ESA migration to UC finally got letter

sd100
sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

hi hope everyone is doing ok, so finally got letter yesterday saying it’s time to move to UC, i answered all the questions and sent my passport and provisional driving license as 2 things to prove my ID.

just wondering what happens now as I am on esa ir and pip and get sdp, but when I asked them on journal about what happens with my sdp cos I don’t want them to miss that out, the reply was to contact esa about that as this is UC and they don’t deal with that.


A bit bizzare to me that they said that ,as I thought it’s a payment that should be part of my UC so expected some kind of answer rather than it’s nothing to do with us.


do I need to make anybody aware that I’m getting SDP or do they know all this stuff already when they are doing the migration?


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Comments

  • Kimmy87
    Kimmy87 Online Community Member Posts: 2,261 Championing
    edited January 16

    No you don't need to notify anyone now you've claimed UC, UC notify ESA, and ESA will send your details across to UC, but this takes several weeks.

    They will tell UC all the information about your ESA award including the SDP.

    This all happens behind the scenes without any claimant input.

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    ah ok thank you also they told me I will have 3 weeks or so with no payment either for benefit or housing so could take an advance.


    is asking for 3 weeks rent and 3 weeks benefit in advance a fair thing to ask for as it is quite a lot of money, do they turn people down for that or is it fair to ask for the 3 weeks of rent and benefit in advance?

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering
    edited January 17

    reading through some posts here I keep seeing that although sdp isn’t on uc the transitional cover means won’t lose money, but then I’m seeing something about it being eroded over time which I don’t understand at all.

  • Ranald
    Ranald Online Community Member Posts: 245 Empowering

    Bear in mind that you will have to pay this advance back!

  • Kimmy87
    Kimmy87 Online Community Member Posts: 2,261 Championing

    Transitional Protection is designed so at the point of transfer you aren't worse off.

    A good example of how Transitional Protection reduces over time is here:

    https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/universal-credit-uc-transitional-protection/when-will-my-universal-credit-uc-transitional-protection-end

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    yes I’m aware of that but is asking for 3 weeks benefit money as well as 3 weeks rent money a normal thing to ask for? My rent comes directly out of my payments so if I don’t get it for 3 weeks means I would have to pay my landlord the 3 weeks rent, that’s why I asked if it’s asking too much or not cos will have to pay the rent for 3 weeks and need 3 weeks of money to live on too on top, seems like a very normal thing to ask for advance for that period

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    if I didn’t ask for advance and covered my rent and expenses myself would it be given to me back with my first uc payment?

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    seems like a lot to ask people to try and pay

  • Kimmy87
    Kimmy87 Online Community Member Posts: 2,261 Championing
    edited January 17

    Your UC payment will be for one months backdated entitlement.

    They don't give extra for what you've paid out while waiting for the payment.

    You could speak to your landlord about a payment plan, paying a little extra each week until the 3 weeks worth of arrears are cleared.

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    oh that’s part I’m confused with cos as I mentioned I get my rent paid directly to landlord. Does that mean they give me one month backdated UC that includes housing element too? Which would be considerably more than what I’m used to getting because it’s paid directly to landlord usually so I never recieved housing benefit in cash like most do with UC

  • Kimmy87
    Kimmy87 Online Community Member Posts: 2,261 Championing

    You can ask UC for an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) and have the rent paid directly to your Landlord, as happens now.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-alternative-payment-arrangements/alternative-payment-arrangements#managed-payment-to-landlord

    They will be paid one month in arrears.

    As I suggested, you can ask your LL about a payment plan for the three weeks of arrears until your UC is paid.

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering
    edited January 17

    I know unless you ask for housing payment to be directly paid to landlord UC includes rent on top of your benefit amount fir living expenses, my rent is 190 a week so £570 for 3 weeks then my regular benefit amount for 3 weeks on top of that would come to just over £1000, would it be reasonable for me to ask for£1000 advance? I know it will be deducted monthly out of my UC at £20 a month. Sorry if sounding repetitive

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    may be easier to just get advance than try to negotiate with my landlords

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    thanks Kimmy, very knowledgeable.

    Even with the payments being made direct to my landlord there will still be a 3 week period where it won’t be if I’m not mistaken? Or sm I over thinking this, I just would like to know if it’s reasonable for me to ask for 3 weeks of rent on top of 3 weeks living expenses from UC ?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,401 Championing

    The advanced payment option for UC will be based on your maximum UC entitlement. You can ask for any amount you want to up to that amount. You just need to remember that your future UC payments will be reduced until it's paid back.

    UC is paid 1 month in arrears so your rent will always be in arrears going forward.

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    ah ha thanks poppy hope you are well and great to see you are still here doing what you do, many blessings to you

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    I just spoke to my landlord and they said they are aware of this matter and there is no need for me to ask for an advance for rent as once UC is in place they will pay any back dated rent to them, which is good news, so only need to ask for an advance for living expenses not my rent

  • sd100
    sd100 Online Community Member Posts: 145 Empowering

    I hope this is correct info they have given me

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,401 Championing

    Sorry, I've only just noticed this. Thank you for such kind words. I'm ok thank you.

    Yup that's correct because UC is paid 1 month in arrears. Landlords would be well aware of that.

  • Elvisdog
    Elvisdog Online Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    Hi, ive recently migrated from ESA SG to UC, i asked that my rent to my landlord (council rented) be paid directly. My first payment had a 4 weeks rent deduction that would be paid to my rent account but it also showed an extra deduction for 1 weeks rent that was deducted due to the time lapse between housing benefit and UC migration. It was my belief that the transitional protection would mean that I wasn't any worse off?

    Ive now also receieved a text from the council stating that benefits/UC work on a 52wk year for rent but because of it being a leap year the rent owed is a 53wk year and that i should save now for the extra weeks rent. As I've already been deducted a weeks rent from my first payment it looks like my second payment will have an extra weeks rent deducted too.

    It's totally not true that I'll be know worse off. Ive also lost my full council tax benefit and now only get a £4.00 a week rebate, ive received a bill from them for nearly £400.00 for this tax year that they expect me to pay by the 1st of February and I will owe more than a £1000.00 for the 25/26 tax year.

    No one i speak to seems to know what rules apply. Ive spoken to a council tax helpline, the man i spoke to told me that he was in the same boat, I asked him if he had disabilities that meant he was unable to work? Because i do have disabilities that mean I'm unable to work, im also classed as having underlying care for my adult son who is Neurodivergent and has mental health conditions, he got flustered and told me that all I could do is to ask for a re calculation.

    I feel confused and mentally exhausted, the whole thing has made my disabilities and future wellbeing seem a whole lot worse.