How much new style ESA you can get

When you first claim new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), you’ll usually get:

• £95.55 each week if you’re aged 25 or over

• £75.65 each week if you’re aged under 25

About 3 months after your claim, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will usually assess you. You’ll need to fill in a form to tell them how your condition affects your ability to work. You’ll then have a medical assessment called a ‘work capability assessment’.

Depending on how much your condition affects you, the DWP will put you in either the 'work-related activity group' or the 'support group'.

Which group you’re in affects how much ESA you get. You'll either get:

• £95.55 each week - if you're in the work-related activity group

• £145.90 each week - if you're in the support group

It doesn’t matter what age you are, the amounts are the same for everyone in each group.

When you might not need an assessment

The DWP will write to tell you if you need an assessment. If you don’t, you’ll move straight into either the work-related activity group or the support group.

You might not need an assessment if:

• you’re terminally ill

• you have claimed ESA before and your last claim ended less than 12 weeks ago

• your health has got worse and your old ESA claim ended because it reached the 1-year limit but you are now in the 'support group'

If you're terminally ill

If your doctor doesn’t expect you to live more than a year, the DWP should put you in the support group when you first claim. This means you’ll get £145.90 each week straight away.

If the DWP don’t put you in the support group you can challenge the DWP’s decision.

Check how other income will affect your ESA

Your ESA payment might be reduced if you get other types of income.

If you get a pension or health insurance payment

Your new style ESA will be reduced if you get more than £85 a week from:

• an occupational or personal pension

• a permanent health insurance payment

• the Pension Protection Fund or Financial Assistance Scheme

To check how much will be taken off your ESA:

1. Work out how much you get each week - check your statements

2. Take off £85

3. Work out half of what is left – this will be taken off your ESA

Example

Charlie gets £975 each month from a pension.

To check how much he gets each week, he needs to work out what he gets in a year and divide by 52.

£975 times 12 is £11,700.

£11,700 divided by 52 is £225.

Charlie’s pension is £225 each week. Now Charlie needs to work out how much will be taken off his ESA.

£225 minus £85 is £140.

Half of £140 is £70.

Charlie’s ESA will be reduced by £70 each week.

If you get a councillor's allowance

Check how much your net councillor’s allowance is. Your 'net allowance' is what you have left after you pay for things like travel or childcare to do your councillor job. The DWP will only take money off your ESA if your net allowance is higher than 16 times the National Minimum Wage. The current National Minimum Wage is £12.71 per hour.

The DWP will work out how much to take off your ESA. They will:

1. Multiply the National Minimum Wage by 16 

2. Round it up to the nearest 50p or £1

3. Take away the rounded number from your net allowance

4. Reduce your ESA by the amount that’s left

Example

Lucy gets £210 each week after travel from their councillor’s allowance.

To check how much their ESA payment will be reduced by, they should times £12.71 by 16 which equals £203.36. This should be rounded up to £203.50.

Lucy should then take £203.50 from their councillor’s allowance of £210. 

This leaves £6.50. This is the amount Lucy’s ESA will be reduced by each week.

If you get other benefits

You won’t get ESA at the same time as:

• Carer’s Allowance

• Maternity Allowance

• Widow’s Pension or Widowed Parent’s Allowance

• Carer Support Payment

It’s usually worth claiming ESA even if you get 1 of these benefits. You’ll get whichever amount is higher.

If your ESA payments are wrong

Call the DWP and tell them why you think the amount is wrong.

If the DWP don’t change their decision, you can challenge the amount of your ESA.

If you’re not sure you’re getting the right amount of ESA, contact your nearest Citizens Advice to check.