The Housing Benefit Regulations 2006

Calculation of income other than earnings

40.—(1) For the purposes of regulation 31 (average weekly income other than earnings), the income of a claimant which does not consist of earnings to be taken into account shall, subject to paragraphs (2) to (7) be his gross income and any capital treated as income under regulation 41 (capital treated as income).

(2) There shall be disregarded from the calculation of a claimant’s gross income under paragraph (1), any sum, where applicable, specified in Schedule 5.

(3) An authority may modify this Part so as to provide for disregarding, in determining a person’s income (whether he is the occupier of a dwelling or any other person whose income falls to be aggregated with that of the occupier of a dwelling), the whole or any part of any war widower’s pension payable to that person.

(4) An authority may modify this Part so as to provide for disregarding, in determining a woman’s income (whether she is the occupier of a dwelling or any other person whose income falls to be aggregated with that of the occupier of a dwelling), the whole or any part of a pension payable to her as a widow under the Naval, Military and Air Forces etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order 1983 insofar as that Order is made under the Naval and Marine Pay and Pensions Act 1865(1), or is made only under section 12(1) of the Social Security (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1977(2) and any power of Her Majesty otherwise than under an enactment to make provision about pensions for or in respect of persons who have been disabled or have died in consequence of service as members of the armed forces of the Crown, to the extent that such a pension does not fall to be disregarded by virtue of paragraph 15 of Schedule 5.

(5) Where the payment of any benefit under the benefit Acts is subject to any deduction by way of recovery the amount to be taken into account under paragraph (1) shall be the gross amount payable.

(6) Where an award of any working tax credit or child tax credit under the Tax Credits Act is subject to a deduction by way of recovery of an overpayment of working tax credit or child tax credit which arose in a previous tax year the amount to be taken into account under paragraph (1) shall be the amount of working tax credit or child tax credit awarded less the amount of that deduction.

(7) Paragraph (8) applies where—

(a) a relevant payment has been made to a person in an academic year; and

(b) that person abandons, or is dismissed from, his course of study before the payment to him of the final instalment of the relevant payment.

(8) The amount of a relevant payment to be taken into account for the assessment period for the purposes of paragraph (1) in respect of a person to whom paragraph (7) applies, shall be calculated by applying the formula—

where—

• A= the total amount of the relevant payment which that person would have received had he remained a student until the last day of the academic term in which he abandoned, or was dismissed from, his course, less any deduction under regulation 64(5);

• B= the number of benefit weeks from the benefit week immediately following that which includes the first day of that academic year to the benefit week which includes the day on which the person abandoned, or was dismissed from, his course;

• C= the weekly amount of the relevant payment, before the application of the £10 disregard, which would have been taken into account as income under regulation 64(2) had the person not abandoned or been dismissed from, his course and, in the case of a person who was not entitled to housing benefit immediately before he abandoned or was dismissed from his course, had that person, at that time, been entitled to housing benefit;

• D= the number of benefit weeks in the assessment period.

(9) In paragraphs (7) and (8)—

“academic year” and “student loan” shall have the same meanings as for the purposes of Part 7;

“assessment period” means the period beginning with the benefit week immediately following that which includes the day on which the person abandoned, or was dismissed from, his course and ending with the benefit week which includes the last day of the last quarter for which an instalment of the relevant payment was payable to that person and for the purposes of this definition, “quarter” shall have the same meaning as for the purposes of the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2005(3);

“relevant payment” means either a student loan or an amount intended for the maintenance of dependants referred to in regulation 59(7) or both.

(10) For the avoidance of doubt there shall be included as income to be taken into account under paragraph (1)—

(a) any payment to which regulation 35(2) (payments not earnings) applies; or

(b) in the case of a claimant who is receiving support under section 95 or 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act including support provided by virtue of regulations made under Schedule 9 to that Act, the amount of such support provided in respect of essential living needs of the claimant and his dependants (if any) as is specified in regulations made under paragraph 3 of Schedule 8 to the Immigration and Asylum Act.

(1)

28&29 Vict. c. 73.

(2)

1977 c. 5.

(3)

S.I. 2005/52.