ESA to UC migration info

KxMx

Robbie64 said:

You'll find out if you get a Christmas Bonus in the next month as, if you get conts based ESA, the £10 will be paid with your fortnightly ESA that includes a payment for the first week in December. You'll also find out when you make your UC application as any conts ESA will continue to be paid fortnightly and will be taken into account as income for UC.

The one thing I'm not sure about is whether you need to know whether you are on contributions based ESA when you apply for UC. Hopefully another forum member can clarify this.

You don't need to know. If on IR or CB & IR everything will be done for the claimant behind the scenes after a UC application is made. 

poppy12345

TimeLord1 said:

Are you also getting local housing  allowance being paid to a landlord or housing association?

Local Housing allowance isn't a benefit. They are rates that are used to calculated entitlement to help with the rent through housing benefit (or UC) if you're privately renting. They do not apply if living in social housing. 

FannyAdamski

TimeLord1 said:

As others have said in your last changes to Social Security benefits letter.

It will state on the first page Your circumstances mean you will qualify for a Christmas Bonus of £10 this means your ESA is contribution related.

But you can also be entitled to Disability Income Guarantee and be contribution related with an income related top up. Depending on savings. 

Just check the last changes letter.

Thanks for your reply TimeLord. Just looked at the last uprating letter - no reference to the £10.00 Xmas bonus.

FannyAdamski

TimeLord1 said:

Are you also getting local housing  allowance being paid to a landlord or housing association?

No, nothing apart from ESA Support Group.

TimeLord1

Your ESA award is all IR, then all of it will transfer to UC monthly LCWRA) work out the best day for you to claim remember, also you can take a UC loan out until the monthly payment is completed, also work around current payments so you have some backup for any direct debits.

Also mention in the journal you are entitled to LCWRA as you was in the Support group ESA and UC take a while to confirm this and ignore anything asking for sick certificates until the LCWRA is added 

FannyAdamski

@TimeLord1

Yes, it seems that my ESA is income-related and so, like you say, all of it will stop. Thank you very much for your advice. I've made provisions to tide me over until my first UC payment 🤞

Thanks especially for your advice to mention in the journal being in ESA Support Group, and to ignore requests for sick certs until LCWRA is applied. 

I do have a question about the online UC claim process, if you or someone else here could kindly answer it: once you start the online claim, do you have to complete it in one go, there and then, and submit it? Or can you start it and complete some of it, but then save it (without submitting it) and return to it later?

HillStreetBlues

You can come back to a UC claim, but once you start it has to be submitted in 28 days if not you have to start again.

FannyAdamski

@HillStreetBlues,

Thank you very much 👍

TimeLord1

You can save it as above Link below for a guide thread 


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6557426/the-video-below-will-show-you-how-to-apply-for-universal-credit#latest

Robbie64

There's also a page guide at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0zGOzoOkpR3i_64IvjFOvZBOeeORdpf_iF32h2l1B-hXXOQ/viewform

which shows what screens you may be presented with. The document is from a few months ago so any screens added recently will not be included.