ESA Support group reassessments & tax situation

bluetoffees

Hi, I've been placed in support group for 6 months. Has anyone recently been on ESA and come to the end of their 6 months? Can you tell me what happens then? I was told that another medical may be needed. Do they send out another ESA50 and start the process again from the beginning? If nothing has changed and you state that on your form do they always send you back to ATOS (who scored me 0 points last time!).

Also I've read that ESA is a taxable benefit. Now that my rate has gone up will I have to pay income tax. If it is added to the housing benefit I am getting towards my rent I am over the weekly allowance for earnings. So that extra ESA money will mostly go in tax!:(

MrsManda

I haven't had the experience of my claim coming up for review yet (should be in the next couple of weeks) so cannot comment on that but in terms of income tax, you have a £6475 tax free allowance so unless your taxable income is higher than this you won't pay income tax at all. If it's higher than this then you'll pay tax on the taxable income received above £6475.

In 2011/12 your tax free allowance goes up to £7475
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm

sunnyone

bluetoffees wrote: »

Hi, I've been placed in support group for 6 months. Has anyone recently been on ESA and come to the end of their 6 months? Can you tell me what happens then? I was told that another medical may be needed. Do they send out another ESA50 and start the process again from the beginning? If nothing has changed and you state that on your form do they always send you back to ATOS (who scored me 0 points last time!).

Also I've read that ESA is a taxable benefit. Now that my rate has gone up will I have to pay income tax. If it is added to the housing benefit I am getting towards my rent I am over the weekly allowance for earnings. So that extra ESA money will mostly go in tax!:(

My husband gets a new form sent out every six months, he may or may not have to have a medical, I suppose it depends on the tea leaves because he will never recover from his kidney failure unless he has a transplant and he's not a good candidate for that due to his heart problems and the stroke he recently had whcih has left him with a blood clot in his brain and ischemic brain disease.

rogerblack

bluetoffees wrote: »

Hi, I've been placed in support group for 6 months. Has anyone recently been on ESA and come to the end of their 6 months?

There are some that are exempt from new medicals - the terminally ill, and very few others basically.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch42.pdf - see 42142

At the end of the period specified by the health-care-provider at the assessment, the file is passed back to medical services ATOS - who work out if you need to be called in for another assessment. (which coincidentally they are paid for)

They can randomly choose to start this process again after 3 months, regardless of the time period specified on the ATOS report recommending interval for a reassesment, or at whim at any time if they decide it may be in error.