The Social Security Benefit (Computation of Earnings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Calculation of earnings of employed earners

6.—(1) Earnings derived from employment as an employed earner shall be calculated or estimated over a period determined in accordance with the following paragraphs and at a weekly amount determined in accordance with regulation 8 (calculation of weekly amount of earnings).

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (5) to (8), the period over which earnings are to be taken into account shall be—

(a) in a case where they are payable in respect of a period, a period equal to a benefit week or such number of benefit weeks as comprise the period commencing on the date on which earnings are treated as paid under regulation 7 (date on which earnings are treated as paid) and ending on the day before the date on which earnings of the same kind (excluding earnings of the kind mentioned in regulation 9(1)(a) to (j)) and from the same source would, or would if the employment was continuing, next be treated as paid under that regulation;

(b) in any other case, a period equal to such number of weeks as is equal to the number (less any fraction of a whole number) calculated in accordance with the formula—

where—

• P is the net earnings;

• Q is the amount of the relevant earnings limit plus one penny; and

• R is the total of the sums which would fall to be disregarded or deducted as appropriate under regulation 10(2) or (3) (calculation of net earnings of employed earners),

  • and that period shall begin on the date on which the earnings are treated as paid under regulation 7.

(3) Where earnings not of the same kind are derived from the same source and the periods in respect of which those earnings would, but for this paragraph, fall to be taken into account overlap, wholly or partly, those earnings shall be taken into account over a period—

(a) equal to the aggregate length of those periods; and

(b) beginning with the earliest date on which any part of those earnings would otherwise be treated as paid under regulation 7.

(4) In a case to which paragraph (3) applies, earnings under regulation 9 (earnings of employed earners) shall be taken into account in the following order of priority—

(a) earnings normally derived from the employment;

(b) any payment to which paragraph (1)(b) or (c) of that regulation applies;

(c) any payment to which paragraph (1)(i) of that regulation applies;

(d) any payment to which paragraph (1)(d) of that regulation applies.

(5) Where earnings to which regulation 9(1)(b) to (d) applies are paid in respect of part of a day, those earnings shall be taken into account over a period equal to a week.

(6) Where earnings to which regulation 9(1)(i)(i) applies are paid in respect of, or on the termination of, any employment which is not part-time employment, the period over which they are to be taken into account shall be—

(a) a period equal to such number of weeks as is equal to the number (less any fraction of a whole number) obtained by dividing the net earnings by the maximum weekly amount which, on the date on which the payment of earnings is made, is specified in Article 23(1) of the Employment Rights Order; or

(b) a period equal to the length of the specified period,

whichever is the shorter, and that period shall begin on the date on which the earnings are treated as paid under regulation 7.

(7) Any earnings to which regulation 9(1)(i)(ii) applies which are paid in respect of, or on the termination of, part-time employment shall be taken into account over a period equal to a week.

(8) In this regulation—

• “part-time employment” means—

  (a)

  subject to paragraphs (b) to (d), employment in which a person is engaged or, where his hours of work fluctuate, he is engaged on average, for less than 16 hours a week being work for which payment is made or which is done in expectation of payment;

  (b)

  subject to paragraph (c), the number of hours for which a person is engaged in work shall be determined—

  (i)

  where no recognisable cycle has been established in respect of his work, by reference to the number of hours or, where those hours are likely to fluctuate, the average of the hours, which he is expected to work in a week,

  (ii)

  where the number of hours for which he is engaged fluctuate, by reference to the average of hours worked over—

  (aa)

  where there is a recognisable cycle of work, the period of one complete cycle (including, where the cycle involves periods in which he does not work, those periods but disregarding any other absences),

  (bb)

  in any other case, the period of 5 weeks immediately before the date of claim or the date of review, or such other period as may, in the particular case, enable his average hours of work to be determined more accurately;

  (c)

  where, for the purpose of paragraph (b)(ii)(aa), a person’s recognisable cycle of work at a school, other educational establishment or other place of employment is one year and includes periods of school holidays or similar vacations during which he does not work, those periods and any other periods not forming part of such holidays or vacations during which he is not required to work shall be disregarded in establishing the average hours for which he is engaged in work;

  (d)

  for the purposes of paragraphs (a) and (b), in determining the number of hours for which a person is engaged in work, that number shall include any time allowed to him by his employer for meals or refreshment, but only where that person is, or expects to be, paid earnings in respect of that time;