The Social Security (Loss of Benefit) Regulations 2001

Applicable amount of joint-claim couple in hardship cases

16.—(1) The weekly applicable amount of a couple to whom a joint-claim jobseeker’s allowance is payable in accordance with this Part shall be reduced by a sum equivalent to 40 per cent. or, in a case where a member of the joint-claim couple is either pregnant or seriously ill or where a member of the joint-claim couple is a member of a polygamous marriage and one of those members is either pregnant or seriously ill, 20 per cent. of the following amount—

(a) where one member of the joint-claim couple or of the polygamous marriage is aged not less than 18 but less than 25 and the other member or, in the case of a polygamous marriage, each other member, is a person under 18 to whom section 3A(1)(e)(ii) of the Jobseekers Act applies or is not subject to a direction under section 16 of that Act, the amount specified in paragraph 1(1)(d) of Schedule 1 to the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations;

(b) where one member of the joint-claim couple or at least one member of the polygamous marriage (other than a member of a couple or polygamous marriage to whom sub-paragraph (a) applies) is aged not less than 18, the amount specified in paragraph 1(1)(e) of Schedule 1 to the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations.

(2) A reduction under paragraph (1) shall, if it is not a multiple of 5p, be rounded to the nearest such multiple or, if it is a multiple of 2.5p but not of 5p, to the next lower multiple of 5p.