Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Benefits and money
  3. Benefits and financial support
  4. Ill or injured

Permitted work

You may be able to work while claiming Employment and Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit but within certain limits. This is called 'permitted work' and allows you to test your ability to do some work and perhaps gain new skills.

Permitted work rules

Under the permitted work rules you can:

  • work for less than 16 hours a week, earning up to £152.00 a week
  • do 'supported permitted work', earning up to £152.00 week

Permitted work is a benefit arrangement - employers do not offer 'permitted work'.

Applying for permitted work

Before you start any work, either paid or unpaid, you must fill in a PW1 form and send it to the ESA Centre. You can download a form below or call the ESA centre to request one. You should discuss this with your work coach in your local Jobs and Benefits office before you start as if you do any kind of work that doesn’t meet the conditions, you could lose your benefit.

  • Permitted work form PW1
  • ESA Centre

Your doctor’s approval or a medical test aren’t needed, however, if a medical test is due as part of your ongoing benefits-related review, it will go ahead as planned.

If you have already started work

If you have already started work, you must fill out a PW1 form and send it to the ESA Centre as soon as possible, or you could be paid more than you should be. The Department for Communities can take back any money it shouldn’t have paid you and you may have to pay a financial penalty on top of this amount.

Supported permitted work

Supported permitted work is work supervised by an employee of a public or local authority, or a voluntary organisation whose job it is to arrange work for people with disabilities. It includes work done in the community, in a sheltered workshop, under medical supervision or as part of a hospital treatment programme.

Income Tax and permitted work

If you start permitted work you may have to pay tax on your extra income. You must tell HM Revenue & Customs as soon as you start work.

  • Income Tax - GOV.UK website

Effect on other benefits

Permitted work earnings will be taken into account when assessing the following benefits:

  • Housing Benefit
  • Rates Relief

More useful links

  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Contacting 08 and 03 numbers
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Ill or injured

  • Attending a face-to-face health assessment safely during COVID-19
  • Benefits if you are nearing the end of life
  • Changes to benefits if you're ill or have a disability
  • Claim New Style Employment and Support Allowance
  • Claim New Style Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Compensation recovery
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Help with health costs
  • Hospital Travel Costs Scheme
  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  • Infected Blood Payment Scheme
  • Permitted work
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Reduced Earnings Allowance
  • Review of your incapacity benefits if you live abroad
  • Statutory Sick Pay
  • Universal Credit if you have a health condition or disability

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS