The Social Security (Payments on account, Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988

PART III OFFSETTING

Offsetting prior payment against subsequent award

5.—(1) Subject to regulation 6 (exception from offset of recoverable overpayment), any sum paid in respect of a period covered by a subsequent determination in any of the cases set out in paragraph (2) shall be offset against arrears of entitlement under the subsequent determination and, except to the extent that the sum exceeds the arrears, shall be treated as properly paid on account of them.

(2) Paragraph (1) applies in the following cases—

• Case 1: Payment under an award which is revised, reversed or varied

  Where a person has been paid a sum by way of benefit under an award which is subsequently varied on appeal or revised on a review.

• Case 2: Award or payment of benefit in lieu

  Where a person has been paid a sum by way of benefit under the original award and it is subsequently determined, on review or appeal, that another benefit should be awarded or is payable in lieu of the first.

• Case 3: Child benefit and severe disablement allowance

  Where either—

  (a)

  a person has been awarded and paid child benefit for a period in respect of which severe disablement allowance is subsequently determined to be payable to the child concerned; or

  (b)

  severe disablement allowance is awarded and paid for a period in respect of which child benefit is subsequently awarded to someone else, the child concerned in the subsequent determination being the beneficiary of the original award.

• Case 4: Increase of benefit for dependant

  Where a person has been paid a sum by way of an increase in respect of a dependent person under the original award and it is subsequently determined that that other person is entitled to benefit for that period, or that a third person is entitled to the increase for that period in priority to the beneficiary of the original award.

• Case 5: Increase of benefit for partner

  Where a person has been paid a sum by way of an increase in respect of a partner (as defined in regulation 2 of the Income Support Regulations) and it is subsequently determined that that other person is entitled to benefit for that period.

(3) Where an amount has been deducted under regulation 13(b) (sums to be deducted in calculating recoverable amounts) an equivalent sum shall be offset against any arrears of entitlement of that person under a subsequent award of income support for the period to which the deducted amount relates.

(4) Where child benefit which has been paid under an award in favour of a person (the original beneficiary) is subsequently awarded to someone else for any week, the benefit shall nevertheless be treated as properly paid if it was received by someone other than the original beneficiary, who—

(a) either had the child living with him or was contributing towards the cost of providing for the child at a weekly rate which was not less than the weekly rate under the original award; and

(b) could have been entitled to child benefit in respect of that child for that week had a claim been made in time.

(5) Any amount which is treated under paragraph (4) as properly paid shall be deducted from the amount payable to the beneficiary under the subsequent award.

Exception from offset of recoverable overpayment

6.  No amount may be offset under regulation 5(1) which has been determined to be a recoverable overpayment for the purposes of Article 54(1) of the Order.