Migration ESA to UC

After all my questions last year about natural migration on moving borough from ESA to UC, my son never moved. So now as my son’s Appointee, just over two weeks ago I received the letter from DWP asking me to migrate my son from ESA to UC. I got some very good help from the Citizens Advice Help to Claim line - I would recommend that to anyone. I made the claim two weeks ago (there was a good reason to do it right away) and so far so good, even the JobCentre was helpful when I had to go there to show my passport and son's and the bank card of the account into which UC will be paid. Still waiting for notification though about New Style ESA as son had contribution based and income related ESA.

I was doing some sums today and realise that even though there’s a run on of Housing Benefit and irESA of two weeks, because UC pay a calendar month in arrears, claimants will actually lose nearly three weeks worth of irESA and rent which is a lot of money. If a person had been in a full time job and moved to UC that is understandable, but this should not be the case for claimants who are disabled or who haven’t been in work - how can it be ?

Hi David,

Housing Benefit stopped paying the rent from the date I made my son's UC claim, there will be two weeks run on payments of rent after which nothing until the first UC payment five weeks after I made the claim, and there will be two run on payments of irESA after the claim date then nothing until the first UC payment - so it seems that for three weeks neither the rent nor the irESA is paid. My son will of course get the contribution based ESA which will be new style ESA and PIP. UC is of course in arrears but I'm not sure the three week loss of rent will be recoverable....unless I've got my sums wrong. My son's landlord is a social housing landlord.

I assumed everyone will lose out. I'll cover my son's loss but I was thinking how are some people going to manage ? I know the UC say they lend money to claimants but those claimants will still have to pay the loan back.

Thank you David - I think my brain is getting addled with stress !