ESA calculator
New-style Employment and Support Allowance changes as your claim moves from the assessment phase to the main phase. Choose your stage and group to see the weekly amount.
How new-style ESA is worked out
New-style ESA is paid in two stages. During the assessment phase, usually the first 13 weeks, you get a flat personal rate that depends only on your age: £75.65 a week under 25 and £95.55 from 25. This is while the DWP decides your Work Capability Assessment. Nothing about your group is settled yet.
Once the assessment is done you move to the main phase. Here the personal rate is £95.55 for everyone, and a component is added on top. The support group, for people not expected to work, gets the larger component of £50.35. The work-related activity group gets £0.00. New-style ESA is based on your National Insurance record, not your savings, so a partner's income does not reduce it.
Worked example
Take someone aged 30 placed in the support group after their assessment. They get the main-phase personal rate of £95.55 plus the support component of £50.35, which is £145.90 a week, or about ££632.23 a month. In the work-related activity group the same person would get £95.55 a week instead.
Common questions
How much is ESA a week in 2026/27?
In the assessment phase it is £75.65 a week if you are under 25, or £95.55 if you are 25 or over. In the main phase everyone gets £95.55 plus a component: £0.00 for the work-related activity group or £50.35 for the support group.
What is the assessment phase?
It is the first part of your claim, usually about 13 weeks, while the Department for Work and Pensions carries out your Work Capability Assessment. You get a basic personal rate during this time. Once the assessment is done you move to the main phase and, if you qualify, a component is added.
What is the difference between the support group and the work-related activity group?
The support group is for people whose illness or disability means they are not expected to prepare for work, and it pays the larger component of £50.35 a week. The work-related activity group is for people expected to take some steps towards work, and its component is £0.00 a week.
Is this new-style ESA or income-related ESA?
This tool covers new-style (contribution-based) ESA, which is based on your National Insurance record and is not means-tested. Income-related ESA is closed to new claims and most people now claim Universal Credit alongside new-style ESA instead.
Does new-style ESA affect Universal Credit?
You can get both at the same time, but new-style ESA counts as income for Universal Credit, so it is deducted pound for pound from any UC award. The advantage is that ESA is not means-tested and can protect your National Insurance record.