Benefits & returning to work

Dinks8600

Hi!

I'm looking to pick some brains & get advice on what to expect with my benefits if I try to go back to work. I say try as it's really uncertain whether or not I'd be capable of working & maintaining a job because of how my health effects me on a daily basis.

I haven't worked for roughly 7 years now but I'm really wanting
see if I'm capable of working even if that's just for a few hours a week. It really is a don't know until you try situation & a gamble with my health condition whether working is possible.

I currently receive pip, ESA income support group, housing & council tax benefit & I live by myself.

What I'm wanting to know is:

Will my benefits change or stop? If so how.
What's classed as permitted work?
What happens if a few weeks down the line my health takes a turn & working isn't possible? Will I have to re-apply for benefits again?

poppy12345

Dinks8600 wrote: »

Hi!

I'm looking to pick some brains & get advice on what to expect with my benefits if I try to go back to work. I say try as it's really uncertain whether or not I'd be capable of working & maintaining a job because of how my health effects me on a daily basis.

I haven't worked for roughly 7 years now but I'm really wanting
see if I'm capable of working even if that's just for a few hours a week. It really is a don't know until you try situation & a gamble with my health condition whether working is possible.

I currently receive pip, ESA income support group, housing & council tax benefit & I live by myself.

What I'm wanting to know is:

Will my benefits change or stop? If so how.
What's classed as permitted work?
What happens if a few weeks down the line my health takes a turn & working isn't possible? Will I have to re-apply for benefits again?

The group you're in for ESA is called Support Group, not Income Support Group.


Permitted work... you can work a maximum of 15.59 hours per week and not earn anymore than £125.50 per week. You can earn up to this amount without it affecting any of your benefits. You need to get permission from DWP before you start work and you'll need to fill out a PW1 form. See link.

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Permitted-Work-Rules


If you're planning on working more than those hours then your ESA will stop. Permitted work is always a great way to see how you would cope with working and there's no time limit to how long you can do permitted work for. You do need to be careful what work you do, if it contradicts the reasons for your ESA claim then it may go against you when you're next assessed for ESA.

Dinks8600

Thanks for your reply poppy12345. Do you know what would happen if it went wrong & I had to stop working due to my health? Say after a couple of weeks for example.

Would I need to update the relevant people to let them know I'm attempting to go back to work such as pip, Hb & ctb?

poppy12345

Dinks8600 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply poppy12345. Do you know what would happen if it went wrong & I had to stop working due to my health? Say after a couple of weeks for example.

Would I need to update the relevant people to let them know I'm attempting to go back to work such as pip, Hb & ctb?

If it's permitted work you're doing and it doesn't work out for you then nothing will happen because it's permitted work. You just tell DWP that you're no longer doing the permitted work. Look at the link i posted, it tells you about permitted work.


PIP isn't means tested. All other benefits won't be affected because it's permitted work.


If you're going to work more than 16 hours per week then you report the changes to DWP and your ESA will stop. If it doesn't work out and your area is a full UC area then you may not be able to make a rapid re-claim for ESA because of it being a full UC area and you may have to claim UC.


If your ESA stops because of working more than 16 hours then you'll need to report the changes to your local council. PIP isn't means tested and won't be affected.