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Employment and Support Allowance: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments

Work Capability Assessment outcomes, appeals and mandatory reconsiderations for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published:
25 July 2013
Last updated:
15 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added latest release of statistics: ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2026

  2. Added information about the Consultation being closed, responses considered and outcome available to view.

  3. Added latest release of statistics: ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2026.

  4. Updated the first heading to 'Consultation' and changed the text under the heading.

  5. Added the March 2026 release of ESA Work Capability Assessments, mandatory reconsiderations and appeals statistics and information about a consultation on proposed changes to the frequency and timing of some DWP Official Statistics.

  6. ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2025 added to collection.

  7. ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2025 added to collection.

  8. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2025.

  9. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2025.

  10. Added the latest release ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2024.

  11. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2024.

  12. Added a link to the latest release of ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals statistics: June 2024.

  13. New link to stat-Xplore added along with updated progress date.

  14. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2024.

  15. Added a note to the page about an issue with the statistics about customer journey clearance times for initial claims.

  16. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2023.

  17. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2023.

  18. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2023.

  19. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2023.

  20. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2022.

  21. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2022.

  22. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2022.

  23. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2022.

  24. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2021.

  25. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2021.

  26. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2021.

  27. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2021.

  28. Added a note about the information in the next release of statistics, due to be published on 11 March 2020.

  29. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: January 2021.

  30. Updated the note about the next release of Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment statistics (due for release on 14 January 2021). The updated note includes information about what will be included in the next release.

  31. Added a note that that the next release of Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment statistics has been delayed and will now be released on 14 January 2021.

  32. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2020.

  33. Added a link to the latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2020.

  34. Added latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2019.

  35. Added latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2019.

  36. Note added that the next release of these statistics will be on 13 December 2019.

  37. Added latest release of ESA statistics: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2019.

  38. Added latest release of ESA statistics for outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals

  39. Added latest release of ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2019 statistics.

  40. Added latest release of ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2018 statistics.

  41. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2018' to the latest release section.

  42. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2018' to the latest release section.

  43. Added information about planned improvements to the Work Capability Assessment statistics.

  44. Added a note stating that DWP is investigating a discrepancy with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit.

  45. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals: March 2018'.

  46. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals: December 2017'.

  47. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals: September 2017'.

  48. Published a note that the next release of these statistics on 14 September 2017 will also include information on ESA WCA clearance times for initial claims.

  49. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2017'.

  50. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2017'.

  51. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2016'.

  52. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: September 2016'.

  53. Added statistics on 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments: claims made to Sep 2015 and appeals to Mar 2016'.

  54. Updated message about the delay to the 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments' statistics, which will now be published on 6 July 2016.

  55. Published 'ESA Work Capability Assessment mandatory reconsiderations: data to April 2016' and message about a delay to 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments' which were due to be published on 9 June 2016.

  56. Added - ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments: claims made to June 2015 and appeals to December 2015.

  57. Published 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments: claims made to Mar 2015 and appeals to Sept 2015'.

  58. Added - ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments: claims made to Dec 2014 and appeals to Jun 2015.

  59. Published latest statistics on the outcomes of Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance claims made to September 2014 and appeals to March 2015.

  60. Added statistics on 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments: claims made to June 2014 and appeals to Dec 2014'.

  61. Updated date of next statistical release to 12 March 2015.

  62. Added 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessment: claims made to March 2014 and appeals to Sept 2014'.

  63. Published statistics on Work Capability Assessments for claims started October to December 2013, and appeals data to June 2014.

  64. Published ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments June 2014. Updated advice on processing error.

  65. Removed old guidance on future DWP publications being aligned with Ministry of Justice release schedule.

  66. Published note regarding a processing error with Appeal data for the period June to December 2013.

  67. Published ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments March 2014

  68. Specific policies and statements related to the DWP Employment and Support Allowance: outcomes of Work Capability Assessment statisticspublished and link added to the page.

  69. ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments January 2014 statistics published

  70. Update added regarding future statistical releases

  71. Updated information regarding appeals and release of statistics.

  72. Published 'ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments October 2013' statistics and user views questionnaire.

  73. First published.

This collection brings together statistics on:

  • ESA Work Capability Assessment outcomes
  • appeals decisions and mandatory reconsiderations for ESA claims (including re-assessed Incapacity Benefit claims)
  • monthly median ESA Work Capability Assessment mandatory reconsiderations clearance times
  • ESA WCA cohort statistics covering the ESA Work Capability Assessment process
  • ESA Work Capability Assessment clearance times for initial claims

Data is released on a quarterly basis through Stat-Xplore.

Latest release

Consultation 

The consultation on plans to change the scheduling and alignment and reduce the frequency of some of our routine administrative-based benefit statistics has closed. We have now considered all responses. You can view full details of the outcome of the consultation.

Previous releases

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