ESA Contributions Based - savings

Wobblecrumpet

I uses to get both income and contributions Esa, housing benefit and severe disability premium.

I received a lump sum in December 22. Notified benefits and was put onto Contibutions based ESA.  Obviously lost housing benefit and SDP.

My savings have been paying my rent and I will soon be under £16 k threshold.  I know the benefits will be tappered from £6k

What will happen to my Esa, Housing benefit and SDP.

I am in the not looking for work group support. 

Thanks for any advice.  

Alice_Holt

I think in order to get help with housing costs you may now need to claim Universal Credit (as generally no new HB claims can be made). 
https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit

As you are in the ESA support group your UC entitlement will include the £398 LCWRA additional payment. (This addition, in effect, replaces the SDP you received in your IR ESA). 

I'd suggest using https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/help-to-claim/  to guide you through the process as soon as you are below £16k.

Details of UC here:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/

poppy12345

My advice here would be to ring ESA first to claim the Income Related top up before claiming UC. If you still live alone or treated as living alone then you will be entitled to the SDP again. There will be a deduction of £1/week for every £250 or part thereof over £6,000. 

By claiming the Income Related top up with SDP when you claim UC you will be entitled to SDP Transitional Element.

One that is in payment then you can claim UC. Your Income Related ESA would stop after 2 weeks. Contributions based ESA will continue but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. 

xxxxxxxx

poppy12345 said:

My advice here would be to ring ESA first to claim the Income Related top up before claiming UC. If you still live alone or treated as living alone then you will be entitled to the SDP again. There will be a deduction of £1/week for every £250 or part thereof over £6,000. 

By claiming the Income Related top up with SDP when you claim UC you will be entitled to SDP Transitional Element.

One that is in payment then you can claim UC. Your Income Related ESA would stop after 2 weeks. Contributions based ESA will continue but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. 

 I agree with this advice, because ESA has not closed you can report the savings under £16,000 to the ESA office and they should re-instate your ESA IR.  And ask the council to reinstate HB.

Then do a benefit calc for UC, as UC usually pays more than ESA IR.  

But I don't know if SDP transitional protection applies if it is not a migrated claim ?

Wobblecrumpet

Would council reinstate Housing Benefit ?

Thanks again

poppy12345

xxxxxxxx said:

poppy12345 said:

My advice here would be to ring ESA first to claim the Income Related top up before claiming UC. If you still live alone or treated as living alone then you will be entitled to the SDP again. There will be a deduction of £1/week for every £250 or part thereof over £6,000. 

By claiming the Income Related top up with SDP when you claim UC you will be entitled to SDP Transitional Element.

One that is in payment then you can claim UC. Your Income Related ESA would stop after 2 weeks. Contributions based ESA will continue but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. 

And ask the council to reinstate HB.

That wouldn't be possible unless they OP is either living in supported or temporary housing. When their capital when  above £16,000 HB would have completely ended, it would not have been suspended. This means they would need to start a new claim and this isn't possible unless in the situation I advised. 

For this reason they would need to claim UC for help with the rent, as has been advised. 

xxxxxxxx said:

poppy12345 said:

My advice here would be to ring ESA first to claim the Income Related top up before claiming UC. If you still live alone or treated as living alone then you will be entitled to the SDP again. There will be a deduction of £1/week for every £250 or part thereof over £6,000. 

By claiming the Income Related top up with SDP when you claim UC you will be entitled to SDP Transitional Element.

One that is in payment then you can claim UC. Your Income Related ESA would stop after 2 weeks. Contributions based ESA will continue but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. 

But I don't know if SDP transitional protection applies if it is not a migrated claim ?

Yes, it would apply, as I already advised. https://askcpag.org.uk/content/206411/the-new-transitional-sdp-element#:~:text=What%20is%20it%3F,in%20the%20UC%20award%20calculation.

Wobblecrumpet

Help.  Just contacted ESA . They said I have to be below 6k to get Income Based top up. 

Advice please 

Thanks 

poppy12345

Wobblecrumpet said:

Help.  Just contacted ESA . They said I have to be below 6k to get Income Based top up. 

Advice please 

Thanks 

That's not correct. For every £250 or part thereof over £6,000 there's a £1/week deduction. 

Newcad

As said that is not correct, remember that it's been a few years now since anyone could make a brand new claim for IR ESA so the current staff aren't that knowledgable about it, or have forgotten what they knew.

Ask them, you'll probably need to insist, to send you a form ESA3 to re-claim the IR ESA top-up, which should then also include the SDP provided that you still qualify for the SDP.
They will no doubt then try to tell you that you have to claim UC instead, but in your particular circumstances that is not correct.
Although you will have to claim UC eventually if you want to get any help towards your rent.

(When you do insist on having an ESA3 they may do one over the phone there and then rather than sending one out, so have your details to hand just in case).

Wobblecrumpet

Still awaiting my Esa 3 to be reviewed.  Is there a long wait at moment?

Do i have to submit ESA 3 every time my savings reduce ?

Thank you 

TimeLord1

Did you have a telephone contact number?
This section deals with ESA 3 isn't very 
big so I guess it depends on how busy they're or what they have to check. Did you get proof of Postage to them ?

They take about a month from what I remember on another forum. I will see if the department telephone number is still active.