Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - Repeat claims for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

You will not usually be able to make a claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) again if you are found to be capable of work after your Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

There are some exceptions when a new ESA claim will be allowed. The main situations are where:

• your current condition has got a lot worse
• you’re claiming for a new condition.

There are other exceptions that may apply in certain circumstances.

If you've been told you're fit for work but want to try claiming ESA again, you'll need to check if you're in one of the groups that are allowed to re-claim. These are called exception groups. It's really important to get proper advice before you try to claim again. You can use the Turn2us Find an Adviser tool to find local advice services near you. 

Getting ESA whilst appealing

If you're appealing a decision that says you're fit for work after a Work Capability Assessment, you might still be treated as having limited capability for work while waiting for your appeal outcome. This applies in the following situations: 

• If you're found fit for work for the first time (or the first since previous decision that you passed the Work Capability Assessment), or
• If you're found fit for work and you're appealing against 'fit for work' decision for the second or subsequent time and your condition has got significantly worse or you have a new health condition. 

You should get advice from an experienced adviser if you want to appeal against an ESA decision. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find details of local advice agencies in your area.