Contribution based ESA

Hello guys, does anyone know how many years NI contrbutions are required to receive Contribution based ESA?

I have been on Income based ESA since last December and i have always wondered if i was not in fact intitled to be on ESA(cont).

I had only been a tax payer 18 and a half years since i left school so perhaps this is not enough?

Is it all contributions based, or part contributions based and part income based premiums?

HI ronald, You should be able to find your answer in the ESA guides on this site. I am not qualified and the site is low on moderators at present due to ill health/disability etc, Best Wishes

The following info is on p20 of the 'MNP Training ESA guide' which is available via the 'Help for claimants ' link to the left:

There are two parts to the contributions conditions for Contributory ESA.

The ‘first condition’ is that the claimant must have paid Class 1 or Class 2 contributions in
respect of one of the last 3 complete tax years before the beginning of the ‘relevant benefit
year’. Also, the earnings factor on those contributions must not be less than 25 times the lower earnings limit for that year e.g. 2009/2010 = £2,375 (25 multiplied by £95.00 =
£2,372) and 2010/2011 = £2,425 (25 multiplied by £97.00 = £2,425).

The ‘second condition’ is that the claimant has in respect of the last two complete ‘tax
years’ before the beginning of the ‘relevant benefit year’ either paid or been credited with
Class 1 or Class 2 contributions (or been credited with earnings) at least equal to 50 times the lower earnings limited for that year.

The ‘first condition’ may be relaxed, so that sufficient contributions paid in any one year
will be enough, where for example, the claimant was:
a) entitled to Carer’s Allowance (including underlying entitlement award due to
overlapping benefit rules) in the last complete ‘tax year’ immediately preceding the ‘relevant benefit year’; or
b) engaged in ‘qualifying remunerative work’ for a period of more than 2 years before
the first day of their ‘limited capability for work’ and getting Working Tax Credit and
their award included either the ‘disability element’ or ‘severe disability element’.
Sch 1 part 1 Welfare Reform Act 2007
reg 8 Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008.

*‘tax year’ means: 12 month period beginning on 6th April
*‘relevant benefit year’ means: 12 month period beginning on first Sunday in January in
which the period of ‘limited capability for work’ began

You need to have paid;

Class 1 contributions in one of the three last complete tax years on earnings of 25 times the lower earnings limit for that particular year; or

25 Class 2 contributions in any of the three last complete tax years; or

A mixture of Class 1 and Class 2 totaling 25 in any of the three last complete tax years.

Hope that helps you.

BTD

Thanks for the replies guys, am i right in assuming then that i would need to accrue 25 years worth of NI contributions to receive ESA (cont)?

I will telephone JSP for clarification.

Ranald.