The Employment and Support Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

Calculation of covenant income where no grant income or no contribution is assessed

134.—(1) Where a student is not in receipt of income by way of a grant the amount of the student’s covenant income is to be calculated as follows—

(a) any sums intended for any expenditure specified in regulation 132(2)(a) to (e), necessary as a result of the student’s attendance on the course, are to be disregarded;

(b) any covenant income, up to the amount of the standard maintenance grant, which is not so disregarded is to be apportioned equally between the weeks of the period of study and there is to be disregarded from the covenant income to be so apportioned the amount which would have been disregarded under regulation 132(2)(f) and (g) and (3) had the student been in receipt of the standard maintenance grant;

(c) the balance, if any, is to be divided by 52 or, if there are 53 benefit weeks (including part-weeks) in the year, 53 and treated as weekly income of which £5 is to be disregarded.

(2) Where a student is in receipt of income by way of a grant and no contribution has been assessed, the amount of the student’s covenant income is to be calculated in accordance with paragraph (1), except that—

(a) the value of the standard maintenance grant is to be abated by the amount of the student’s grant income less an amount equal to the amount of any sums disregarded under regulation 132(2)(a) to (e); and

(b) the amount to be disregarded under paragraph (1)(b) is to be abated by an amount equal to the amount of any sums disregarded under regulation 132(2)(f) and (g) and (3).