Desperate for clear guidance

niza
niza Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
in Universal Credit (UC)

hi

I had to move over to UC my deadline 8th Jan.

I was on esa support group and severe disability premium.

I knew I had to go into job centre once, which I did.

But now I am so confused as have been moved over to contribution based ESA. I called them and still no clearer.

Now I am being asked to come in to job centre to see if I am gainfully self employed. What does this mean?

I thought if on esa support group you go on to LCWRA.


I work 6 hours a week permitted work, self employed.

Thank you to anyone who can help. It is making me so unwell and bad thoughts/behaviours.

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 6,703 Championing

    What's happened to your ESA, means before you were getting both Contributions Based & Income Related. Many don't realise this until they have applied for UC.

    When someone is on both CB & IR ESA, upon migration to UC the IR ESA ends and is replaced by UC, the CB ESA converts automatically into New Style ESA.

    You will still be in the Support Group for NS ESA & automatically receive the UC equivalent (LCWRA).

    NS ESA will be paid separately from UC, fortnightly at a rate of £276.40.

    This will be deducted in full (598.68) from each UC payment.

    As UC is a monthly benefit and ESA weekly, the numbers may look wrong- but are correct because there are 4.3 weeks in a month.

    You will need a commitments interview for NS ESA this is just a formality, your only commitments will be to keep them updated with any changes. If a face to face is booked, you can ask for a phone call instead as a reasonable adjustment.

    See here re self employment

    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/106492/lcwra-pip-and-self-employed
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing

    The gateway appointment is because you are self employed. All those that are self employed need to attend an appointment. As you have LCWRA then this appointment will be very short as you can't be found to be gainfully self employed because you have LCWRA.

    You will still be expected to report your earnings and expenses on the last day of each assessment period for UC. For UC permitted work doesn't exist. Instead you will have the work allowance, this means that some of the earnings you receive each month will be ignored before any deductions apply. If you claim for help with the rent it will be £404/month, if you don't it will be £673/month. For every £1 of earnings received over those amounts your UC will reduce by 55p.

    Permitted work rules still apply for New style ESA.

    If your UC claim hasn't yet updated with the information from ESA then this can usually take a few weeks. If you haven't already then you should put a message onto your journal to tell them you were in the Support Group for ESA.

  • niza
    niza Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener

    thank you so very much for replying to me. This has brought great peace… phew.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/977155#Comment_977155

    You're welcome!

  • niza
    niza Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener

    hi again, can I just ask… if contribution based esa is only allowed for up to 12 months, does this mean after that 12 months I am almost £600 down each month?

  • Catherine21
    Catherine21 Posts: 7,504 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/978361#Comment_978361

    Yes this is what i dont understand at all

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/978361#Comment_978361

    Support Group contributions based/New style is not time limited to 12 months, it's paid fro as long as you remain in that group.

    To answer your question, if New style ESA did ever stop then you won't be financially worse off or better off and your total income will remain the same because it's deducted in full from any UC entitlement. If there's no entitlement to New style ESA there would be no deductions from UC.

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