Contribution based ESA - what happens on Universal Credit?

room512

I really hope someone can help on here as weeks of googling hasn’t!
My OH receives Contribution based ESA and is in the Support Group. He also receives PIP (high rate for mobility and care).

I was made redundant last August and I have been working as a Supply Teacher this year.  I was wondering if it would be worth claiming Universal Credit over the summer as I will earn nothing. We have less that £16000 in savings. 

After the summer, in September, I will hopefully be working as a TA but I will only take home approx £1100 a month but in the future I may need to teach again as I earn a lot more.  
My question is what happens if we go over the £16000 savings limit? Will my husband lose his ESA as I presume it will be a Universal Credit claim. I don’t really understand Contribution based ESA in relation to UC.  None of his ESA is income based.  I just don’t know if we would be better off staying as we are. 

Thanks for any help and I can provide any more info if necessary.

Rubyroobs

If your savings rose above £16k and you could no longer claim UC, he would not lose his contributions based ESA as it's non means tested. Whilst claiming UC, then his ESA would continue to be paid separately but then deducted from your monthly UC, but if you stopped receiving UC then it would just continue to be paid to him. You could also claim carers element on Uc as long as you care for him for 35 hours a week. he would get the LCWRA element on a joint Uc claim as he is in the support group, and you will get the carers element along with joint couples element and child elmeent/ s if you have kids and rent element if you pay rent.

room512

So if we claim UC he will receive the same amount of ESA as he does now but it would be taken off our UC? Is that correct? Sorry for all of the questions, but I don’t want to claim UC if in the end we would have been better off not doing anything.  Would it trigger a reassessment for him? He has only just had his PIP reassessed but I would assume that is just ignored anyway.  Gosh, what a minefield UC is and I thought I was fairly intelligent!

poppy12345

room512 said:

So if we claim UC he will receive the same amount of ESA as he does now but it would be taken off our UC? Is that correct?

Yes, that's correct. If he's in the Support Group for ESA, which i assume he is then he would be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim.

For the ESA he can be reassessed at anytime anyway but as far as im aware reviews for the work capability assessment are still on hold.

If you do claim UC, if he's reassessed in the future then it will be just a coinsidence.

As he's claiming daily living PIP then you could claim Carers element of UC if you look after him for at least 35 hours per week. If you have savings of more than £6,000 then there's a £4.35 per month deduction for every £250 or part there of over that amount.

Use a benefits calculator to check entitlement. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=823b98d0-60da-43ad-a5cc-dfcddd6c92e9

calcotti

room512 said:

He has only just had his PIP reassessed but I would assume that is just ignored anyway.  

Yes. It's not relevant to UC other than the possibility of you claiming the carer element for looking after him as advised by poppy.

room512

Thank you all so much. Will have a play with the calculator tomorrow and see what it says. Will then work out what date is best to apply.  Will I be expected to look for work if I have a new job that starts in September? (I will be paid in the last week of July as I get paid weekly now and then will earn nothing until the 26th September although I will start working on the 5th September. I will finish work on Thursday 21st July and get paid on Friday 29th July)

Rubyroobs

room512 said:

Thank you all so much. Will have a play with the calculator tomorrow and see what it says. Will then work out what date is best to apply.  Will I be expected to look for work if I have a new job that starts in September? (I will be paid in the last week of July as I get paid weekly now and then will earn nothing until the 26th September although I will start working on the 5th September. I will finish work on Thursday 21st July and get paid on Friday 29th July)

If you claimed the carers element you should not have any work commitments. Otherwise yes you could be expected to look for work until your new role starts. I can't see any reason why you wouldn't claim the carers element though as long as you provide the care, you can continue claiming that element even when working full time.

poppy12345

room512 said:

Thank you all so much. Will have a play with the calculator tomorrow and see what it says. Will then work out what date is best to apply.  Will I be expected to look for work if I have a new job that starts in September? (I will be paid in the last week of July as I get paid weekly now and then will earn nothing until the 26th September although I will start working on the 5th September. I will finish work on Thursday 21st July and get paid on Friday 29th July)

For you the best to to apply would be the day after you receive your final pay, if you're entitled to anything once you've used the benefit calculator.

Your first payment of UC will be 1 month and 6 days after you apply. Whether there's still any entitlement once you start back working will depend on your earnings. If there's no entitlement then your partners ESA will continue as it always has.