The Statutory Shared Parental Pay (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

Normal weekly earnings of a claimant for statutory shared parental pay

32.—(1) For the purpose of section 167ZZ7(6) (which defines normal weekly earnings for the purposes of Part 12ZC of the 1992 Act) “earnings” and “relevant period” have the meanings given in this regulation.

(2) The relevant period is the period—

(a) ending on the last normal pay day to fall before the appropriate date; and

(b) beginning with the day following the last normal pay day to fall at least eight weeks earlier than the normal pay day mentioned in sub-paragraph (a).

(3) In a case where a person has no identifiable normal pay day, paragraph (2) shall have effect as if the words “day of payment” were substituted for the words “normal pay day” in each place where they occur.

(4) In a case where a person has normal pay days at intervals of or approximating to one or more calendar months (including intervals of or approximating to a year) that person’s normal weekly earnings shall be calculated by dividing their earnings in the relevant period by the number of calendar months in that period (or, if it is not a whole number, the nearest whole number), multiplying the result by 12 and dividing by 52.

(5) In a case to which paragraph (4) does not apply and the relevant period is not an exact number of weeks, the person’s normal weekly earnings shall be calculated by dividing their earnings in the relevant period by the number of days in the relevant period and multiplying the result by seven.

(6) In any case where a person receives a back-dated pay increase which includes a sum in respect of a relevant period, normal weekly earnings shall be calculated as if such a sum was paid in that relevant period even though received after that period.

(7) The expression “earnings” refers to gross earnings and includes any remuneration or profit derived from a person’s employment except any amount which is—

(a) excluded from the computation of a person’s earnings under regulation 25 (payments to be disregarded) of, and Schedule 3 to, the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001 and regulation 27 (payments to directors to be disregarded) of those Regulations (or would have been so excluded had they not been made under the age of 16);

(b) a chargeable emolument under section 10A (class 1B contributions) of the 1992 Act(1) except where, in consequence of such a chargeable emolument being excluded from earnings, a person would not be entitled to statutory shared parental pay (or where such a payment or amount would have been so excluded and in consequence the person would not have been entitled to statutory shared parental pay had they not been aged under the age of 16).

(8) The expression “earnings” includes—

(a) any amount retrospectively treated as earnings by regulations made by virtue of section 4B(2) of the 1992 Act(2);

(b) any sum payable in respect of arrears of pay in pursuance of an order for reinstatement or re-engagement under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996;

(c) any sum payable by way of pay in pursuance of an order made under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 for the continuation of a contract of employment;

(d) any sum payable by way of remuneration in pursuance of a protective award under Article 217 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996(3);

(e) any sum payable by way of statutory sick pay, including sums payable in accordance with regulations made under section 147(6) of the 1992 Act;

(f) any sum payable by way of statutory maternity pay;

(g) any sum payable by way of statutory paternity pay;

(h) any sum payable by way of statutory shared parental pay; and

(i) any sum payable by way of statutory adoption pay.

(9) In paragraphs (2) to (4)—

(a) “the appropriate date” means—

(i) in relation to statutory shared parental pay (birth), the first day of the 14th week before the expected week of the child’s birth or the first day in the week in which the child is born, whichever is earlier (but see paragraph (10));

(ii) in relation to statutory shared parental pay (adoption) the first day of the week after the week in which A is notified of being matched with the child for the purposes of adoption;

(b) “day of payment” means a day on which the person was paid; and

(c) “normal pay day” means a day on which the terms of a person’s contract of service require the person to be paid, or the practice in that person’s employment is for that person to be paid if any payment is due to them.

(10) Where more than one child is born as a result of the same pregnancy, the date the first child is born is to be used to determine the week in which the child is born.

(1)

Section 10A was inserted by the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/1506 (N.I. 10)), Article 50.

(2)

Section 4B was inserted by the National Insurance Contributions Act 2006 (c. 10), section 2(1).

(3)

S.I. 1996/1919 (N.I. 16); Article 217(1) was substituted by, Article 217(1A) and (1B) was inserted by and paragraph (4) was amended by S.R. 1999 No. 432.