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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Work capability issues and ESA  →  Thread

ESA for 16/17 year olds with PIP

J.Mckendrick
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Welfare Benefits Team - Phoenix & Norcas

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Total Posts: 279

Joined: 16 March 2012

I know this has been probably been spoken about before but please can someone confirm the following in that a 16/17 year old can claim ESA whilst carrying out certain education. Can a 16/17 year old claim ESA whilst not in any education and can a 16/17 year old in receipt of PIP claim ESA without attending education and if so is the daily living or mobility component at either rate good enough to allow the ESA claim.

[ Edited: 23 Dec 2016 at 03:01 pm by J.Mckendrick ]
Sally63
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Generalist Adviser, Southwark Citizens Advice Bureau

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You can leave school at 16 but you must then, until you are 18, do one of the following (in England at any rate):(gov.uk)

stay in full-time education, for example at a college
start an apprenticeship or traineeship
spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

so I’m not clear what “not in any education” or “without attending education” mean exactly.

I may be misunderstanding you but PIP is a different test from that for ESA and no level or component of PIP is “good enough” to succeed on its own in an ESA claim.

Rosie W
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Welfare rights service - Northumberland County Council

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Any 16/17 year old can claim ESA if they have limited capability for work, including care leavers. PIP/DLA becomes relevant if they are in full time education and claiming income related ESA - there is no entitlement unless they get any rate of any component of either. For a young person in relevant education with DLA or PIP and a parent or guardian claiming CTC a better off calculation is needed as CTC including one or more disabled child elements will often be of more value to the family than ESA. Theoretically a 16/17 year old in full time education could claim contribution based ESA but I can’t imagine a situation in which they would have sufficient NICs.

Not sure if that is what you are asking?