The Universal Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

Waiting days

20.—(1) Entitlement to universal credit does not arise in the first 7 days of the period in respect of which the claim is made if—

(a) on the first day of that period (“the relevant date”) the claimant, or either of joint claimants, falls within Article 27 of the Order (claimants subject to all work-related requirements), and

(b) none of the exceptions in paragraph (3) applies.

(2) A claimant who may fall outside Article 27 of the Order only because they have limited capability for work is to be taken to fall within that Article for the purposes of this regulation.

(3) The exceptions are—

(a) where a new award of universal credit is made—

(i) to a single claimant as a consequence of a previous award having ended when the claimant ceased to be a member of a couple or to joint claimants as a consequence of two previous awards having ended when the claimants became a couple, or

(ii) in any other circumstances in which the assessment periods for that award are to begin on the same day of each month as the assessment periods for a previous award (see regulation 22), or

(b) where, on the relevant date, the claimant (or either of joint claimants)—

(i) is terminally ill,

(ii) has recently been a victim of domestic violence (as determined in accordance with regulation 96(3)),

(iii) is a care leaver or a person under the age of 22 who is claiming universal credit for the first time and was a care leaver before reaching the age of 18,

(iv) is aged 16 or 17 and without parental support (as determined within regulation 8(3)),

(v) has been a prisoner within the month ending on the relevant date, or

(vi) has been entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance or an employment and support allowance within the 3 months ending on the relevant date.

(4) In order to determine whether a single claimant, or either of joint claimants, falls within Article 27 of the Order for the purposes of this regulation, the definition of monthly earnings in regulation 89(6) (claimants subject to no work-related requirements – the earnings threshold) is to be read as if the reference to the current assessment period were a reference to the month that would be the first assessment period of the award if paragraph (1) of this regulation did not apply.