Can you claim IS and ESA at the same time?

Hi

Could someone please advise. Can you claim income support if you are claiming ESA? I feel that i have read somewhere that you cant claim both but cant find it on this site. I do read a lot as you cant normally be armed with too much information, but i guess in my case you can lol, otherwise i would know where i found that snippet of information. I may even have dreamt it!!!!!

Mm

No, you can't.

In the past, if you'd paid contributions, you got IB and if not, you got IS; and if you were on IB and entitled to premiums, they came in the form IS on top of your IB.

Now, if you have paid your contributions, you get contributions-based ESA, and if you haven't, you get income-based ESA, and any premiums are paid as part of ESA.

Hiya Survivor
ESA is so complicated and i am certainly no expert but i believe you can only get a disability premium when awarded Income Based ESA.
I was told this when i challenged the fact i had not been awarded Contribution based ESA when i had been working for years. I was told they awarded me the Income Based ESA to enable me to receive the Severe Disability Premium. I have no complaints as that is the one you need to be in receipt of for free prescriptions etc!

Ranald wrote:

Hiya Survivor
ESA is so complicated and i am certainly no expert but i believe you can only get a disability premium when awarded Income Based ESA.
I was told this when i challenged the fact i had not been awarded Contribution based ESA when i had been working for years. I was told they awarded me the Income Based ESA to enable me to receive the Severe Disability Premium. I have no complaints as that is the one you need to be in receipt of for free prescriptions etc!

If you are on contributions-based ESA, you can get it topped up with income-based ESA.

So if you are on income support + all premiums for disability how much of a cut will you take when put in work related activites ESA?

I don't know enough to give advice but i will tell you what i get.

ESA Work Related - £89.80

Severe Disability premium (single)- £52.85

I don't have the very latest figures, they must have gone up slightly as according to my bank statement for this month i get

£290.10 per fortnight.

Best wishes, Ranald.