ESA Income Related & Contribution Based

pmlindyloo

Let's start at the beginning.


When were you first awarded ESA? Was it contribution based and then after a year you were put onto income based?


When were you transferred to the support group?


What I think may have happened is that you were first awarded contribution based ESA and then transferred to income based. When you were put in the Support group the timing was such that you could still claim contribution based ESA.


In any case we really need to know your personal circumstances.


Have you a partner? Do they work? Any other income? Savings? Do you rent? Mortgage?


if you have no partner, only receiving ESA and DLA then you can still claim HB and CT reduction based on a low income. It is possible that when you were transferred to contribution based ESA your claims for HB and CT were automatically stopped. So you need to phone the council and give them details of your income/savings.


I may be totally wrong so please clarify the circumstances!

jacques_chirac

labradad wrote: »

I thought that was the case. Have been ringing round all morning but keep getting told no you can not. Any idea how you go about it?

If you are not already receiving it, you should complete an ESA3 form - the JCP can send you one.

What are your household circumstances - do you have capital over £6,000 or any other income (partner, pension etc)? How much ESA do you receive?

KxMx

First you need to ring the benefits office that deals with your claim to get clarification. Ask them to send a letter stating your entitlement, group, IR, CB or both etc.

Then you can contact your Local Authority about the Council Tax to make sure they have your entitlement correct. Send them/ go in with a copy of the letter from the benefits office.

I linked to the NHS LIS in my previous reply, an application can be made once you know which type your benefit is. Support Group is the most important factor here but they do need to know which type of ESA also.

If you get any ESA IR (even alongside CB), this should qualify you automatically for free prescriptions/ full help with health costs, but I am not 100& sure on that.

pmlindyloo

KxMx wrote: »

I am on ESA (WRAG) and put in a HC1 application for help with health costs under the Low Income Scheme

They sent me a HC2 certificate which is full help with NHS costs and free prescriptions.

I queried this (always got HC3 in the past) and was told they had mistakenly thought I was in the Support Group.

Then got my proper entitlement HC3 (partial help, no free prescriptions I pre-pay £10.40 per month over 10).

So being in the Support Group should entitle you to free prescriptions and full help with NHS costs under the LIS.

Being in the SG may passport you to other entitlements, despite the benefit being Contributions based.

Council Tax varies now from authority to authority; being in the SG may mean you get more help or not; depends if your LA makes any distinction between CB ESA and SG.

I'd suggest ringing the benefits office that deals with your claim for clarification. Then take it from there.

Click on the blue writing Low Income Scheme and it will take you to the link.

Misseh

blondebubbles wrote: »

It's the other way about, contributions based is when you paid enough NI contributions and income based is when you don't have enough.

You can get both bit I can't find the guidance that says how. My understanding was the DWP would have decided this for you already.

Sorry realised this mistake when I re-read my post, changed it around duh!

jacques_chirac

Misseh wrote: »

Sorry realised this mistake when I re-read my post, changed it around duh!

Your post is still wrong - you can receive elements of both IB and CB ESA - CB ESA as the core amount and IB top ups.

epitome

Labradad,

You can have amounts for both, like you can have £106.50 C and 121.65 IR
In this example you will be paid £121.65 and if you asked for an award letter it would say £121.65 Income Related ESA.

All we need to know here is confirm
Your marital status?
You were being paid £100.15 per week on ESA IR WRAG ?
When did they award you the Support Group?
How much are you now getting?

ESA C is taxable, ESA IR is not. What I am not sure about is when some one has ESA C £106.50 and ESA IR £121.65 is the 106.50 counted as taxable or does the 121.65 overide the 106.50 and thus the whole lot becomes non taxable.