Help! I am on Contribution Based ESA - Seem to be missing out a lot of benefits?!

DSwales

Hello!

SSP = Statuary Sick Pay
C.B ESA = Contribution based Employment Support Allowance
I.R ESA = Income Related Employment Support Allowance
N.I = National Insurance
C.A.B = Citizens Advice Bureau 
SDP = Severe Disability Premium

Summary to give context:
- Left school, straight to Uni, finished Uni, worked full time (2014 till Dec 2021).
- I went on sick in Dec 2021 up till my SSP ended in Jun 2022, in which I claimed ESA.
- Oct 2022, I was put into the support rate of C.B ESA
- Reason for leaving employment - I am now registered as Severely Sight Impaired (Blind) and Deaf. (Have received certificate for this)
- I am also on Enhanced rate for PIP in both sections.

Purpose of this post:

I am really struggling to get help in regards to how ESA works. I have sent letters to the address found at the top of my JobCentrePlus letters but I do not get any response. My local C.A.B has fobbed me off without the intention of helping. I seem to be worse off on C.B ESA than I.R ESA. With the recent cost of living support update, I have completely broken down to find that I am missing out on vital income that will really help with the rising cost of living crisis. Why does it feel like I am being penalised for contributing towards my N.I with my work history? I will outline some of the questions that I have below and please if anyone can help or give advice, I would really appreciate it.

1. Can I swap from C.B ESA to I.R ESA?
2. Is C.B ESA better than I.R ESA in any shape or form?
3. What is NEW STYLE ESA? Is this completely different?
4. I have come across that some people are on C.B ESA but get I.R ESA top ups? How does this work? How do I apply? 
5. Why am I missing out on the SDP which seems to only be available for I.R ESA? (Although I fit the criteria due to my DEAF/BLINDNESS)

These are just some of the questions I have, if anyone reading this post who is on C.B ESA with any other questions, please feel free to add underneath. 

I really do hope I get some answers because the internet is very difficult for myself to navigate and I just feel I am stuck with nobody to help.

Thank you in advance.

Dan

Torry_Quine

Contribution ESA is claimed regardless of other income and so doesn't give you other benefits. You would need to claim Universal credit rather than IR ESA to top up your income.  New Style ESA is the CB one that is claimed now so equivalent to what you're on. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Your claim, being from last year, is New-Style ESA - this is the answer to all of your questions (or renders them moot). 

People who claim both contributions-based and income-based ESA claim the legacy ESA benefit, for which no new claims have been allowed for a few years now.  So you cannot claim the income-based top-up because it doesn't exist for new-style ESA.

The SDP is only available on legacy income-related ESA, the government have replaced it with UC which does not have premiums like that.

To claim an income-based top-up you would need to claim Universal Credit.  Any entitlement will depend on whether you have any other income (PIP is not counted) or savings/capital over £6,000; if over £16,000 you would not be eligible at all.

You should do a benefits calculation
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/
https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

tacpot12

You cannot make a new claim for Income-based ESA, unless you were receiving contribution-based ESA before 1st Jan 2019, so claiming Universal Credit is the only way to get additional help.
 
Contribution-based ESA and New-Style ESA are effectively the same benefit (they use the same set of rules and pay the same), but before 1st Jan 2019 it was called Contribution-based ESA and ran along-side Income-based ESA (you coudl receive both at the same time), but after that date it was called New-Style ESA and you can't claim Income-based ESA at the same time as New-Style ESA, but you can claim Universal Credit.

The people being paid Income-based ESA and Contribution-based ESA will have claimed before 1st Jan 2019.

You are claiming New-Style ESA, not Contribution-based ESA.

The Severe Disability Premium is only payable if you are in income-based ESA. 

If you haven't claimed Universal Credit yet, you should do so asap, as you will be entitled to some additional money.  It's not as much as the Severe Disability Premium, but it something extra.