ESA increase

Hi I just received an odd letter from the DWP informing me of an increase in the rate of ESA. I am in receipt of income based ESA, not contributory. Anyhow this letter went on to inform me that from 31st March 2020 my ESA was £194.30. I checked on Gov.uk's own website and the rates for the whole of 2019 - 2020 (Apr - Apr) added up to £194.30. However, for the entirety of this period I have only been in receipt of £191.45 per week. That's a shortfall of £2.85 per week. Also oddly I have just received a single payment into my Bank Account of £2.85. Which means that the last week's payment I received ie from 31st Mar to 6th April was in fact now £194.30. Have they been fleecing me for an entire year? Should I have been receiving the full £194.30 for the year?

The letter then goes onto say that from 7th April my allowance will be £197.60 per week.

It seriously looks to me as if they went to sort out my letter for this year's allowance and realised that I hadn't been getting last year's allowance so suddenly they correct that with one whole week's money.

Any thoughts? Anyone else had a letter giving them one whole week at the rate for the 2019-20 rates and not the whole year?

Hi Gary, I checked on the Gov website and with all the premiums I am entitled to they added up to the £194.30. It just seems odd that I only get one week's worth at that rate and nothing for the previous 51 weeks. I worked it out, it comes to £145.35. I am not about to stick my head above the parapet in the midst of all this chaos for that sum, in case it triggers the review that was due last month. I couldn't cope with filling it out as my Daughter does all that for me and I am shielding currently so couldn't have her help. However, if they do dump paperwork on me then I shall query it then.

I was really asking if anyone else had experienced anything similar. Last year I was already convinced that there should have been an increase, as the PIP rates increased and it seemed odd that only one benefit was increased.

Hi TW

Just to refresh your memory but I recalled myself that you've raised this issue - or something similar before - and I responded to it at the time. I also recall that you were then reluctant to contact the DWP over what appeared to be an error on their part in not 'uprating' your ESA payment. I advised you at the time to either contact them or ask someone else to contact them on your behalf to get this error corrected. For your previous thread please click www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum/10-dla-e...9-esa-2019-increases

I do hope that you can resolve this issue but I think it remains the case that you will need to contact the DWP to do so.

Kind regards

Mr B

Thank you Mr. B and Gordon.

Gordon, yes I am using my Bank account to check.

The reason I couldn't be sure last year was that I couldn't find a previous letter with the breakdown on the payments so that I could check if the premiums I was entitled to were increased at all. Since the letter arrived with the breakdown of the £194.30 rate it's obvious to me now that I was entitled to £2.85 per week extra.

If they send me renewal forms in the next few weeks, I shall definitely raise it then. Right now I think I am on a hiding to nothing to get through to them on the phone anyway, and life is too short to sit stressing over ruddy Greensleaves whilst you wait in a never ending queue.

The plus side of all this. I just checked this fortnight's payment and I now have a lovely £6.15 per week rise, which of course is quite noticeable over the month.

It really shows the grip of these people on your psyche that you would rather let them have money you are rightfully owed than risk drawing attention to yourself. When I saw the brown envelope of doom dangling out my letterbox my heart sank and I thought I might be sick. It was such a relief to see it was good news for a change!