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How quick do you get ESA payment after claiming?

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7 years 3 weeks ago #182344 by HarryC
Which ESA is best to receive, contributions based or income? Can you explain the advantages/minuses? You would presume contributions based was better but they do not automatically get free prescriptions etc

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7 years 3 weeks ago #182382 by Gordon

HarryC wrote: Which ESA is best to receive, contributions based or income? Can you explain the advantages/minuses? You would presume contributions based was better but they do not automatically get free prescriptions etc


It's not a choice, if a claimant meets the requirement for ESA(CB) then they will be paid it, If their finances mean that they will also qualify for ESA(IR) then it will be paid as a top-up to their ESA(CB).

ESA(CB) is claimed by the individual and takes no account of household income with the exception of pension payments to the claimant, or their savings.

ESA(IR) will only be paid to low income claimants of families with little savings.

ESA(IR) enables access to other benefits such as free prescriptions and Housing Benefit.

They may still qualify for free prescriptions or at least a reduced cost. See

www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

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7 years 2 weeks ago #183101 by HarryC
How can your work out if you have enough valid NI contributions to qualify for contributory based ESA?

Is there a government department such as the DWP we can call/contact to find out properly?
Can we work it out at home, although would be best to get a proper answer from their official records.

When they talk about paid NI contributions in a tax year, does one payment count or does it have to be a full years worth to qualify for ESA(Cb)?

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7 years 2 weeks ago #183138 by Gordon

HarryC wrote: How can your work out if you have enough valid NI contributions to qualify for contributory based ESA?

Is there a government department such as the DWP we can call/contact to find out properly?
Can we work it out at home, although would be best to get a proper answer from their official records.

When they talk about paid NI contributions in a tax year, does one payment count or does it have to be a full years worth to qualify for ESA(Cb)?


If you haven't claimed benefits before then you need 50 weeks of NI Contributions in the two complete Tax Years preceding the year of the claim, so for 2017 that is 2014-14 and 2015-16.

HMRC can tell you if you meet the requirement.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

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7 years 2 weeks ago #183178 by HarryC
And what if you have claimed benefits before? Will the person answering the HMRC phone know if the NI record qualifies for ESA(cb) ? I suspect not but I could be wrong. Or would the DWP tell me over the phone?

Ideally need somebody to answer directly to the personal circumstances, as I keep re-reading the information on web about it, such as the CAB as posted below but is hard to get head round it.

"Contributory Employment and Support Allowance and National Insurance contributions

The first contribution condition for contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is that you must have actually paid enough Class 1 or 2 National Insurance contributions in at least one of the last two complete tax years before the year in which you claim. However, you may be able to satisfy this condition with contributions paid in any tax year in some circumstances - for example, because you were getting Carer’s Allowance or Incapacity Benefit, or if you were getting Working Tax Credit with a disability element before you became incapable of work.

The second condition is that you must either have paid or been credited with enough contributions for the last two complete tax years before the year you claim. However, credited contributions will not always count towards this condition.

The contribution conditions for ESA, and when they can be relaxed because of your circumstances, are complicated, so you may want to get advice. If you do not meet the contribution conditions for contributory ESA, you may still qualify for income-related ESA if your income and capital are low enough."

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7 years 2 weeks ago #183212 by Gordon
Harry

You either need to ask a more specific question or provide more information about your circumstances.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: HarryC

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