Contribution based ESA - Income Limits?

[pickled tink]

Hi,

Hoping someone can help, as I have drawn a blank trying to find the info I need...

I was signed off work sick in 2009, and started receiving ESA, contribution based, in February 2010. My employment was terminated last month due to continuing disability & ill health, and my employers have just paid me 4 weeks salary in lieu of notice and also for accumulated annual leave.

I am sending the jobcentre plus a copy of my P45, detailing the payments I received from my former employer, but when I called them they were unwilling / unable to give me any advice on how this will affect my EAS (C).

Can anyone please shed any light on this - all I can find online is info on how receiving pension income affects ESA (c)?

Many thanks.

[Lighttouch]

There is income related ESA or contribution based ESA.

If you have savings over £16,000 the chances are you can't claim income based ESA as it's means tested.

There are three organisations who will talk to each other. Your former employer's pension section, JCP and the Inland Revenue to see if you will pay income tax.

If you are receiving more than £85 per week through an occupational pension then JCP will reduce your ESA allowance
through their own special sums. If you are unlucky you may not be eligible for any financial help but they will top up your NI stamp contributions if you haven't clocked up 30 years work.

I wasn't eligible for anything so they ripped my file up.

Good luck.

[pickled tink]

Thanks for your reply. I'm on contribution based ESA, not income related, and I'm not retired / receiving an occupational pension yet. Sadly I also don't have anywhere near £16,000 in savings - nice thought though!

So I'm still in the dark about what formula the JCP will use to reduce my ESA to take account of my holiday pay and pay in lieu of notice. I rang my local welfare fights team today (they represented me at my ESA appeal, which I won, and were brilliant) and even they don't know the answer, but will get back to me once they do. I'll post the outcome as I'm sure I'm not the only one on an ESA who has come into some money e.g. winning the lottery, an inheritance etc etc