ESA - Contribution based , HELP !!

mumi2be

Wig wrote: »

OP,

When is the due date?

I presume this is your first child?

Do you have more than £16,000 in savings?

Are you living with a partner who works full time?

When you applied for the ESA did you have to tell them how much money you had in your bank accounts?

Dunno who this guy was that told you that but have you tried phoning your ESA BDC (telphone number at the top of your ESA letters 0845...) Ask them if you have qualified for income based ESA........if not....Why not? I think you will find you are on ESA IB & Conts (simultaneously) and you are therefore entitled to get the surestart grant, assuming you remain on ib benefits until 11 weeks before dd.

You can get Housing Benefit in any event based on your low income, assuming you don't live with someone who is working F/T.

Have you had your ESA medical yet? pass or fail?

Hi, baby is due 4th April 2011, this is my first child.
i dont have any savings at the minute and i am not living with my partner / babies dad.
i was in my local jobs and benefits office yesterday to get forms for a community care grant for some new clothes. i also asked about travel allowance as i go to the hospital every 2 weeks, i had to speak to customer services about this and she informed me that my ESA was contribution based and always would be and that i could not apply for the grant. when i got home i rang ESA to confirm this, the guy said yes i was on contribution based and was not entitled to any grants or housing benefit:( i then rang the jobs and benefits office to ask their opinion, the guy there just said exactly the same.
ive never been on benefits before and just dont know how it all works, and i have no idea about CTC.
i havent had any medical yet ?

thanks for your reply.

Metranil_Vavin

You will not be able to claim the HiPG if you are 23 weeks preg in jan 2011

mumi2be

Wig wrote: »

• Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element - The family element can be higher if a child is aged under 1
• Working Tax Credit where a disability or severe disability element is included in the award

Does the bit in red mean that anyone who has a baby & CTC can claim the sure start *after* the baby is born as long as they have updated their CTC to get the higher award and it is within 3 months?

And basically anyone on an IB benefit can get it before the baby is born, so will receive it no matter what, but someone who is not on an IB benefit, can only then get it if the birth is successful.

Hi, can you help ?
will i be entitled to CTC ? when will i need to apply?

Elle7

I think ESA were confused.

On Income based, I think you are automatically entitled to LHA/housing benefit. On contributions based, you'll need to go to your local council offices and fill in the paperwork. They'll want to know where you'll live, and how much income you have. From what you've said, you'll be entitled. You just have to apply yourself, because contributions based means you haven't been income assessed, and you could have a huge income for all they know.

Your too late for the Health In Pregnancy grant, but you'll get the £500 by the sounds of it. I've never applied for child benefit or anything so I'm sure someone could help with how to do that.

You get the same help as everyone else, you just have to be proactive about it. You wouldn't have been entitled to a community care grant anyway, you aren't in immediate danger and with the cut-backs it's highly unlikely you'd have got one.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your pregnancy.

mumi2be

Elle7 wrote: »

I think ESA were confused.

On Income based, I think you are automatically entitled to LHA/housing benefit. On contributions based, you'll need to go to your local council offices and fill in the paperwork. They'll want to know where you'll live, and how much income you have. From what you've said, you'll be entitled. You just have to apply yourself, because contributions based means you haven't been income assessed, and you could have a huge income for all they know.

Your too late for the Health In Pregnancy grant, but you'll get the £500 by the sounds of it. I've never applied for child benefit or anything so I'm sure someone could help with how to do that.

You get the same help as everyone else, you just have to be proactive about it. You wouldn't have been entitled to a community care grant anyway, you aren't in immediate danger and with the cut-backs it's highly unlikely you'd have got one.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your pregnancy.

hi
thanks for your reply the men i spoke to must have been confused ! i just got very scared !! i will go to the housing office and see what they say guess i can only wait until later in my pregnancy and apply for the sure start grant and keep my fingers crossed. hopefully i can get back to work asap

mumi2be

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

I am not saying that the OP do that, I was just offering options.

It seems to me that over the last 10-15 years of the lax benefit system we have in place, many many women do not choose either of those options because they know that they will get everything paid for and some consider children as a moneymaking option on the benefits system. And before you say it I am not suggesting that the OP is one of those.

i dont know why you felt you had to offer your "opinion" when it was of no help whatsoever ! if u arent suggesdting that i am "one of those people" why say it in the first place, i came here for help.. not to be told i should put my unborn baby up for adoption or have a termination !!

Wig

mumi2be wrote: »

Hi, baby is due 4th April 2011, this is my first child.
i dont have any savings at the minute and i am not living with my partner / babies dad.
i was in my local jobs and benefits office yesterday to get forms for a community care grant for some new clothes. i also asked about travel allowance as i go to the hospital every 2 weeks, i had to speak to customer services about this and she informed me that my ESA was contribution based and always would be and that i could not apply for the grant. when i got home i rang ESA to confirm this, the guy said yes i was on contribution based and was not entitled to any grants or housing benefit:( i then rang the jobs and benefits office to ask their opinion, the guy there just said exactly the same.
ive never been on benefits before and just dont know how it all works, and i have no idea about CTC.
i havent had any medical yet ?

thanks for your reply.

It's possible that the person who took your claim for ESA did it on a "contributions only" basis I know they can do that for JSA but I only imagine that it must therefore be possible to do that for ESA aswell.

This is why I asked you......
When you made your claim did you have to say how many bank accounts and shares you have and how much is in each account?

If you did, it is likely it was a "conts & IB" claim, if you didn't it's likely it was a "conts only" claim, and you should complain that you were not assessed on an income basis - which would then have entitled you to other benefits (HB &CTB) and grants(SSMG).

Although you can still apply for HB&CTB directly from the council, it's just that if you can show you are on an Income based benefit the application is much easier. Some council employees even tell customers "You have to be on income based benefits to get HB&CTB....." apparently this is incorrect advice.

If it was a "conts only" claim. I would ring the BDC and ask to be assessed for income based.

You apply for CTC on 0845 300 3900 you can ring them now to ask when you can apply, and if they can send you the forms early. Once you have CTC (if you are not on an income based benefit) applied for ask when they will start paying like dazzadubbs did, and you can send your pre-ordered/pre-completed SSMG form off at just the right time within the first 3 months to get your SSMG


All of this is assuming you continue to qualify for ESA, it may be that you are deemed to be "fit for work" in which case you will have to apply for Income support post 11 weeks before due date OR JSA before 11 weeks before due date...... i.e. at 13 weeks before due date for example.

Income support is ALWAYS an income based benefit and JSA can be either IB or conts - make sure you ask for "JSA IB"