Social Security Act 1975

PART I The conditions

Unemployment and sickness benefit

1 (1) The contribution conditions for unemployment benefit or sickness benefit are the following.

(2) The first condition is that—

(a) the claimant must in respect of any one year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class, and those contributions must have been paid before the relevant time ; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 25.

(3) The second condition is that—

(a) the claimant must in respect of the relevant past year have either paid or been credited with contributions of a relevant class; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 50.

(4) For the purposes of these conditions—

(a) " the relevant time " is the day in respect of which benefit is claimed; and

(b) " the relevant past year" is the last complete year before the beginning of the relevant benefit year ; and

(c) " the relevant benefit year " is the benefit year in which there falls the beginning of the period of interruption of employment which includes the relevant time.

Maternity grant

2 (1) The contribution conditions for a maternity grant are the following.

(2) The first condition is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of any one year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class, and those contributions must have been paid before the relevant time ; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 25.

(3) The second condition is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of the relevant past year have either paid or been credited with contributions of a relevant class ; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 25.

(4) For the purposes of these conditions—

(a) " the relevant time " is—

(i) the date of the claimant's confinement where she herself is the contributor concerned, or that contributor is her husband and he is on that date alive and under pensionable age, and

(ii) in any other case, the date on which the contributor concerned attained pensionable age or died under that age ; and

(b) " the relevant past year" is the last complete year before the beginning of the benefit year in which the relevant time falls.

Maternity allowance

3 (1) The contribution conditions for a maternity allowance are the following.

(2) The first condition is that—

(a) the claimant must in respect of any one year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class, and those contributions must have been paid before the relevant time; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 25.

(3) The second condition is that—

(a) the claimant must in respect of the relevant past year have either paid or been credited with contributions of a relevant class; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 50.

(4) For the purposes of these conditions—

(a) " the relevant time" is the beginning of the maternity allowance period; and

(b) "the relevant past year " is the last complete year before the beginning of the relevant benefit year ; and

(c) " the relevant benefit year" is the benefit year in which there falls the beginning of the period of interruption of employment which includes the relevant time.

Widow's allowance

4 (1) The contribution condition for a widow's allowance is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of any one relevant year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class ; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 25.

(2) For the purposes of this condition a relevant year is any year ending before the date on which the contributor concerned attained pensionable age or died under that age.

Widowed mother's allowance and widow's pension; retirement pensions (Categories A and B)

5 (1) The contribution conditions for a widowed mother's allowance, a widow's pension or a Category A or Category B retirement pension are the following.

(2) The first condition is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of any one relevant year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 50.

(3) The second condition is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of each of not less than the requisite number of years of his working life have paid or been credited with contributions of a relevant class ; and

(b) in the case of the contributions of each of those years, the earnings factor derived from them must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 50.

(4) For the purposes of the first condition, a relevant year is any year ending before that in which the contributor concerned attained pensionable age or died under that age ; and the following table shows the requisite number of years for the purpose of the second condition, by reference to a working life of a given duration:—

Duration of working life	Requisite number of years
10 years or less	The number of years of the working life, minus 1.
20 years or less (but more than 10)	The number of years of the working life, minus 2.
30 years or less (but more than 20)	The number of years of the working life, minus 3.
40 years or less (but more than 30)	The number of years of the working life, minus 4.
More than 40 years	The number of years of the working life, minus 5.

(5) The first condition shall be deemed to be satisfied if the contributor concerned was entitled to an invalidity pension at any time during—

(a) the year in which he attained pensionable age or died under that age, or

(b) the year immediately preceding that year.

Child's special allowance

6 (1) The contribution condition for a child's special allowance is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of any one relevant year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class ; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 50.

(2) For the purposes of this condition, a relevant year is any year ending before the date on which the contributor concerned attained pensionable age or died under that age.

Death grant

7 (1) The contribution condition for a death grant is that—

(a) the contributor concerned must in respect of any one year ending before the relevant year have actually paid contributions of a relevant class ; and

(b) the earnings factor derived from those contributions must be not less than that year's lower earnings limit multiplied by 25.

(2) For the purposes of this condition, " the relevant year " is the year in which occurred the death giving rise to the claim for a death grant, except that if immediately before the date of the death the contributor concerned was himself dead or over pensionable age it is the year in which he attained that age or died under it.