ESA (Support Group) UC Migration

t279

Hi,
I have received a letter from the DWP a couple of weeks ago, saying I have to migrate to UC by 25th March. If ii don’t make a claim, all my ESAh & ousing & council tex benefits benefit  ill stop. 

Since then the ESA dept have sent me a letter about my allowance for the next financial year. From 12th April my weekly ESA will be £240.55 per week because I am classed as severely disabled, This also includes the Disability Income Guarantee & money as I’m in the support group. 

I also am in receipt of PIP (Enhanced Care).

My question is should I wait until near the date to contact UC & when I do, what happens to my money. Will it go down? I have memory issues & am concerned about having housing benefit paid to me directly as I don’t want to forget to oay my housing association. Is there the ability for the UC dept to pay my HB direct to my landlord? Also can legacy benefit claimants still take advantage of the Help To Save scheme?

Apologies for long post. Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thank You 

poppy12345

You will need to start a claim yourself online or you can ring the helpline to claim. If you ring the helpline you will not have access to a journal. 

Once a claiming is submitted your Income Related ESA and housing benefit will stop 2 weeks later. Unless you're living in either supported or temporary housing and then housing benefit will continue. 

Your UC will include the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. As your ESA includes the SDP your UC will also include Transitional Protection, this will make sure that you're not worse off when you claim. However, the Transitional Protection erodes over time so if other elements increase or you become entitled to other elements it will decrease, until eventually it will erode completely. 

You can ask UC to pay your landlord directly and they will do that. 

Council Tax reduction isn't part of UC so that will continue but it will be recalculated based on your UC award. 

Citizens Advice have a help to claim phone number you can ring and they will help you. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/contact-us-about-universal-credit/

HillStreetBlues

As you need to claim by 25th Mar your Transitional Protection will start eroding in April, so the uplift letter for ESA is  irreverent.

t279

Thanks for your kind responses. 

HillStreetBlues, are you saying that the increase in benefits (ESA) will not be honoured by the DWP for UC claimants? Also is the help to save available to me? And is it worth it? 

Thanks Again

HillStreetBlues

t279 said:

Thanks for your kind responses. 

HillStreetBlues, are you saying that the increase in benefits (ESA) will not be honoured by the DWP for UC claimants? Also is the help to save available to me? And is it worth it? 

Thanks Again

Transitional Protection erodes with an increase in entitlement / when then is a uplift in rates.
TP tops up the difference in the ESA- UC rates . A person might end up with £1200 UC  made up of £1000 of  elements and £200 TP. when there is an uplift the TP reduces finally it ends up zero.  With this example if the was a £50 uprate in the elements  UC would stay at £1200 but the TP would reduce to £150.
If benefits rates uprates keep at the 2025 levels, many people will with TP will stay of the same UC amount for many years (baring any change of circumstances)

As you're working then you can use Help to save.