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Returning to work.

Posted , 3 users are following.

michael16394
michael16394

My sister has been claiming ESA for about 4yrs .Her condition can alter by the day,but she wishes to try to return to work.If she does return to work and cannot manage the job,would she be able to apply for SSP .If so,how long would she have had to be back in work before being allowed to get SSP from her boss ?.

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • denise15811
    denise15811 michael16394

    Posted

    Hi,

    She can do what's called permitted work and claim ESA but she must tell ESA before she starts work and she'll also need to fill in a form.

    With permitted work you can work a maximum 15.59 hours, it can't be 16 hours or over. You can earn £125.50 (new higher limit) per week without it affecting any of your benefits. There's no time limits either to length of time you can do permitted work.

    Will it affect your ESA claim? No, but if the work you do contradicts the reasons you're claiming ESA then it's possible it will affect it at your next assessment.

    I suggest permitted work because this way she can try some work and then decide if she can work without having to stop her ESA completely.

    If she's planning on working more than 16 hours per week then of course she will have to end her ESA. If she ends her ESA and starts work but then decides it's too much she can make a rapid re-claim for ESA but this must be within 12 weeks of her ESA ending, she will then be put back into the group she was in before the ESA ended.  She will not be able to claim SSP within those 12 weeks after her ESA stopping. The only thing that could cause an issue with this rapid reclaim is if her area is a full universal credit area. If it is then i'd advise her to go to her local CAB for further advise.

    If it's more than 12 weeks then she will be able to claim SSP for a maximum 28 weeks. Hope this helps.

     

    • michael16394
      michael16394 denise15811

      Posted

      Thank you Denise, my sister is fed up of juming through hoops for ESA and keep getting called for f2f medical which are degrading and invariably conducted by people less qualified than herself.She was in the NHS over 30yrs before becoming ill.So wishes to try returning to work.I will pass on what you suggest.Thank you again Denise.
    • denise15811
      denise15811 michael16394

      Posted

      You're welcome. Yes i totally understand but returning to work after being in the Support Group for so long, it can be a shock to the system. People have tried this in the past and decided they couldn't cope in the end. For this reason the permitted work is perfect opportunity to at least try working before canceling the ESA claim completely. I wish her luck.

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