Forum Home → Discussion → Other benefit issues → Thread
Widowed Parents Allowance - top up
I don’t often deal with someone in receipt of this. She gets WPA at £112.50 pw and PIP standard rate daily living so with SDP does she claim IS for top up or does she need to claim ESA?
Thanks
She could claim IS if she’s one of the groups of people who can claim IS, i.e., a lone parent with a pre-school child, a carer, and so on. But if she’s not an IS type person, she’ll need to claim irESA (or JSA, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that). Unless she’s in a full service area in which case it will be UC whatever.
ESA if she is incapable of work, JSA if not (hopefully not in a digital area for UC). IS can only be claimed if she meets one of the qualifying conditions i.e. one of her children is under 5, etc. Assessment phase ESA plus the SDP and WRAG plus SDP are both less than she would get on JSA as JSA includes the disability premium but if she gets into the Support Group then she would be (very slightly) better off on ESA.
Thanks both. It will be ESA ir I think. Thankfully not in a full service area yet for UC.