Re cost of living payment update

kristen74

Great I’m on income related and contribution esa and I been told I am not eligible after speaking to DWP 

calcotti

kristen74 said:

Great I’m on income related and contribution esa and I been told I am not eligible after speaking to DWP 

DWP call handlers are administrators not benefits advisers. That information is potentially incorrect. If you receive a payment of income based ESA you are eligible. If your ESA payment is over £117.60/week then you are being paid some income based ESA and are eligible for CoL. If the ESA is £117.60 then you are not being paid any income based ESA and will not qualify for CoL.

Your wife's pension may mean that there is no income based entitlement even though you reassessed for it when your ESA is calculated. That means you are 'on' income based ESA (because an old ESA claim is both) but don't actually get it. If that is the case it would mean that without your contribution based entitlement there would be less ESA generally and although you will miss out on CoL now you may have been receiving more money every week for years than would otherwise have been the case.

kristen74

Has anyone who receives both income & contribution esa been paid the col payment?

calcotti

kristen74 said:

Has anyone who receives both income & contribution esa been paid the col payment?

I am fairly sure other posters have confirmed receiving payments. Is your ESA more than £117.60/week?

kristen74

calcotti said:

kristen74 said:

Has anyone who receives both income & contribution esa been paid the col payment?

I am fairly sure other posters have confirmed receiving payments. Is your ESA more than £117.60/week?

Hi yes it’s more than £117.60 a week it’s just the advisor in cases like this that I will not be entitled as he said being on both am paid the higher of the two. It’s lost me. Anyway if I am entitled I can’t see it being paid on a weekend even though Sunday is the 31st.

calcotti

kristen74 said:

calcotti said:

kristen74 said:

Has anyone who receives both income & contribution esa been paid the col payment?

I am fairly sure other posters have confirmed receiving payments. Is your ESA more than £117.60/week?

Hi yes it’s more than £117.60 a week 

Then you are eligible. Although they are aiming to get payments completed by 31st July they said some might take longer. ESA are not administering the CoL and you cannot rely on what they tell you (indeed you can't rely on what they tell you about £SA either).

Unfortunately the gov.uk page is slightly ambiguous in the way it is worded but the overriding statement is

You may get a payment of £650 paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324 if you get payments of any of the following:

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

kristen74

calcotti said:

kristen74 said:

calcotti said:

kristen74 said:

Has anyone who receives both income & contribution esa been paid the col payment?

I am fairly sure other posters have confirmed receiving payments. Is your ESA more than £117.60/week?

Hi yes it’s more than £117.60 a week 

Then you are eligible. Although they are aiming to get payments completed by 31st July they said some might take longer. ESA are not administering the CoL and you cannot rely on what they tell you (indeed you can't rely on what they tell you about £SA either).

Thank you very much for your help I’ll just try to be a little more patient.

calcotti

No buts or ifs, the regulation is starightforward
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/38/contents/enacted

Means-tested additional payments: main payments
(1)The Secretary of State must secure that—
(a) a single payment of £326 is made to any person who has a qualifying entitlement to a social security benefit in respect of 25 May 2022 (the first “qualifying day”), and
(b) a single payment of £324 is made to any person who has a qualifying entitlement to a social security benefit in respect of the second qualifying day
....
(3) The social security benefits are—
...
(d) an income-related employment and support allowance under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007 or Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007;

kristen74

We recieve £325.60 ESA every two weeks plus PIP and my partners pension once a month from what we recieve and have been told I definately don't think we will recieve the payment 

kristen74

Hi is anyone who receives both income related and contribution esa and received the £326 payment as again I been told I am not eligible