ESA - should I top up my NI class 2?

p00hsticks

sportsarb wrote: »

If it is the benefit paid by the DWP (Agency that I can't remember the name of, it was separate to everything else in DWP) .

It used to be the Veterans Agency - I think the latest incarnation is Veterans UK

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk

calcotti

TELLIT01 wrote: »

The simple reality is that only the 2 most recent full tax years are taken into account when assessing entitlement to Contribution base benefits.

The statement “the 2 most recent full tax years” is also misleading. It is the 2 last tax years prior to the benefit year which count and as the benefit year follows the calendar year (almost) the most recent tax year is often not looked at. Thus a claim made now looks at the 16-17 and 17-18 years but not the 18-19 year.
There are a few very limited exceptions which allow earlier years to be looked at.

calcotti

sportsarb wrote: »

If it is the benefit paid by the DWP (Agency that I can't remember the name of, it was separate to everything else in DWP) called War Disablement Pension, WD Allowance etc. then it is treated differently from normal pensions.

As OP has referred to a pension and AFCS I inferred that the pension is a pension in the normal sense and therefore falls to be taken into account for ESA.
I believe AFCS replaced the old War Pension Scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-compensation/armed-forces-compensation-what-you-need-to-know
According to the above link, as you say, a GIP paid under AFCS will not affect ESA, lump sum will of course never affect new style ESA.

sportsarb

calcotti wrote: »

As OP has referred to a pension and AFCS I inferred that the pension is a pension in the normal sense and therefore falls to be taken into account for ESA.
I believe AFCS replaced the old War Pension Scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-compensation/armed-forces-compensation-what-you-need-to-know
According to the above link, as you say, a GIP paid under AFCS will not affect ESA, lump sum will of course never affect new style ESA.

I was merely elaborating on TELLIT01's point.

From experience, there's a veritable !!!! tonne of confusion over this issue though, from staff and claimants. The amount of times I had to remove WDP's from the occupational pension screen on claims became incredibly tiresome. I can understand claimants not knowing the difference, staff not knowing was embarrassing though.

calcotti

sportsarb wrote: »

... there's a veritable !!!! tonne of confusion over this issue though, from staff and claimants.

I can easily believe that. Many claimants are caught out by the fact that pension income can reduce their contribution based ESA - given that it is 'not means tested'.