These Regulations bring the Rate Relief Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 in line with universal credit rules in preparation for the managed migration of legacy benefit claimants to universal credit to ensure compatibility. The policy in relation to the impact of migration to UC on rate rebate has not changed. They also update cross-referencing within the regulations.

The regulations also provide that the relevant authority may treat claims to rate rebate as made without the need to submit a new claim when it is aware that there would be entitlement to rate rebate for periods between the effective date of a decision to disallow a rate rebate award and the date that decision is made. Where the relevant authority is not aware of entitlement the regulations now allow claimants 3 months from the date the decision is issued in which to claim rate rebate to prevent them being out of time to make such claims. They also allow a claim to be treated as made in circumstances where an award of rate rebate is disallowed but there would be entitlement the next day if a new claim was to be made.