Benefits help /advice.

Tomsdottir

Contributory ESA can be either "old style" or "new style" simply depending on the UC status of the area you were in when you claimed your current award. If, when you make a new claim for ESA, the area you are living in is full service, you are claiming "new style" ESA. But if, when you claimed ESA, your area was not full service, usually you were claiming old style ESA. (I say usually, because if your area was a "gateway area" for UC and you met the gateway conditions, that would also be a "new style" claim. If you aren't sure what date an area became full service, you can check with your local CAB.)
Other posters on this thread are helpfully drawing attention to the need to be sure whether you have an old style or new style ESA claim when asking for a top up. If it's old style, then you are looking at a top up of income related ESA and shouldn't be asked to claim UC.

poppy12345

Tomsdottir wrote: »

Other posters on this thread are helpfully drawing attention to the need to be sure whether you have an old style or new style ESA claim when asking for a top up. If it's old style, then you are looking at a top up of income related ESA and shouldn't be asked to claim UC.

The OP already stated they were previously on IB before ESA, so their ESA can't be New style CB, it's old style ESA. Or legacy as it's know as.

Wacko18

OK thanks. I checked when universal credit came out in my area and it says either from July or sep 2018, so I assume I'm on old style ESA and that applying for a top up won't affect anything right?

It also mentions that everyone will be changed over by 2019. If I'm still on contributory ESA and do manage to get income based top up, will I be changed over to universal credit due to the top up bit as the contributory ESA is not mentioned in the universal credit list?

Sorry for all the questions but the benefits stuff is a minefield.

xylophone

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

may be worth a read.

The standard minimum guarantee is £163.00 a week for a single person and £248.80 a week for a couple. If your income is less than this and you meet the other qualifying conditions, you may qualify for Guarantee Credit. If your income is more than this, you may qualify if you are entitled to any of the extra amounts in this section, or if some of your income can be disregarded.

calcotti

If you get/are awarded income based ESA you will be invited to apply for UC at some point in the future. The income based ESA will end so if you not apply for UC you will effectively lose this money. The contribution based ESA should still continue regardless.

The switch over is due to start in July 2019 but will not end until March 2023. The issue of transition is highly political at the moment and the process may well change. We’re in the world of “known unknowns”!

Another point to note is that I would expect a single claimant in your situation to actually get more money under a UC than under ESA.

calcotti

xylophone wrote: »

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

may be worth a read.

The standard minimum guarantee is £163.00 a week for a single person and £248.80 a week for a couple. If your income is less than this and you meet the other qualifying conditions, you may qualify for Guarantee Credit. If your income is more than this, you may qualify if you are entitled to any of the extra amounts in this section, or if some of your income can be disregarded.

Also worth noting that even if your parents just miss out on Pension Credit they may still be eligible for some Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. You really do have to put the numbers into a calculator to find out.

Tomsdottir

Agreed if there has been unbroken entitlement to ESA since migration, on the basis that the conversion decision results in an award of ESA without the need for a claim. But not always the case where there has not been uninterrupted entitlement to ESA.