PART IIIE+W+SPAYMENTS

[F1Child benefit and guardian’s allowance]E+W+S

23.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this regulation F2..., child benefit shall be payable as follows:–

(a)in a case where a person entitled to child benefit elects to receive payment weekly in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 8, child benefit shall be payable weekly from the first convenient date after the election has been made;

(b)in any other case child benefit shall be payable in the last week of each successive period of four weeks of the period of entitlement.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3) and regulation 21, child benefit payable weekly or four-weekly shall be payable on Mondays or Tuesdays (as the Secretary of State may in any case determine) [F3by means of serial orders or on presentation of an instrument for benefit payment].

(3) In such cases as the Secretary of State may determine, child benefit shall be payable otherwise than–

(a)by means of serial orders [F4or on presentation of an instrument for benefit payment], or

(b)on Mondays or Tuesdays, or

(c)at weekly or four-weekly intervals,

and where child benefit is paid at four-weekly intervals in accordance with paragraph (1)(b) the Secretary of State shall arrange for it to be paid weekly if satisfied that payment at intervals of four weeks is causing hardship.

[F5(3A) Where a claimant for child benefit is also entitled to guardian’s allowance, that allowance shall be payable in the same manner and at the same intervals as the claimant’s child benefit under this regulation.]

(4) The Secretary of State shall take steps to notify persons to whom child benefit is payable of the arrangements he has made for payment so far as those arrangements affect such persons.

Textual Amendments

F2Words in reg. 23(1) omitted (1.4.2003 comes into force immediately before IF Date1) by virtue of The Social Security (Claims and Payments and Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/2441), regs. 1(1)(b), 4 (with reg. 15)