To claim ESA you need to be at least 16 of age, below pension age (currently 60 for women, 65 for men), live in Great Britain and not be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). You must not be entitled to Income Support (IS) or Job Seekers Allowance (JSA).

When you make a claim for ESA, you will enter a 13-week assessment phase. During this phase you will have to take part in a Work Capability Assessment to assess your eligibility for ESA and your capability for work. While you are waiting to be assessed, you will be given up to £64.30 per week if you are single and up to £100.95 per week if you are part of a couple.

Once you have been assessed, you will be placed in one of two categories: a Support Group or a Work-Related Activity Group, depending on the outcome of your Work Capability Assessment.

How to claim: call Jobcentre Plus on 0800 055 6688 (textphone 0800 023 4888) or visit your local Jobcentre Plus office.

Incapacity Benefit

You cannot make a new claim for Incapacity Benefit (IB). You will need to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) instead. If you were getting Incapacity Benefit before ESA wasintroduced on 27 October 2008, you will continue to get it until you are moved on to ESA; this will be between 2009 and 2013. Your local benefits will be in contact with you about this.

There are three different rates of IB:

• For the first 28 weeks of being unable to work you can claim short-term IB (lower rate – £67.75 per week), or you may get Statutory Sick Pay from your employer.
• After 28 weeks you claim short-term IB (higher rate – £80.15 per week).
• After 52 weeks you claim long-term IB (£89.80 per week).

You can’t claim IB after reaching pension age. However, if you are already receiving short-term IB when you reach pension age you can keep getting it at a special rate for up to a year if:

• your incapacity started before you reached pension age; and 
• you choose not to claim your State Retirement Pension or Married Woman’s Pension.

You cannot get long-term IB after pension age. You cannot get any IB in addition to your State Retirement Pension.

The rules for IB are too complicated to cover in detail here. If you are unable to work because of illness you should seek advice from SeniorLine on 0808 800 6565 (0808 808 7575 in Northern Ireland) or a local Citizens Advice Bureau.