glen
Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is
Welcome to Benefits and Work Are you sure that you can claim ESA?
You can now only make a claim for what is called New Style ESA, to do this you will need to have at least 50 weeks of NI Contributions during the two Tax Years 2016-17 and 2017-18.
If you do not have the Contributions then you will have to claim Universal Credit and ask to be assessed for Limited Capability for Work.
Have a look at the following
www.gov.uk/how-to-claim-new-style-esa www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-to-claim Gordon
