Donate

Employment and Support Allowance time limit

Information about who is affected by the time limit and what they can do.

Share

If you’re getting Contributory/New Style Employment and Support Allowance

If you’re in the ‘Work-Related Activity Group’, you can only get Contributory/New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for one year.

You’ll also be affected by this time limit if:

  • You’ve been getting Contribution/New Style ESA and not had an assessment within a year
  • You were in the ‘Support Group’ but, after reassessment, you were moved to the Work-Related Activity Group. Your one-year time limit starts at this point

If you’re in the ‘Support Group’ there’s no time limit, you can keep getting Contributory/New Style ESA if you meet the conditions.

If you’re getting income-related Employment and Support Allowance

There’s no time limit on income-related ESA. However, this benefit is being phased out and replaced by Universal Credit. From 1 April 2026, income-related ESA will no longer exist.

If you’re already getting income-related ESA, you can stay on it until you receive a Managed Migration Notice letter and are invited to make a claim for Universal Credit. Your income-related ESA will stop three months after the date on the letter, so you need to claim Universal Credit before that deadline to keep your money coming in and to make sure you get transitional protection in UC.

If you make a new claim for Universal Credit before you receive your Managed Migration Notice letter, you won’t get extra financial support through transitional protection. For more information, read our When should I start my Universal Credit claim page.

What can I do if my Contributory/New Style ESA is going to stop?

You should get advice to see whether your condition is severe enough for you to be placed into the Support Group. People in the Support Group can get Contributory/New Style ESA without any time limit.

Use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator to see what other support you could be entitle to.

You can also use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local benefits adviser who can give more advice information on your situation.