which is best IR esa or CB esa

dave030445

Hi all ive been on IR esa for many years in the support group. About 2 years ago i started getting a PHI from my employer. Which was backed dated to 2009. Which meant I got a large payment. Because of this large payment i was put on to CB esa which ive been on ever since. All was ok till the other day I received a letter asking me to tell them how much i had in savings. I didn't see why i had to tell them because i was on CB esa and savings don't matter. So by wife phoned up to ask why and the man on the phone said he could see no reason for them asking but he said if i don't tell them my esa may stop. So i wrote to them telling them i had about £14,000. Yesterday I got a letter saying that as my savings are above £16,000 (which there not)
my claim for IR esa would stop. But i could start claiming CB esa instead. and the letter said when my savings drop below £16,000 (which they already are) To contact them to see if i can start getting IR esa again. Now for my question which is the better one to go on shall i phone them up to go back onto IR esa or just leave it at CB esa. sorry for the long post hope it makes sence.

Torry_Quine

When did you start getting ESA and does your wife work?

dave030445

Torry_Quine wrote: »

When did you start getting ESA and does your wife work?

Hi I started getting esa in April 2009 and no my wife doesn't go to work.

mikey_bach

So you are getting ESA conts for yourself with a top up of ESA IR for your wife.
The savings or capital will effect your claim.....

dave030445

mikey_bach wrote: »

So you are getting ESA conts for yourself with a top up of ESA IR for your wife.
The savings or capital will effect your claim.....

so is it best to stay like that

Torry_Quine

dave030445 wrote: »

Hi I started getting esa in April 2009 and no my wife doesn't go to work.

As you have less than £16,000 savings and your wife doesn't work(is there a reason for that), then your contribution based ESA should be topped up with income related ESA. However your other income will be taken into account in either event.

mikey_bach

basically they are saying that you will only get ESA for yourself,
the IB ESA you were getting for your wife will stop and will not go back into payment until your capital goes under 16k.
How did they find out about your capital ??
you may have an overpayment

dave030445

mikey_bach wrote: »

basically they are saying that you will only get ESA for yourself,
the IB ESA you were getting for your wife will stop and will not go back into payment until your capital goes under 16k.
How did they find out about your capital ??
you may have an overpayment

i told them

dave030445

So one is not any better then the other? If i went on IB would i get SMI

Caz3121

dave030445 wrote: »

So i wrote to them telling them i had about £14,000. Yesterday I got a letter saying that as my savings are above £16,000 (which there not)
my claim for IR esa would stop. But i could start claiming CB esa instead. and the letter said when my savings drop below £16,000 (which they already are)

Were your savings ever over the £16k? If so you will have to deal with the decision makers view on whether the spending to date has been reasonable otherwise they could treat you as if you still had over £16k

dave030445

Caz3121 wrote: »

Were your savings ever over the £16k? If so you will have to deal with the decision makers view on whether the spending to date has been reasonable otherwise they could treat you as if you still had over £16k

Ive been on CB ever since I had the money so thats not an issue, as far as im aware.