help please

It will count as a fresh claim, but it should be no more arduous than if your local authority was reviewing your existing claim. If you are on a means-tested benefit, you get the full LHA (subject to how much your rent is), but if you're not they'll have to recalculate it all. When they work out how much HB and CTB to give you, they decide how much money you need to live on, how much rent you have, and take it from there. The amount they say you need to live on if you're on IB is different from the amount they say you need to live on if you're on ESA. But explaining how much they allow you and how they calculate it all is beyond what we do on here. I've done these calculations for people when advising elsewhere and it took a while to go through it.

what so ur saying i have to fill in an esa form to claim it and also reclaim my council tax benfit and my LHA, if thats right im gonna be annoyed

Mike, when you get transferred from IB to ESA (or JSA if you claim that instead), you'll get a decision letter and then you'll be able to get in touch with your local authority housing department to sort out your HB and CTB. They have to deal with this sort of thing all the time as people start and stop benefits and other sources of income. They'll have a standard form you can fill in and it will list what information they want. It should all be straightforward and there shouldn't be any gap in your HB and CTB payments. I'd say when you're told you'll be assessed for ESA, focus on that, and sort out the other benefits once you've got your decision letter.

im on incapacity i dnt claim jobseekers does that mean i wont get put on jsa just esa

Depends if you are found capable of work or not when you are migrated.

Best!
pikelet

Hi Mike.

Do you have a support worker who you can talk to about your concerns as it sounds like you are getting very stressed out?

Otherwise it may be worth you contacting one of the organisations that support people with autism to help you through the process.

Take care