Lost in jungle of ESA / CA / Income Support

My wife and I are in our 50's. We are both in receipt of DLA, I am a chronic epileptic receiving middle rate care and lower rate mobility, my wife has two lumber pad bulges, osteporosis in the left hip and has had her left knee cap removed in a patelectomy, she receives middle rate care and higher mobility of DLA. My wife is the claimant because for obvious reasons I am not always able to deal with things. My wife used to be on Invalidity Benefit topped up by Income Support and was changed over to ESA in January 2014 and was put in the WRAG level.

In January this year our benefit dropped and we were advised it would be better for us to claim Carers Allowance for each other, this we did and informed ESA of the fact. Our ESA did drop but we were indeed better off. We have just been informed that now ESA have 'over paid' and our benefit has been slashed as well as money being taken each week to repay the over payment.

It seems that if we do not claim 'Carers Allowance' for each other then our ESA will have the 'severe disability premium' added on at the couple rate, however as Carers we not only do not have the severe disability premium added on we instead have 2 carers allowances awarded but have the two Carers Allowances then taken off from my wife's ESA.

The situation is that presently with both of us classed as Carers we receive 2 x £62.10 = £124.20 per week but this is taken off the ESA. We do get two carers premiums added, 2 x £34.60 = £69.20, but we lose £123.70 in severe disability premium, making a net loss of £54.50.

So having looked all around it would seem the best thing to do would be for my wife and I to stop claiming as Carers, this would then seem to reinstate the severe disability premium into payment, is this correct?

Another way would be for my wife to make a claim for income Support as a carer and come off ESA. Has anyone any information on this please. (There used to be a 'Benefits Helpline' but that has disappeared we have found out. )

Any advice or input would be really appreciated as we obviously took the Job Centre's and Carers Allowance Units advice back in January and it seems to have been proved totally wrong - you are not better off being a Carer/s.

Many thanks in advance.

Rclan wrote: My wife and I are in our 50's. We are both in receipt of DLA, I am a chronic epileptic receiving middle rate care and lower rate mobility, my wife has two lumber pad bulges, osteporosis in the left hip and has had her left knee cap removed in a patelectomy, she receives middle rate care and higher mobility of DLA. My wife is the claimant because for obvious reasons I am not always able to deal with things. My wife used to be on Invalidity Benefit topped up by Income Support and was changed over to ESA in January 2014 and was put in the WRAG level.

In January this year our benefit dropped and we were advised it would be better for us to claim Carers Allowance for each other, this we did and informed ESA of the fact. Our ESA did drop but we were indeed better off. We have just been informed that now ESA have 'over paid' and our benefit has been slashed as well as money being taken each week to repay the over payment.

It seems that if we do not claim 'Carers Allowance' for each other then our ESA will have the 'severe disability premium' added on at the couple rate, however as Carers we not only do not have the severe disability premium added on we instead have 2 carers allowances awarded but have the two Carers Allowances then taken off from my wife's ESA.

The situation is that presently with both of us classed as Carers we receive 2 x £62.10 = £124.20 per week but this is taken off the ESA. We do get two carers premiums added, 2 x £34.60 = £69.20, but we lose £123.70 in severe disability premium, making a net loss of £54.50.

So having looked all around it would seem the best thing to do would be for my wife and I to stop claiming as Carers, this would then seem to reinstate the severe disability premium into payment, is this correct?

Another way would be for my wife to make a claim for income Support as a carer and come off ESA. Has anyone any information on this please. (There used to be a 'Benefits Helpline' but that has disappeared we have found out. )

Any advice or input would be really appreciated as we obviously took the Job Centre's and Carers Allowance Units advice back in January and it seems to have been proved totally wrong - you are not better off being a Carer/s.

Many thanks in advance.

Hi Rc,

On initial reading of your post, something seems to be amiss here !!

bro58

Hi Rc,

I am discussing this with another Mod, however if your wife is receiving Income Related (IR) ESA for both of you as a couple I would expect her to receive the IR ESA payments topped up with 2 x Carer Premiums and 1 x SDP at couple rate.

If you are both in receipt of MR or HR Care of DLA, you cannot be paid CA as it is classed as and overlapping benefit with ESA.

However, you will both have an underlying entitlement to CA which should result in 2 x Carers Premium and 1 x Couple Rate SDP which would be payable as no one is receiving full CA.

bro58

Hi Rc,

e.g. One would expect your wife to receive :

Maximum IR ESA entitlement as a couple =

ESA Personal Allowance couple - both 18 or over = £114.85

WRA Component Addition for wife being in The WRAG = £29.05

2 x Carer Premium (CP) for underlying entitlement to Carers Allowance. (CA) = 2 x £34.60 = £69.20

1 x Severe Disability Premium - (SDP) = £123.70

Total IR ESA entitlement as a couple = £336.80/Week (£673.60/Fortnight)

Your DLA payments would be paid separately on top of your IR ESA

From :

Benefit Rates 2015/16

bro58

Hi Rc,

We can't help unless you provide more details !

" My wife used to be on Invalidity Benefit topped up by Income Support"

Was this Invalidity Benefit or Incapacity Benefit ?

"In January this year our benefit dropped and we were advised it would be better for us to claim Carers Allowance for each other,"

Why did your "benefit drop" ?


Was it due to your wife exhausting her 365 days entitlement to payment of Contribution Based (CB) ESA in The WRAG ?

If so, this seems somewhat contradictory to what you have written in that you stated that she was receiving Income Support prior to ESA transfer.

Being in receipt of IS prior to ESA transfer should result in entitlement to IR ESA after transfer, and if any part of your ESA is IR ESA there is no 365 day rule if in The WRAG.

bro58