Who qualifies for New Style ESA?

You can usually claim New Style ESA if you're under State Pension age, you have an illness or disability that affects how much you can work, and you've worked as an employee or been self-employed AND paid enough Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance, usually in the last 2 to 3 years — National Insurance credits also count. You'll need a fit note from your GP or other healthcare professional. It is not means-tested: savings and a partner's income don't affect it, though regular pension income over £85 a week reduces the payment.

I live in Northern Ireland — do I claim ESA on GOV.UK?

No. In Northern Ireland, Employment and Support Allowance is delivered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP. Claim through nidirect, by phone or textphone to the ESA Centre on 0800 587 1377, or through your local Jobs and Benefits office. The structure is the same — assessment phase, Work Capability Assessment, support group and work-related activity group — but the office is different, so check the current Northern Ireland rates on nidirect rather than assuming the Great Britain figures.

Can I get ESA with SSP or Universal Credit?

SSP: you can't usually get New Style ESA while getting Statutory Sick Pay (£123.25 a week in 2026/27), but you can apply up to 3 months before your SSP ends (it runs out after 28 weeks) so payments start on time — and if you can't get SSP at all, for example because you're self-employed, you can claim New Style ESA straight away. Universal Credit: you can claim both at the same time — New Style ESA is deducted from your UC pound for pound, but it's still usually worth claiming because it isn't means-tested, it's paid fortnightly, and it gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits.

New Style ESA 2026/27 — rates, who qualifies & how to claim

Q: How much is New Style ESA in 2026/27?

From 6 April 2026, during the first 13 weeks (the assessment phase) New Style ESA pays up to £75.65 a week if you're under 25 and up to £95.55 a week if you're 25 or over. After your Work Capability Assessment, if you're placed in the support group you get £145.90 a week (£95.55 plus the £50.35 support component — about £7,586.80 a year). If you're placed in the work-related activity group you get up to £95.55 a week — claims started since 3 April 2017 don't get an extra component. Rates rose 3.8% with CPI inflation in April 2026.

Q: What is the Work Capability Assessment?

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) decides how your condition affects your ability to work. You fill in a questionnaire about your condition and may be asked to attend an assessment (phone, video or face-to-face). While you wait — normally the first 13 weeks, called the assessment phase — you're paid the assessment rate. The WCA places you either in the support group (not expected to work — higher rate, no time limit) or the work-related activity group (expected to prepare for work). If the assessment takes longer than 13 weeks, any extra money you're due is backdated to the start of week 14.

Q: How long can I get New Style ESA?

It depends on your group. If you're in the support group there is no time limit — New Style ESA continues for as long as you meet the conditions. If you're in the work-related activity group, New Style ESA stops after 365 days. If your ESA ends because of the 365-day limit, check Universal Credit instead, and check PIP — PIP is not time-limited and can be paid on top of ESA whether you work or not.

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What New Style ESA actually is

New Style ESA is the UK's contribution-based sickness benefit for working-age people. If you've been paying National Insurance through a job or self-employment and your health now stops you working, this is the safety net those contributions bought.

Three things make it different from most benefits:

It is not means-tested. Your savings, your partner's income and most other money you have are ignored. (One exception: regular pension income over £85 a week reduces the payment — 50p off for every £1 above £85.)
It runs on your NI record, not your circumstances — and while you claim it, you keep building Class 1 NI credits that protect your State Pension.
It's paid fortnightly, and you can get it on its own or alongside Universal Credit.

It is taxable income, and you can't usually get it while you're getting Statutory Sick Pay — more on both below.

The 2026/27 rates

Rates rose 3.8% with CPI inflation from 6 April 2026. What you get depends on where you are in the claim:

Stage of your claim	Weekly (up to)
Assessment phase (first 13 weeks) — under 25	£75.65
Assessment phase (first 13 weeks) — 25 or over	£95.55
Support group — after the Work Capability Assessment	£145.90
Work-related activity group — after the assessment	£95.55

The support group rate is the £95.55 standard allowance plus the £50.35 support component — about £7,586.80 a year. The work-related activity group gets no extra component on claims started since 3 April 2017 (older claims keep a £37.95 component).

Payments usually start after 7 waiting days at the beginning of a claim — though not usually if you're coming straight from Statutory Sick Pay. Claims can be backdated up to 3 months if you qualified during that time, so a late start doesn't have to cost you money.

Who qualifies

You can usually claim New Style ESA if all of these apply:

You're under State Pension age and have an illness or disability that affects how much you can work.
You have a fit note (sick note) from your GP, hospital doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist.
You've worked as an employee or been self-employed AND paid enough Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance, usually in the last 2 to 3 years. NI credits also count — for example from claiming Child Benefit, Carer's Allowance or Jobseeker's Allowance.

Because it's contribution-based, it doesn't matter how much you have in savings, whether you own your home, or what your partner earns. The flip side: if you haven't paid enough NI recently — for example you've been out of work for several years — you may not qualify for New Style ESA, but Universal Credit may help instead.

Self-employed? This one's for you The self-employed can't get Statutory Sick Pay — there's no employer to pay it. If you've been paying Class 2 NI through Self Assessment and illness stops you working, New Style ESA is your sick pay. Claim it from day one rather than burning savings.

The Work Capability Assessment and the 13-week assessment phase

Every ESA claim starts with the assessment phase — normally the first 13 weeks, paid at the assessment rate (£75.65 or £95.55 a week). During it, DWP runs the Work Capability Assessment (WCA):

You're sent a questionnaire about how your condition affects everyday activities — standing, walking, concentrating, coping with change, being around people.
You may then be asked to attend an assessment — by phone, video or face-to-face — with a health professional.
A DWP decision-maker places you in one of two groups.

The two groups

Support group — you're not expected to work or prepare for work. You get £145.90 a week with no time limit.
Work-related activity group — you're expected to prepare for a return to work (training, CV sessions, work-focused interviews). You get up to £95.55 a week, and the claim is limited to 365 days.

If the assessment takes longer than 13 weeks — it often does — you stay on the assessment rate, and any extra money you're owed is backdated to the start of week 14. Keep sending fit notes until the decision arrives.

Describe your worst days — honestly The questionnaire isn't asking about your best day. Explain what you can't do reliably, repeatedly and safely, and what happens when you push through. Disagree with the outcome? Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month, then appeal to a tribunal — the same route as PIP, and a large share of benefit appeals succeed.

The 365-day limit — and what to do about it

If you're in the work-related activity group, New Style ESA stops after 365 days. If you're in the support group, there's no limit at all — it continues for as long as you meet the conditions.

If your year is running out:

Check Universal Credit — it's means-tested, but if your household income is low it can replace or top up what you're losing.
Check PIP — it's not time-limited, not means-tested, and paid on top of ESA, whether you work or not. Many people on ESA qualify for PIP and never claim it.
If your condition has worsened, ask DWP to look again at your group — moving to the support group removes the time limit.

Working a little while you claim

"Permitted work" rules let you work under 16 hours a week and earn up to £203.50 a week (2026/27) without losing ESA — but you must tell DWP before you start. Volunteering is generally fine too.

ESA with sick pay or Universal Credit

When SSP ends — don't leave a gap

If you're employed and off sick, your employer pays Statutory Sick Pay first — £123.25 a week (or 80% of your usual earnings, if lower) for up to 28 weeks. You can't usually get ESA at the same time, but you can apply up to 3 months before your SSP ends so the money starts the moment it stops. Your employer must give you form SSP1 when your SSP is ending — keep it for your claim.

ESA and Universal Credit together

You can claim both. New Style ESA is deducted from your Universal Credit pound for pound — so the cash total is the same — but claiming ESA alongside UC is still usually worth it, because ESA:

is not means-tested — if your UC stops (savings rise, a partner moves in, their income goes up), your ESA carries on;
pays fortnightly rather than monthly;
keeps your Class 1 NI credits running.

Nobody legitimate charges you to claim ESA Claiming is free at GOV.UK or on a free 0800 line, and free help exists at Citizens Advice. Anyone cold-calling, texting a "claim link", or offering to "fast-track your ESA" for a fee is a scammer — DWP doesn't work that way. Suspicious message? Run it through our scam checker.

How to claim

Read this first if you live in Northern Ireland

ESA in Northern Ireland is run by the Department for Communities, not the DWP — so the GOV.UK claim below is not your route. Claim through nidirect — Employment and Support Allowance, by phone or textphone to the ESA Centre (0800 587 1377), or through your local Jobs & Benefits office. The structure is the same — assessment phase, Work Capability Assessment, support group and work-related activity group — but the office you deal with is different. Check the current Northern Ireland rates on nidirect rather than assuming the GB figures on this page.

Free help in Northern Ireland: Advice NI or Citizens Advice.

Claim it now — free · backdated up to 3 months

Apply online at GOV.UK → 📞 Claim by phone: 0800 055 6688

Have ready: your National Insurance number, bank details, your fit note, and your GP's details — plus form SSP1 if your sick pay is ending. Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 055 6688.

Apply online or by phone (see the box above). If your SSP is ending, apply up to 3 months early.
Attend your appointment. DWP normally contacts you within 10 working days to book a phone appointment with a work coach, where you agree a Claimant Commitment.
Keep sending fit notes until your Work Capability Assessment is decided.
Complete the WCA — questionnaire first, assessment if asked. Then your group (and rate) is set.

Free UK support

GOV.UK — gov.uk/employment-support-allowance. The official rules and the online claim.
Jobcentre Plus new claims line — 0800 055 6688 (Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 055 6688).
Citizens Advice — free help with ESA claims, the WCA questionnaire and appeals: citizensadvice.org.uk.
Confused by a DWP letter? Upload it — we'll explain it in plain English.
Not sure ESA is the right benefit? Run our free benefits check first.

Source verification Primary source: GOV.UK Employment and Support Allowance + DWP Benefit and Pension Rates 2026/2027 · gov.uk/employment-support-allowance. Devolved route verified against nidirect — Employment and Support Allowance (nidirect.gov.uk/articles/employment-and-support-allowance), 13 July 2026. Last verified 13 July 2026. Confidence: High — assessment-phase £75.65 (under 25) / £95.55 (25+), support component £50.35, work-related activity component £37.95 (pre-2017 claims), permitted work £203.50, all from the DWP 2026/27 rates table (3.8% CPI uprating from 6 Apr 2026). Key rule: contribution-based, not means-tested; 365-day limit in the work-related activity group, no limit in the support group; pension income over £85/wk reduces payment. Scope: the rates and claim route on this page are for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland runs its own ESA through the Department for Communities — claim via nidirect, the ESA Centre (0800 587 1377) or a Jobs & Benefits office, and check the current NI rates on nidirect. Reviewed each April.

New Style ESA — common questions

How much is New Style ESA in 2026/27?

During the first 13 weeks (the assessment phase): up to £75.65 a week under 25, or £95.55 a week at 25 or over. After the Work Capability Assessment: £145.90 a week in the support group (£95.55 + the £50.35 support component — about £7,586.80 a year), or up to £95.55 a week in the work-related activity group (no extra component on claims started since April 2017). Rates rose 3.8% from 6 April 2026.

Do I qualify?

Usually yes if you're under State Pension age, your illness or disability affects how much you can work, you have a fit note, and you've worked and paid enough Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance, usually in the last 2 to 3 years — NI credits count too. It's not means-tested: savings and a partner's income are ignored, though pension income over £85 a week reduces it by 50p per £1.

What is the Work Capability Assessment?

The DWP process that decides your group: a questionnaire about how your condition affects daily life, then possibly a phone, video or face-to-face assessment. Support group = not expected to work, £145.90/week, no time limit. Work-related activity group = expected to prepare for work, up to £95.55/week, 365-day limit. If it takes longer than 13 weeks, extra money is backdated to week 14. Disagree? Mandatory reconsideration within a month, then tribunal.

How long does it last?

Support group: no time limit. Work-related activity group: 365 days. If your year is ending, check Universal Credit (means-tested top-up), check PIP (not time-limited, paid on top of ESA), and if your condition has worsened, ask DWP to reconsider your group.

I live in Northern Ireland — do I claim on GOV.UK?

No. In Northern Ireland ESA is delivered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP. Claim through nidirect, by phone or textphone to the ESA Centre on 0800 587 1377, or through your local Jobs & Benefits office. The structure is the same — assessment phase, Work Capability Assessment, support group and work-related activity group — but the office is different, so check the current Northern Ireland rates on nidirect rather than assuming the GB figures.

Can I get it with SSP or Universal Credit?

Not at the same time as SSP (£123.25/week, max 28 weeks) — but apply up to 3 months before SSP ends so ESA starts immediately, and claim straight away if you can't get SSP (for example, self-employed). You CAN claim ESA and UC together: ESA is deducted from UC pound for pound, but it's not means-tested, pays fortnightly and protects your NI record — so it's usually still worth claiming.

Sources: Employment and Support Allowance · GOV.UK · New Style ESA detailed guide · GOV.UK. DWP Benefit and Pension Rates 2026/2027 (assessment phase £75.65 under 25 / £95.55 at 25+, support component £50.35, work-related activity component £37.95 for pre-April-2017 claims, permitted work higher limit £203.50, Statutory Sick Pay £123.25 — all from 6 Apr 2026, 3.8% CPI uprating). NI conditions, fit notes, 13-week assessment phase, Work Capability Assessment, 365-day work-related activity group limit, 3-month backdating & pension-income rule · GOV.UK ESA guidance. Claims · gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/how-to-claim · Jobcentre Plus 0800 055 6688 (Relay UK 18001 then 0800 055 6688). Free claim help · Citizens Advice. Not affiliated with DWP or GOV.UK. Last reviewed: 7 June 2026.

Too ill to work? New Style ESA is money you've already paid for.