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Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a benefit for people who have a limited capacity for work due to ill-health or disability.
Normally you can only be paid contributory ESA if you have sufficient National Insurance Contributions (you may also be entitled to income-related ESA whatever your National Insurance Contributions). However special rules allow young people aged under 20 (or aged 20-25 in certain circumstances) to claim even though they have never worked or paid National Insurance – this is called ‘Employment and Support Allowance in youth’. For further information see
Employment and Support Allowance in youth.
If you are over 20 years of age (or aged 20-25 in certain circumstances) you must
have made the following level of National Insurance Contributions:
- in one of the previous three tax years, have paid some Class 1 or 2 contributions to the value of 25 times the lower earnings limit; and
- in each of the two previous complete tax years, have paid or been credited with, contributions to the value of 50 times the lower earnings limit.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will treat any credits that are earned as a carer as actual National Insurance payments.
To find out whether you have paid enough National Insurance Contributions to claim contributory Employment and Support Allowance you should phone the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 055 6688 (or 0800 023 4888 if you have a speech or hearing impairment).
As well as having paid enough National Insurance Contributions you must also satisfy the other conditions for Employment and Support Allowance. To make an initial claim all you must do is provide a medical certificate. However, after a 13 week ‘assessment phase’ ESA is only payable if you meet the ‘Work Capability Assessment’ rules.
Contributory ESA is paid without the income and saving test applied to means-tested benefits. However, deductions are made for pension payments you receive and payments of permanent health insurance. In this case ESA is reduced by half the amount of any payment in excess of £85.
Even if you claim contributory ESA you may also be entitled to income-related ESA to ‘top-up’ the amount you get. To find out your entitlement to income-related ESA please continue through the calculator.
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