Work Capability Assessment

When you apply for some benefits, you can report if you have a health condition or disability that affects your capability to work.

You’ll need to provide a fit note (also known as a ‘sick note’) and complete a ‘Capability for Work’ (UC50) health questionnaire if you do this.

You’ll be told if you need a Work Capability Assessment. The assessment is to decide how much your illness or disability limits your capability to work. If you need an appointment, you’ll get a letter telling you what you need to do.

The assessment can be in person, by video call or on the phone and you can have someone else with you during the assessment, for example a friend or support worker.

The Work Capability Assessment is used in both ESA (Employment & Support Allowance) and Universal Credit (UC) and contains two tests:

The Limited Capability for Work Test is used to work out whether you can work. If you are seen to have a limited capability for work you are not expected to work but you have to undertake work related activity and will be placed in the work related activity group for ESA. If you fail to undertake appropriate work related activity such as training, writing a CV and getting appropriate experiences you may have your benefit reduced or stopped for a certain period of time.

The Limited Capability for Work Related Activity Test is used to work out whether you are capable to do work related activity. If you are seen to have a limited capability for work related activity you are not required to undertake any type of work activity and will be placed in the support group for ESA. If this is the case you will not lose any benefit under any circumstances.

The assessment is carried out without referring to any job and does not take into account any education or training, or any language or literacy problems. It is a test of your ability to perform certain activities from a list of physical and mental descriptors. In order to be placed in the Work Related Activity group you have to score at least 15 points from the physical and/or mental activities.

To be placed in the support group there is no points system, instead you need to satisfy one descriptor from 16 physical and mental activity areas.