Northern Ireland Statutory Rule
2016
United Kingdom
The Universal Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016
At a glance
What this Act requires
Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.
Schedules
Browse 133 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Rent Payments
Payments excluded from being rent payments
Specified accommodation
Temporary Accommodation
Owner-occupier payments
Meaning of “loan interest payments”
Meaning of “alternative finance payments”
Service charge payments
Additional conditions: social rented sector renters and owner-occupiers
Certain other persons liable to make payments
Contrived liability
Failure to pay by the person who is liable
Payments waived in return for repair work
Rent free periods
Liability to make rent and other payments to close relative
Liability to make rent and other payments to company
Liability to make rent and other payments to a trust
Liability to make owner-occupier and other payments to member of same household
Arrears of payments
The occupation condition: the general rule
Claimant living in other accommodation during essential repairs
Claimant housed in two dwellings by provider of social housing
Moving home: adaptations to new home for disabled person
Claimant living in other accommodation because of reasonable fear of violence
Moving in delayed by adaptations to accommodation to meet disablement needs
Moving into accommodation following stay in hospital or care home
Periods of temporary absence exceeding 6 months
Definition of renter
Temporary absence of member of renter's extended benefit unit
Additional room
Housing cost contributions
Amount of housing cost contributions
Exempt renters
No deduction for housing cost contributions in respect of certain non-dependants
Single calculation for renter treated as occupying single accommodation
Calculation where move to new accommodation delayed for adaptations for disabled person
Calculation where renter moves out because of reasonable fear of violence
Application of Part 4
Interpretation
Meaning of “temporary accommodation”
The amount of housing costs element under this Part
Core rent
Core rent for joint tenants
Cap rent
Four bedroom limit
Specified renters entitled to shared accommodation only
Meaning of “specified renters”
Renters excepted from shared accommodation
Application of Part 5
“Relevant payments” for purposes of this Schedule
Deduction from relevant payments of amounts relating to use of particular accommodation
Relevant payments excessive
The amount of housing costs element
Determining the amount from which HCC deductions are to be made
Determining the amount from which HCC deductions are to be made: joint tenants
Under-occupancy deduction
No housing costs element for 16 or 17 year old care leavers
No housing costs element for certain renters aged at least 18 but under 22
Persons to whom paragraph 4A does not apply - general
Persons to whom paragraph 4A does not apply – periods of work
Relevant payments to be taken into account
Relevant payments calculated monthly
Size criteria applicable to the extended benefit unit of all renters
Extended benefit unit of a renter for purposes of this Schedule
Number of bedrooms to which a renter is entitled
Definition of Owner-occupier
Amount in respect of interest on loans
Amount in respect of alternative finance arrangements
Standard rate to be applied under paragraphs 10 and 11
Amount in respect of service charge payments
Interpretation
Relevant payment for the purposes of this schedule
No housing costs element where owner-occupier has any earned income
No housing costs element under this Schedule for qualifying period
Application of paragraph 5: receipt of JSA and ESA
Application of paragraph 5: joint owner-occupiers ceasing to be a couple
Payments to be taken into account
The amount of a housing costs element
Further circumstances in which a claimant with limited capability for work and work-related activity is a “pre-2026 claimant” for the purposes of regulation 28
Claimant is awaiting first assessment under Part 5 before 6th April 2026
Claimant with limited capability for work is awaiting reassessment under Part 5 before 6th April 2026
Claimant with limited capability for work and work-related activity whose award does not include the LCWRA element on 6th April 2026
Claimant entitled to an employment and support allowance before 6th April 2026
The claimant is receiving— (a) regular weekly treatment by way...
(1) The claimant is— (a) undergoing medical or other treatment...
(1) The claimant— (a) is excluded or abstains from work...
(1) The claimant is suffering from a specific illness, disease...
The claimant is suffering from a life threatening disease in...
The claimant has reached the qualifying age for state pension...
The claimant is terminally ill.
The claimant is a pregnant woman and there is a...
The claimant is— (a) receiving treatment for cancer by way...
The claimant is suffering from a specific illness, disease or...
The claimant has reached the qualifying age for state pension...
(1) Premises or land occupied by a person as their...
(1) The value of any right to receive a pension...
(1) The value of a funeral plan contract.
An amount deposited with a housing association as a condition...
(1) An amount received within the past 6 months which...
An amount received under an insurance policy within the past...
An amount received within the past 6 months that is...
Any payment made within the last 12 months under Part...
(1) A payment made within the past 12 months by...
(1) A payment received within the past 12 months by...
A payment received within the past 12 months by way...
A payment made within the past 12 months of widowed...
A payment to the person made by the Department as...
A payment to a person by virtue of being a...
Premises or land occupied by a close relative of a...
(1) A payment made within the past 12 months of...
An ex-gratia payment made by the Secretary of State for...
A payment made under Article 10 of the Victims and...
Any early years assistance given within the past 12 months...
Any funeral expense assistance given within the past 12 months...
Any assistance given within the past 12 months in accordance...
Any winter heating assistance given within the past 12 months...
Premises or land occupied by a person's former partner as...
(1) Premises or land that a person intends to occupy...
Premises or land that a person has ceased to occupy...
Premises or land that a person is taking reasonable steps...
Assets which are used wholly or mainly for the purposes...
Assets which were used wholly or mainly for a trade,...
The value of any policy of life insurance.
Moving an ESA sanction to UC
Moving a JSA sanction to UC
Effect of ESA or JSA sanction on escalation of UC sanction
Introduction
Multiple births
Adoptions
Non-parental caring arrangements
Non-consensual conception
Continuation of existing exception in a subsequent award
Browse 123 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
Citation and commencement
Interpretation
Couples
When a person is responsible for a child or qualifying young person
Responsibility for children looked after by an authority
Meaning of “qualifying young person”
Rounding
Cases where the minimum age is 16
Persons treated as not being in Northern Ireland
Crown servants and members of Her Majesty's forces posted overseas
Temporary absence from Northern Ireland
Meaning of “receiving education”
Meaning of “undertaking a course”
Exceptions to the requirement not to be receiving education
Claimant commitment – date and method of acceptance
Claimant commitment – exceptions
Minimum amount
Capital limit
Restrictions on entitlement – prisoners etc.
Waiting days
Awards
Assessment periods
Assessment period cycle to remain the same following change in the first date of entitlement
Deduction of income and work allowance
Apportionment where re-claim is delayed after loss of employment
The child element
Availability of the child element where maximum exceeded
Order of children and qualifying young persons
The housing costs element
Amount of the housing costs element – renters and owner-occupiers
Award to include LCWRA element
Meaning of “pre-2026 claimant”
Period for which the ... LCWRA element is not to be included
Award to include the carer element
Meaning of “regular and substantial caring responsibilities for a severely disabled person”
Award to include childcare costs element
The work condition
The childcare costs condition
Amount of childcare costs element
Charges attributable to an assessment period
Meaning of “relevant childcare”
Amounts of elements
Run-on after a death
Limited capability for work
Limited capability for work and work-related activity
Severe conditions criteria claimant
When an assessment may be carried out
Assessment - supplementary
Information requirement
Medical examinations
What is included in capital?
Jointly held capital
Capital disregarded
Valuation of capital
Notional capital
Meaning of “earned income”
Meaning of other terms relating to earned income
Calculation of earned income – general principles
Surplus earnings
Transitional provision – temporary de minimis period
Employed earnings
Employee involved in trade dispute
Self-employed earnings — treatment of losses
Unused losses
Permitted expenses
Flat rate deductions for mileage and use of home and adjustment for personal use of business premises
Notional earned income
Information for calculating earned income – real time information etc.
Minimum income floor
Start-up period
Meaning of “gainful self-employment”
What is included in unearned income?
Meaning of “retirement pension income”
Person treated as having student income
Calculation of student income - student loans and postgraduate loans
Calculation of student income - grants
Calculation of student income – amount for an assessment period
Assumed yield from capital
Unearned income calculated monthly
Notional unearned income
Compensation for personal injury
Special schemes for compensation etc.
Company analogous to a partnership or one person business
Definition of Couple
Circumstances where the benefit cap applies
Manner of determining total entitlement to welfare benefits
Relevant amount
Reduction of universal credit
Exceptions - earnings
Exceptions - entitlement or receipt of certain benefits
Definition of carer
Nomination of responsible carer and responsible foster parent
References to paid work
Expected hours
Claimants subject to no work-related requirements
Claimants subject to no work-related requirements - the earnings thresholds
Claimants subject to work-focused interview requirement only
Purposes of a work-focused interview
Work search requirement - interviews
Work search requirement - all reasonable action
Work availability requirement - able and willing immediately to take up paid work
Work search requirement and work availability requirement - limitations
Victims of domestic violence
Circumstances in which requirements must not be imposed
Interpretation
General principles for calculating reduction periods
Higher-level sanctions
Medium-level sanction
Low-level sanction
Lowest-level sanction
Start of the reduction
Reduction period to continue where award terminates
Suspension of a reduction where fraud penalty applies
When a reduction is to be terminated
Amount of reduction for each assessment period
Daily reduction rate
Application of ESA or JSA sanctions to universal credit
Failures for which no reduction is applied
Conditions for hardship payments
The period of hardship payments
The amount of hardship payments
Recoverability of hardship payments
Transitional Provision
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