Hi NeRd666
Welcome to the forum.
You might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is;
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/faq/forum.
Short answer to your question, disability premiums are only paid with IR ESA, some claimants can get both IR ESA and CB ESA but it depends on their circumstances.
You cannot just move to CB ESA, to be eligible to claim CB ESA you have to meet certain qualifying conditions.
New Style ESA is a Contribution Based benefit and is not means tested with the exception of pension income which can reduce the amount that you receive.
There are two Contribution Conditions that you need to meet for a new claim for New Style ESA.
Both are based on the two Tax Years preceding the current Benefit year, for 2023 they are 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The Second Condition requires a minimum of 50 weeks of either NI Contributions.
The First however requires a minimum of 26 weeks of NI Contributions in either of the two years, your current claim does not provide these, Contributions can only be acquired through paid employment, there are some exceptions but you don't mention any of these in your post.
Gary
