How does it work?


ESA consists of two phases — the assessment phase and the main phase. In most cases, if you qualify for ESA you will not get any money for the first seven days of your claim. These are called waiting days. Then you will get the assessment phase rate while the job centre assesses your ability to work.



The assessment phase rate is paid for the first 13 weeks of your claim while a decision is made on your capability for work through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) (see page 50). The main phase rate starts from week 14 of your claim, if the WCA shows that your illness or disability does limit your ability to work.



There are two groups within the main phase:



Work-Related Activity Group



If you are placed in the Work-Related Activity Group you must attend regular interviews with an advisor. If you refuse to take part in these interviews, your ESA can be reduced for up to four weeks after you restart the interviews. A work-related activity component is paid in addition to the basic rate, but this has been abolished for new claims from April 2017. 


There is a one-year time limit on payment of contributory ESA for people in the Work-Related Activity Group, introduced in 2012, and the government is now aiming to save £640 million a year by 2020-21 by abolishing the work-related activity group component for new claims (worth £29.05 a week or around £1,500 a year). From April 2017, new ESA claimants who are placed in the Work-Related Activity Group will receive the same rate of payment as those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or the equivalent in UC. 



Support Group



If you are placed in the Support Group because your illness or disability has a severe effect on your ability to work, you will not be expected to attend interviews, but you can to speak to a personal adviser if you want to. If you’re in the support group and on income-related ESA, you will also receive an enhanced disability premium.