The Social Security (Back to Work Bonus) (No.2)Regulations 1996

[F1 Connecting period E+W+S

4.— (1) Subject to the following provisions of this regulation, a connecting period arises where—

(a) within 12 weeks of a person ceasing to be entitled to a qualifying benefit he attends training, except where the person enters into a contract of service with the provider of the training, and lasts throughout the period of training;

(b) within 12 weeks of a person ceasing to be entitled to a qualifying benefit a maternity allowance becomes payable, and lasts throughout the period maternity allowance is payable to the person;

(c) a person ceases to be entitled to a qualifying benefit and in respect of the whole or part of the period of 12 weeks immediately following the day he ceases to be entitled, he becomes entitled (“the new entitlement") to any one of the following benefits—

(i) incapacity benefit;

(ii) severe disablement allowance; or

(iii) [F2 carer’s allowance],

and the connecting period lasts until the new entitlement ends or until the expiration of a period of 2 years from the date in respect of which the new entitlement began, whichever is the earlier;

(d) a person ceases to be entitled to one of the benefits mentioned in sub-paragraph (c) above and in respect of the whole or part of the period of 12 weeks immediately following the day he ceases to be so entitled, he becomes entitled to the same or another of those benefits, and the connecting period lasts until the end of the period of entitlement to that benefit or until the expiration of the period of 2 years from the day in respect of which the new entitlement mentioned in sub-paragraph (c) began, whichever is the earlier; or

(e) a person who is treated under paragraph (4) of regulation 3 as having established a period of entitlement to a qualifying benefit under paragraph (5) of the same regulation satisfies the preceding sub-paragraphs of this paragraph within 12 weeks of the date which applies in his case in accordance with paragraph (6) of regulation 3, and lasts throughout the period the person satisfies the preceding sub-paragraphs of this paragraph.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(d) where two periods of incapacity for work within the meaning of section 30C(1) of the Benefits Act M1 are separated by a period of more than 8 weeks, the second of those periods is only a connecting period where, in the weeks between the two periods of incapacity for work, the person was entitled to a qualifying benefit which ceased with the onset of the second of those periods of incapacity for work.

(3) In any relevant period, only one connecting period which arises in accordance with paragraph (1)(c) or (d) shall apply in any particular case, and for this purpose, a “relevant period" is the period which falls between periods of entitlement to a qualifying benefit.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(d) any part of the period of up to 12 weeks mentioned in that sub-paragraph in which the person was not entitled to one of the benefits to which paragraph (1)(c) refers shall be disregarded in determining the period of 2 years.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Instrument revoked (25.10.2004) by The Social Security (Back to Work Bonus and Lone Parent Run-on) (Amendment and Revocation) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1589), reg. 8 (with reg. 10)

F2 Words in reg. 4 substituted (1.4.2003) by The Social Security Amendment (Carers Allowance) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/2497), reg. 1(b), Sch. 2 paras. 1, 2

Marginal Citations

M1 Section 30C was inserted by the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994 (c. 18), section 3(1).