• I am in the ESA Support Group. Will I be required to attend an in-person meeting or assessment after applying for UC?
• Although I am in the Support Group, I am registered with the HMRC as self-employed as I have a done a little bit of freelance work while claiming ESA, under the Permitted Work allowance. In 2024 this amounted to maybe 15 hours work total, and my earnings were from it were under £1000. I haven’t done any of this in 2025. Do I need to put down that I am self-employed on the UC form?
• I was paid around £20 000 in back-payments when I was finally awarded ESA, of which I have £11 000 left, which I put into an ISA. Do I need to declare this as an ISA or can I just put it in the ‘Backpayments’ section?
To answer your questions- If a Work Coach asks you to commute to the Jobcentre as you are in the Support Group you can decline the invitation without risking a sanction and ask for a reasonable adjustment according to your health needs. It depends on the exact text of the question. If you are going to report any self employed income to HMRC in the future then you will also need to declare it to UC. Yes it will go in the Backpayments section. The length of the disregard depends on the reason for the backpayment eg official error.
David
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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