How to claim ESA
Claiming New Style ESA is a sequence, not a single form. You start the claim, you agree a Claimant Commitment with a work coach, you provide evidence including a fit note, you complete the Work Capability Assessment questionnaire if one is needed, and then you receive a decision. Knowing the sequence in advance makes each step faster, because the most common delays are missing documents and missed appointments, both of which are avoidable.
Step 1: start your claim
Apply online through GOV.UK if you can. If you cannot apply online, or you are applying as an appointee on someone else's behalf, call the Jobcentre Plus new claims helpline on 0800 055 6688; the DWP asks you questions over the phone and completes the form with you. You cannot apply online as an appointee. In Northern Ireland, use the nidirect route instead. Once you have applied, you are contacted by phone and told when to give your evidence and where to send it. The DWP usually contacts you within 10 working days of applying, although processing is currently taking longer than usual.
Step 2: have this ready
- Your National Insurance number.
- Your bank or building society account number and sort code (you can use a friend or family member's account if you do not have one).
- Your doctor's name, address and telephone number.
- A fit note, sometimes called a sick note or statement of fitness for work, if you have not been able to work for more than 7 days in a row because of a disability or health condition.
- Details of your income, if you are working.
- The date your Statutory Sick Pay ends, if you are claiming it.
A fit note deserves a note of its own. For the first 7 days of sickness you can self-certify; after that, the DWP expects a fit note from your GP or another qualified healthcare professional. Keep sending fit notes for as long as the DWP asks for them, even after the assessment rate starts, because a gap in fit notes can interrupt payment.
Step 3: the work coach appointment and Claimant Commitment
The DWP may tell you that you must attend an appointment with a work coach, usually by phone. If the appointment is in person at a Jobcentre Plus office, bring ID and proof of address. At the appointment you explain how your illness or disability affects your ability to work, and you agree what you need to do to keep receiving ESA. That agreement is called a Claimant Commitment, and you must accept it to keep getting ESA. Read it before you accept it: if an activity in it is unrealistic for your condition, raise it there and then, because the commitment is what sanctions are later measured against.
Step 4: assessment and decision
After the claim starts, you are told whether you need a Work Capability Assessment. If you do, the questionnaire and appointment follow the process on the assessment page. You stay on the assessment rate until a decision is made. If you are eligible, payment starts at the assessment rate and then moves to your group rate, with any arrears backdated. If you are not eligible, the DWP sends you a letter explaining why, and that letter is the starting point for a challenge.
Reapplying after ESA ends
You may be able to reapply after your New Style ESA ends. Whether you qualify again depends on what National Insurance contributions you paid in the last 2 full tax years before the tax year you are claiming in, and on whether you are placed in the support group because you developed a new condition or your health deteriorated. That second route matters for people whose work-related activity group award ran out after 365 days: a deterioration that puts you in the support group can open a fresh entitlement even when a repeat work-related activity group claim would not.