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
Claim it now — free · backdated up to 3 months
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