more simply, your benefits will be frozen until the TP erodes.

    Once you've claimed if you need some more advice please ask and I'm sure someone will advise you further.

    I hope you sleep well too.

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    thanks poppy . I have now received my migration letter and have untill 20th November, I will apply around 16th October. My anxiety with it has got really bad because I am a single parent of a child who’s nearly 17 and get so worried they will judge me as a parent with very bad mental health , I get a lot of support from my family who does a lot for me and my child. I’m so worried being without money for nearly 5 weeks because of my bills that are direct debit .

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    You're welcome. I see from a previous thread that you're claiming Income Related ESA, this will continue for 2 weeks once you submit your claim for UC. Same applies to housing benefit if you also claim that.

    You can also ask for an advance payment but this does need to be repaid back and your future UC payments will be reduced.

    If you're in the Support Group for ESA then you'll be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. As part of the claims process the system will automatically as you to provide a fit note once you report your health condition. You do not need to provided that fit note. Once you have access to your journal I'd advise you to put a message on there to tell them which group you're in for ESA.

    You won't be judged because you will have no commitments if in the Support Group. It may take a few weeks for ESA to send your details to UC but once that's done your claim will be updated.

    Citizens advice also have a help to claim helpline.

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/help-to-claim/

    If your ESA still includes the SDP then you may want to wait until as late as possible to claim UC. This is what I plan on doing when I receive my letter.

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    oh really ? Thanks for the reassurance. I’ve not been sleeping properly because of the worry . I’m so sorry you also feel judged

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    yes poppy I get sdp . I had to look it up to see what it meant . Will I lose this once I claim UC ?

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    I will look for my esa letter today and see if I get sdp, what is SDP ? Thanks so much for the reassurance

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 3,258 Championing

    Severe Disability Premium. On the ESA letter it says something like 'extra money due to severely disabled person' and is around £80 a week now. Was previously £66 a week if you have an older letter.

    SDP is a legacy benefit so you will lose it when migrating to UC. However the Transitional Protection should cover it, so your overall UC rate shouldn't be any lower than ESA + SDP rate was.

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    thank you so much .

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    poppy when do you think I should apply for UC ? I have untill 20th November but I also want to make sure I have money for food over Christmas

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,285 Championing

    That's up to you. If you apply on 20th November then your assessment periods for UC will be 20th to 19th of every month and your payment date would be 26th of every month. Unless payment date falls on a bank holiday or weekend and then payment will be the Friday before. (or the last working day before) This means your first payment would be 24th December because 26th is Boxing Day.

    Don't forget your Income Related ESA and housing benefit continue for 2 weeks once you submit the claim for UC.

  • mason50
    mason50 Community member Posts: 90 Contributor

    I might wait untill nearer to the 20th November to apply then I didn’t know I could do it right near the 20th . I will do it maybe 1 week before that date . Thanks so much for answering my questions

  • JWool
    JWool Community member Posts: 1 Listener

    I'm wondering if anyone could clarify a scenario:

    A person was receiving IR ESA and in the Support group. Person was also claiming Housing Benefit.

    Person's capital exceeds £16k and they come off IR ESA and HB. They do have an entitlement to CB ESA and continue to receive this.

    Person's capital drops below £16k and they need to claim help with housing costs which they can now only do through UC.

    Person is unsure whether they should ask ESA to put the IR element back in payment and then claim UC which will guarantee they go straight into the LCWRA group and receive transitional protection, or just claim UC straight away.

    Essentially, if you are only receiving CB ESA but were previously in the IR support group, will UC automatically put you into a group still or would you have to provide a Fit Note and go through the WCA?