ESA permitted work and PW1 form

zippy1969

I have a friend who is claiming ESA and is in the 'support group.' They've been claiming for around two years now.

They have the chance to do ten hours work per week for which they'll be paid £9 an hour. It's relatively simple work which they'll do from home over the telephone.

I've been looking at the 'permitted work' rules and my understanding is this:

- They can do up to 16 hours a week and earn up to £99.50 each week.

- As they are in the support group the 52-week limit doesn't apply.

- Permitted work earnings do not affect housing and council tax benefit.

Have I got this right?

The rules as written seem strange as they say you can earn £20 a week for as long as you claim but then say you can earn £99.50 for 52-weeks? I'm also not sure about if someone in the support group does permitted work, does it have to be the supported permitted work where a support worker is involved? Or can you do the work independently with the support of family and friends?

I notice that if you want to apply to do permitted work, you have to request a PW1 form from DWP. In searching for this for on Google I came across many reports of DWP suspending ESA just for the very reason the claimant requests the form! If this situation happened to my friend it would cause them severe anxiety. Do DWP carry out this practice?

Thanks in advance for any help.

help4help2013

the DWP can be funny when it comes to permitted work i know a few people who have be reassessed as soon as when they have done permitted work whitest claiming ESA a lot of people will see it as if the person can do permitted work then they can work full time which is not always the case

Working and claiming ESA

Usually your ESA isn’t affected if you:

• work and earn up to £20 a week
• work and earn up to £99.50 a week doing work supervised by someone from a local council or voluntary organisation
• work less than 16 hours a week, earn up to £99.50 a week for up to 52 weeks

This is called ‘permitted work’.
You can also do ‘supported permitted work’ for less than 16 hours a week and earn up to £99.50 a week if your illness or disability very severely limits your ability to work.


Supported permitted work is supervised by someone from a local council or a voluntary organisation whose job it is to arrange work for disabled people.


You must tell the Department of Work and Pension (DWP) if you start doing permitted work. They will send you form PW1 to fill in and send back to them.


If you get Housing Benefit and you do Permitted Work, any earnings over £20 may be taken into account when assessing these benefits i think this one still stands but im sure someone will correct me if im wrong

mikey_bach

I have never heard of them suspending a claim for requesting a PW1.
Maybe if someone rings up and states they have started permitted work, a form is sent out to capture the details but then doesn't get sent back in.

If your friends phones, gets the form. the work is accepted, then as long as they work under 16 hours most important, earn under the £99.50, they can because they are in the support group carry on doing this as long as they remain in the support group, the fifty two week rules does not apply.

the fifty two week rule is for the WRAG

victoria04

hi just a question to follow original post

my hubby is on income related esa support group we went along to the jobcentre disability advisor and we asked about the permitted work and she said we were not eligible as you had to be on contribution esa so could only earn the £20 per week as anything else would be taken from his benefit £1 for £1

is this correct its only open to contribution esa and not income related
sorry hope the question makes sense
x

Xign

I am in the Support Group and do eight hours per week in Morrisons. I was doing these eight hours when my ESA claim began and didn't have to fill out a PW1.

AFAIK In 2010 the government changed permitted work rules, all earnings and completely disregarded for Housing Benefit claims. This can been verified on EntitledTo or the MSE Benefit Checker.

Xign

victoria04 wrote: »

hi just a question to follow original post

my hubby is on income related esa support group we went along to the jobcentre disability advisor and we asked about the permitted work and she said we were not eligible as you had to be on contribution esa so could only earn the £20 per week as anything else would be taken from his benefit £1 for £1

is this correct its only open to contribution esa and not income related
sorry hope the question makes sense
x

Income or contribution is eligible.

zippy1969

Hey there. Thanks to all of you for your replies...very helpful.

I came on here first as my friend didn't want to call DWP initially as she was worried that her benefit may stop.

I'm actually going to ring them on her behalf this morning after reading your responses.

Many thanks.

zippy1969

mikey_bach wrote: »

If your friends phones, gets the form. the work is accepted, then as long as they work under 16 hours most important, earn under the £99.50, they can because they are in the support group carry on doing this as long as they remain in the support group, the fifty two week rules does not apply.

the fifty two week rule is for the WRAG

Hi.

Just phoned DWP three-times and spoke with three different advisors. My god, talk about making life difficult and not knowing much about their own regulations.

- One advisor told me that the 52-week rule applies to support group as well as the WRAG, another said it only applied to WRAG.

- The first advisor told me that the claimant has to start the work before letting DWP know. However, I said that my friend needed the work authorised by DWP prior to starting. She said they couldn't do that...then changed her mind when I said that this seemed unfair as if the work starts then is not authorised by DWP that could cause my friend all sorts of anxiety.

- One told me that permitted work earnings are deductable from Housing and Council Tax benefit, another said they're disregarded.

- One advisor was just about to take my friends details from me to send out a PW1 form but then cut me off. The next advisor said that my friend has to speak to DWP personally to request the form.

So...I'm alot more confused than before I started!

Contacting the DWP never inspires much confidence in the way they operate.

I found this 'sample' of the PW1 form:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/128480/response/317533/attach/3/PW1%20ESA%201011%20For%20Information.pdf

The contradiction of this form is that it's titled "Telling us about paid work you WANT to do" but then goes on to ask such questions as "when will you get your first payment?" If it's work you WANT to do, but haven't started due to awaiting a DWP decision...how can you give an answer to this?

Xign

Regarding support group and Permitted work limit: http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/work-people-living-disability-or-health-conditions

Regarding permitted work and housing benefit: http://www.actionforme.org.uk/Resources/Action%20for%20ME/Documents/get-informed/Permitted-work-factsheet.pdf.

zippy1969

Xign wrote: »

Regarding support group and Permitted work limit: http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/work-people-living-disability-or-health-conditions

Regarding permitted work and housing benefit: http://www.actionforme.org.uk/Resources/Action%20for%20ME/Documents/get-informed/Permitted-work-factsheet.pdf.

Thanks.

I really cannot believe how incompetent the DWP are. Tried calling again to get a PW1 and they said they couldn't send one. Rang again and they said they can send one no problem???

pmlindyloo

zippy1969 wrote: »

Hi.

Just phoned DWP three-times and spoke with three different advisors. My god, talk about making life difficult and not knowing much about their own regulations.

- One advisor told me that the 52-week rule applies to support group as well as the WRAG, another said it only applied to WRAG.

- The first advisor told me that the claimant has to start the work before letting DWP know. However, I said that my friend needed the work authorised by DWP prior to starting. She said they couldn't do that...then changed her mind when I said that this seemed unfair as if the work starts then is not authorised by DWP that could cause my friend all sorts of anxiety.

- One told me that permitted work earnings are deductable from Housing and Council Tax benefit, another said they're disregarded.

- One advisor was just about to take my friends details from me to send out a PW1 form but then cut me off. The next advisor said that my friend has to speak to DWP personally to request the form.

So...I'm alot more confused than before I started!

Contacting the DWP never inspires much confidence in the way they operate.

I found this 'sample' of the PW1 form:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/128480/response/317533/attach/3/PW1%20ESA%201011%20For%20Information.pdf

The contradiction of this form is that it's titled "Telling us about paid work you WANT to do" but then goes on to ask such questions as "when will you get your first payment?" If it's work you WANT to do, but haven't started due to awaiting a DWP decision...how can you give an answer to this?

Just put it down as if she has agreed to do it.

So many hours at so much an hour and when she would be paid.

Print off the information/links you have been given and go to the Job Centre and show them. Ask for a manager/supervisor.

Put in a complaint about the information received from the staff. The phone calls will have been recorded. Hopefully the staff will get some training!