My husband was on Incapacity benefit from 2004 until we think 2014 when it changed to Contribution based ESA. He has a PHI, which is not ESA deductible, so gets ESA because his employment contract was never terminated and tax and NI is paid on the money received. I work over 30 hours a week and we have savings over £16,000. A form has arrived for my husband today ESA3(IBR) 06/18 saying "we need to look at your claim again to check you're getting the right amount of money". It goes onto say in a box on the first page "Don't complete this form if during the whole time between (date given in 2014)
You have a partner and they're working for 24 hours or more a week
You have savings over £16,000:or
You have a partner who has savings over £16,000
We don't understand, is a working partner a barrier to contribution based ESA? Why are savings relevant when the form says on the very next page "Your savings will not affect your contribution based ESA"?
Please help me to make sense of this, I am worried sick it's all going to unravel.

Col Sanders

This is about your husband's entitlement to Income Related ESA, it does not affect his ESA(CB) in any way.

If you have been working for 24 or more hours a week and/or had savings in excess of £16,000 since he was moved to ESA then just tick the boxes and return the form.

Gordon