Special Payment if you claimed Income Support instead of ESA

You may be able to apply for a special payment if you claimed Income Support because of a disability or health condition instead of income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

If you made a claim for Income Support on or after 31 January 2011 because of a disability or health condition, you may be entitled to a special payment. This is because you should have been told to claim income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) instead and you may have got more money.

If you are still on Income Support, you will be assessed to find out if you should move to income-related ESA.

Eligibility if you are still getting Income Support

You may be entitled to a special payment if

you made a claim for Income Support on or after 31 January 2011 because of a disability or health condition

and

you were not getting Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance when you made that Income Support claim

You will also need to have a Work Capability Assessment to find out how your disability or health condition affects how much you can work.

You will only be eligible for a special payment if you are assessed as having 'limited capability for work' or 'limited capability for work and work related activity'.

Eligibility if you claim income-related ESA or Universal Credit

You may be entitled to a special payment if all of the following apply:

you made a claim for Income Support on or after 31 January 2011 because of a disability or health condition
you were not getting Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance when you made that Income Support claim
you had a Work Capability Assessment when you moved from Income Support to income-related ESA or Universal Credit and you were found to have 'limited capability for work' or 'limited capability for work and work related activity'

How to apply

If you meet the eligibility criteria, contact the Benefits freephone on 0800 022 4250, choose option 2 for Income Support and ask about the ‘Income Support Claims Review exercise’.

Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 4.00 pm

After you apply

You will be told if you need to provide any information to support your application.

What you were paid on Income Support will be compared with what you should have been paid on income-related Employment Support (ESA). If you would have been paid more on income-related ESA, you will be paid the money you should have had.

If you got more on Income Support than you would have got on income related ESA, you will not have to pay the extra money back.

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