Claiming UC if I quit my job?

[MrsWolf2]

I am probably going to be fired soon due to (genuine) long term sickness absence.

We can’t survive on my husband’s income alone so will need to claim benefits.

If I hang on in there til I’m fired then I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to claim benefits straight away.

The thing is, I do expect to be fully better at some point in future, and I would like the option of working for my company again. This definitely won’t happen if I get fired, but is a possibility if I resign due to (hopefully) temporary ill health. I suppose the same applies to any other potential employer too.

It’s also a waste of my, my boss, and my GP’s time getting a fit note every month, and I find it very stressful, and that’s not helping my recovery at all.

Does anyone know if I’ll be able to claim UC straight away if I do resign. Or, if I’ll have to wait until I’m eligible, how long the wait is likely to be?

Is it even morally right to quit and claim benefits when I could get full sick pay for a while longer, particularly when the economy is as fucked as it now/will be soon?

I don’t know what to do, please help!

You may be eligible for ESA if you've been employed and have been paying NI contributions and you have a health condition or disability that affects how much you can work. Have a look at the gov.uk website.

Is this a case of jumping before you are pushed? Employers have to go through a number of stages before they can dismiss you on health grounds, including looking at redeployment opportunities if they exist and taking on board Occ Health recommendations. I do understand that engaging with this process can be exhausting though and taking control of the situation by leaving can often be the best solution if you aren't ready to return to the workplace.

If you have a sick note and claim Universal credit I don't think you would be penalised ( not 100% sure). However to claim contributions based ESA you would need to have exhausted all your ssp.

Thanks for your replies!

It is indeed a question of jumping before I’m pushed.

Although we’ll be better off if I get sick pay as long as possible I think I might have to just go ahead and resign and then probably live off savings for a bit if we can’t get UC straight away, it’s just not doing my health any good at all dragging it out.

I did have a look at ESA, thank you for the advice, it is good to know. I am a worrier though and like to plan for the worst case scenarios - like if the GP decides I’m well enough to work and stops issuing fit notes for some reason.

It might have been relevant to mention that I have a 2 year old DD, does anyone know if that makes any difference to any possible sanctions at all?

@MrsWolf2

Thanks for your replies!

It is indeed a question of jumping before I’m pushed.

Although we’ll be better off if I get sick pay as long as possible I think I might have to just go ahead and resign and then probably live off savings for a bit if we can’t get UC straight away, it’s just not doing my health any good at all dragging it out.

I did have a look at ESA, thank you for the advice, it is good to know. I am a worrier though and like to plan for the worst case scenarios - like if the GP decides I’m well enough to work and stops issuing fit notes for some reason.

It might have been relevant to mention that I have a 2 year old DD, does anyone know if that makes any difference to any possible sanctions at all?

Yes that does change things as with a two year old dd you would have no work commitments on UC, so I think you cannot be sanctioned. I'm not 100% sure on this though so maybe worth speaking to CAB or similar welfare rights service. As long as your husband is working they are very unlikely to sanction you anyway as you would be in the light touch group. you can be considered the main carer for your child without any problem.

If you do make a UC claim you will need to report your health condition when you make the claim and start handing in sick notes and wait to be assessed for work capability. If you have savings of more than 16k you cannot claim UC. any savings over 6k will reduce your Uc amount each month.

There is a sanction for leaving voluntarily however if you have good reason and you give details of your situation then it will probably be ok. However it is not a definite yes as each case is considered on its merits. You need to be aware that this is a possibility. However as someone else had said ESA might be payable in your case depending on your NI contributions.