Who should claim for income-related Employment and Support Allowance?
If you’re a member of a couple and you’re both eligible to claim income-related ESA, you must decide between yourselves who should make the claim. If only one of you is likely to be in the support group, that person should usually make the claim as they’ll get a higher rate of ESA. This will also make it more likely that you’ll receive the maximum possible premiums when your benefit is assessed. If you can’t decide, seek advice (see External links). If you don’t make a decision about who should claim, Jobcentre Plus will make the decision on your behalf. If you’re responsible for children, you can’t claim any type of ESA for them. You should claim Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit for your children. These can be paid alongside ESA and they don’t count as income for the purposes of calculating income-related ESA. For more information see NHS Choices links.
