Disability
New Style ESA: what you get, for how long, and how it sits with Universal Credit
The sickness benefit you earn through National Insurance, paid whatever your partner earns.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
New Style Employment and Support Allowance is a fortnightly benefit for people under State Pension age whose disability or health condition limits how much they can work, and who have paid enough National Insurance, usually in the last two to three tax years. For the first 13 weeks it pays an assessment rate of £75.65 a week under 25 or £95.55 from 25. After the Work Capability Assessment you join one of two groups: the work-related activity group, at £95.55 a week for up to 365 days, or the support group, at £145.90 with no time limit. It is paid every 2 weeks in arrears and earns Class 1 National Insurance credits. Savings and a partner’s earnings do not reduce it, but a private pension above £85 a week does. It can be paid with Universal Credit, which is then reduced pound for pound, so the two together are often worth the same as Universal Credit alone, but arrive more regularly.
Your New Style ESA a week
New Style ESA a week
£95.55
| Paid every 2 weeks | £191.10 |
| Taken off for pension income | £0.00 |
| Monthly amount deducted from Universal Credit | £414.05 |
Rates for 2026/27
| Stage | A week | Every two weeks | A month (as Universal Credit counts it) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment, under 25 | £75.65 | £151.30 | £327.82 |
| Assessment, 25 or over | £95.55 | £191.10 | £414.05 |
| Work-related activity group | £95.55 | £191.10 | £414.05 |
| Support group | £145.90 | £291.80 | £632.23 |
The support group amount is the basic £95.55 plus the support component of £50.35. The DWP rates table also lists a work-related activity component of £37.95, but section 15 of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 removed it for claims from 3 April 2017. It survives only in older awards, which is why GOV.UK quotes £95.55 for the work-related activity group today.
Who can claim
GOV.UK’s conditions are short. You must be under State Pension age, have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work, have worked as an employee or been self-employed, and have paid enough National Insurance contributions, usually in the last two to three years. National Insurance credits, for example from an earlier period of illness or caring, count too. You can apply in or out of work, but not while getting Jobseeker’s Allowance or Statutory Sick Pay. Have a fit note ready if you have been unable to work for more than a week in a row. The old income-related ESA is closed to new claims; low-income support now comes through Universal Credit.
Assessment, then one of two groups
For the first 13 weeks you receive the assessment rate while the DWP arranges a Work Capability Assessment, starting with the capability for work questionnaire. If you claim both benefits, one assessment serves for New Style ESA and Universal Credit. Afterwards you are placed in the work-related activity group if you are expected to be able to work in future, with regular work coach interviews, or in the support group if your condition severely limits what you can do, with no conditions attached. People nearing the end of life go straight into the support group.
The group decides more than the weekly amount. In the work-related activity group New Style ESA stops after 365 days, and missing agreed activity can lead to a sanction. In the support group there is neither a time limit nor a sanction, and GOV.UK confirms that ESA with the support component exempts the household from the benefit cap.
Payment day and frequency
ESA is paid every 2 weeks in arrears. Regulation 51 fixes the weekday from the last two digits of your National Insurance number:
| Last two digits | Payday |
|---|---|
| 00 to 19 | Monday |
| 20 to 39 | Tuesday |
| 40 to 59 | Wednesday |
| 60 to 79 | Thursday |
| 80 to 99 | Friday |
New Style ESA and Universal Credit
You can get Universal Credit at the same time as New Style ESA, or instead of it. When you get both, Universal Credit is reduced by the full amount of ESA, converted to a monthly figure. For a single man of 29 in the support group with no earnings and £520 rent to a housing association, Universal Credit alone would be £1,162.16 a month. With New Style ESA of £632.23 a month, Universal Credit drops to £529.93: the total is the same. Claiming ESA still has advantages: payments come every fortnight rather than monthly, and you get Class 1 credits that help with other contributory benefits as well as the State Pension.
The real gain comes where Universal Credit is small or nil. Ellie, 38, is in the support group; her partner takes home £3,000 a month and they pay £650 rent. His wages leave them only £119.08 a month of Universal Credit, health element included. Her New Style ESA ignores his wages and pays £145.90 a week, about £632 a month; Universal Credit falls to £0.00, and the household ends up £513.15 a month better off. The Universal Credit health element explains the amount used here.
Working and pensions while on ESA
You can usually work while claiming if you work less than 16 hours a week and earn no more than £203.50 a week, and you can volunteer for as many hours as you like. Tell Jobcentre Plus first, using the permitted work form if you are already claiming.
A private or workplace pension is treated differently. GOV.UK says half of any pension income over £85 a week is taken off ESA. A 58-year-old in the work-related activity group with an early pension of £150 a week loses £32.50 and receives £63.05. A large enough pension wipes ESA out completely, though the Class 1 credits continue.
Changes, PIP and challenges
Report changes straight away: a new job or different hours, a stay in hospital, a partner moving in, or someone starting to claim Carer’s Allowance for you. New Style ESA and PIP are separate: PIP pays for extra costs and has its own assessment, and you can get both. If you disagree with a decision, such as being placed in the work-related activity group, ask for mandatory reconsideration within 1 month of the decision.