Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015

PART 3 AMENDMENTS TO DO WITH STATE PENSION CREDIT

72.  The State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 is amended as follows.

73.  In section 3 (savings credit), for subsection (1) substitute—

“(1) The first of the conditions mentioned in section 1(2)(c)(ii) is that the claimant—

(a) has attained pensionable age before 6 April 2016 and has attained the age of 65 (before, on or after that date), or

(b) is a member of a couple, the other member of which falls within paragraph (a).”.

74.  After that section insert—

“3ZA.    Power to limit savings credit for certain mixed-age couples

(1) Regulations may provide that, in prescribed cases, a person who is a member of a mixed-age couple is not entitled to a savings credit.

(2) For example, the regulations could provide that a member of a mixed-age couple is not entitled to a savings credit unless—

(a) the person has been awarded a savings credit with effect from a day before 6 April 2016 and was entitled to a savings credit immediately before that date, and

(b) the person remained entitled to state pension credit at all times since the beginning of 6 April 2016.

(3) In this section “mixed-age couple” means a couple (whenever formed) one member of which had attained pensionable age before 6 April 2016 and the other had not.”.

75.  In Schedule 1 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, omit paragraph 41.