DWP - Infuriating

Altior

Background is I started a new style ESA claim 31st July 2025.

I followed every single request, to the letter, before every deadline.

At every juncture, the DWP have been the complete opposite, including missing phone call appointments. 

I have been very patient up to now. However, I am autistic, this incompetence is beyond the pale and really testing me.

I've only received one payment, which was 9th Oct 2025, for 8 weeks' & 2 days', including arrears.

I posted in my new fit note before the original had one ran out. That's because I like to be prepared and the information I'd read stated that you always need a live fit note to maintain the claim, but my GP stated that he could not forward date a fit note when I saw him, so the second one actually overlapped with the first. Note that the original fit note went until the end of September, so I had sent in the new fit note before I had received any payments ! I sent it to the FREEPOST address noted on the original new style ESA claim.

Last week I received a letter dated 6th October, asking me to send in another medical certificate by 4th October!! Oh My God. So I sent in another copy of the new fit note, on the day I received the letter (after those dates!). 

A fortnight has now passed since my first (and last) payment. I got another letter on Wednesday this week, dated 7th October, stating my fit note ran out on 3rd October. However, if I'd sent it in the meantime, I could ignore the letter. 

What is going on here? I don't want to call the number on the letter as I doubt I would be able to control my temper very well. This is absolutely ridiculous. How can the DWP send out a letter with a deadline that predates the letter 

This is a bit of a vent, but what are the sanctions that DWP will face for missing their own deadlines, and not maintaining my claim? Since I have now submitted TWO copies of the required fit note, how long do you feel I should wait before taking matters further? Will I now need to wait until 6th November to get my second payment (including more arrears). 

Thanks  
 

huckster

If you post fit notes it takes at least 2 weeks before they are added to ESA claim and any ESA payments released.

It is much better if your GP issues a fit note for at least 2 months and provides digital copy of fit note that you can upload online to www.gov.uk/send-fit-note  

It you upload online it is added to ESA in a couple of days and ESA payments released.

If you have a paper fit note you can upload photo of fit note, but it does not work as well.

Suggest phoning ESA on 0800 169 0310 to ask for help

Altior

huckster said:

If you post fit notes it takes at least 2 weeks before they are added to ESA claim and any ESA payments released.

It is much better if your GP issues a fit note for at least 2 months and provides digital copy of fit note that you can upload online to www.gov.uk/send-fit-note  

It you upload online it is added to ESA in a couple of days and ESA payments released.

If you have a paper fit note you can upload photo of fit note, but it does not work as well.

Suggest phoning ESA on 0800 169 0310 to ask for help

Thanks!

I don't see how it is possible to maintain a sequential fit note period if they can't be forward dated, and they take 2 weeks to process. My next (second) fit note runs to 15th Dec. So it sounds like I'll either need to get another overlapping one, or the third one won't be processed until 2026! I absolutely detest anyone telling me I've not followed a process correctly, so I don't want any more letters suggesting I haven't followed a process correctly, when I have.

My GP is private, I've not enquired about a digital fit note, I will ask on my next visit but I suspect they are likely not on the table there. The hard copy fit note is A5 size originally, no matter how I try to upload it online, the system rejects it. 

It seems that all the jeopardy is all on my side, even if I am perceived to have done something wrong (when I've not), my payment is stopped. Yet they have done nothing correctly with my application since July, and there is no penalty for that from the DWP's end

born_again

While they can't forward date them, they can backdate or giver a longer one.

Surprised a private Gp would not do a digital one. Most NHS Gp's work on them in PDF format. That you can upload to UC site.

huckster

Or take fit note to Job Centre and they can forward copy to ESA via internal messaging system and ask that any benefit paymemt arrears are issued ASAP.

TELLIT01

Things may well have changed since I worked on processing ESA claims.  Initial fit notes would only be accepted to 2 week periods but, and it is a big BUT, processing incoming fit notes was the absolute priority and they had to be put on the system on the day they arrive.  If true, it's utterly ridiculous that it can now take up to 2 weeks to input them.

I was regularly tasked with ensuring that happened.  If I didn't think I would be able to put them all on I would inform my team leader and another person would also be assigned.

huckster

The 2 weeks mentioned earlier includes time it takes the post to be received by ESA and for ESA to process the fit note.

Second class post is taking over a week to be received these days.

Altior

The letter from the DWP dated the 6th October is asking for the fit note by the 4th October. If going to the GP literally on the perfect day, the 1st, and posting it out on the same day, it sounds like there's literally no way they could have received and processed it before generating the letter stating if I don't send it in, my payment will be 'stopped or suspended'.  And it was nearly two weeks before I'd even received the letter with the lapsed deadline, that I had already posted it, before the first one had even ended! 

TELLIT01

Once again scraping the memory banks, there was a suggestion that GPs would be able to send fit notes digitally to DWP, was that ever implemented?

_Jem_

TELLIT01 said:

Once again scraping the memory banks, there was a suggestion that GPs would be able to send fit notes digitally to DWP, was that ever implemented?

A couple of years ago I had to send my fit notes, the Doctor explained what I had to do and it was uploaded to my surgery online account, from there I just downloaded it and then uploaded it to the DWP, I think I was also provided a paper copy.

huckster

TELLIT01 said:

Once again scraping the memory banks, there was a suggestion that GPs would be able to send fit notes digitally to DWP, was that ever implemented?

No.
But nothing stopping a helpful GP going on to Gov UK and uploading digital copy of fit note.