The Universal Credit Regulations 2013

CHAPTER 2 U.K. EARNED INCOME

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pt. 6 Ch. 2 excluded in part (27.7.2013) by S.I. 2013/1508, regs. 1(2), 7(3)(b)

Introduction U.K.

51.  This Chapter provides for the calculation or estimation of a person's earned income for the purposes of section 8 of the Act (calculation of awards).

Meaning of “earned income” U.K.

52.  “ Earned income” means—

(a) the remuneration or profits derived from—

(i) employment under a contract of service or in an office, including elective office,

(ii) a trade, profession or vocation, or

(iii) any other paid work; or

(b) any income treated as earned income in accordance with this Chapter.

Meaning of other terms relating to earned income U.K.

53.—(1) In this Chapter—

“car” has the meaning in section 268A of the Capital Allowances Act 2001 M1 ;

“employed earnings” has the meaning in regulation 55;

“gainful self-employment” has the meaning in regulation 64;

“HMRC” means Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs;

“motor cycle” has the meaning in section 268A of the Capital Allowances Act 2001;

“ PAYE Regulations” means the Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003 M2 ;

“relievable pension contributions” has the meaning in section 188 of the Finance Act 2004 M3 ;

“self-employed earnings” has the meaning in regulation 57; and

“start-up period” has the meaning in regulation 63.

(2) References in this Chapter to a person participating as a service user are to—

(a) a person who is being consulted by or on behalf of—

(i) a body which has a statutory duty to provide services in the field of health, social care or social housing; or

(ii) a body which conducts research or undertakes monitoring for the purpose of planning or improving such services,

in their capacity as a user, potential user, carer of a user or person otherwise affected by the provision of those services; or

[F1 (ab) a person who is being consulted by or on behalf of—

(i) the Secretary of State in relation to any of the Secretary of State’s functions in the field of social security or child support or under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973; or

(ii) a body which conducts research or undertakes monitoring for the purpose of planning or improving such functions,

in their capacity as a person affected or potentially affected by the exercise of those functions or the carer of such a person;]

(b) the carer of a person consulted under [F2 sub-paragraphs (a) or (ab)].

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 53(2)(ab) inserted (23.2.2015) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/67), regs. 1, 2(1)(2)(a)

F2 Words in reg. 53(2)(b) substituted (23.2.2015) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/67), regs. 1, 2(1)(2)(b)

Marginal Citations

M1 2001 c.2. Section 268A was inserted by section 30 of the Finance Act 2009 (c.10).

M2 S.I. 2003/2682.

M3 2004 c.12.

Calculation of earned income - general principles U.K.

54.—(1) The calculation of a person's earned income in respect of an assessment period is, unless otherwise provided in this Chapter, to be based on the actual amounts received in that period.

(2) Where the Secretary of State—

(a) makes a determination as to whether the financial conditions in section 5 of the Act are met before the expiry of the first assessment period in relation to a claim for universal credit; or

(b) makes a determination as to the amount of a person's earned income in relation to an assessment period where a person has failed to report information in relation to that earned income,

that determination may be based on an estimate of the amounts received or expected to be received in that assessment period.

Employed earnings U.K.

55.—(1) This regulation applies for the purposes of calculating earned income from employment under a contract of service or in an office, including elective office (“employed earnings”).

(2) Employed earnings comprise any amounts that are general earnings, as defined in section 7(3) of ITEPA, but excluding—

(a) amounts that are treated as earnings under Chapters 2 to 11 of Part 3 of ITEPA (the benefits code); and

(b) amounts that are exempt from income tax under Part 4 of ITEPA.

(3) In the calculation of employed earnings the following are to be disregarded—

(a) expenses that are allowed to be deducted under Chapter 2 of Part 5 of ITEPA; and

(b) expenses arising from participation as a service user (see regulation 53(2)).

(4) The following benefits are to be treated as employed earnings—

(a) statutory sick pay;

(b) statutory maternity pay;

(c) F3 ... statutory paternity pay;

F4 (d) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(e) statutory adoption pay[F5 ; and]

[F6 (f) statutory shared parental pay.]

[F7 (4A) A repayment of income tax or national insurance contributions received by a person from HMRC in respect of a tax year in which the person was in paid work is to be treated as employed earnings unless it is taken into account as self-employed earnings under regulation 57(4).]

(5) In calculating the amount of a person's employed earnings in respect of an assessment period, there are to be deducted from the amount of general earnings or benefits specified in paragraphs (2) to (4)—

(a) any relievable pension contributions made by the person in that period;

(b) any amounts paid by the person in that period in respect of the employment by way of income tax or primary Class 1 contributions under section 6(1) of the Contributions and Benefits Act; and

(c) any sums withheld as donations to an approved scheme under Part 12 of ITEPA (payroll giving) by a person required to make deductions or repayments of income tax under the PAYE Regulations.

Textual Amendments

F3 Word in reg. 55(4)(c) omitted (5.4.2015) by virtue of The Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3255), arts. 1(3), 28(4)(a) (with art. 35(1))

F4 Reg. 55(4)(d) omitted (5.4.2015) by virtue of The Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3255), arts. 1(3), 28(4)(b) (with art. 35(1))

F5 Word in reg. 55(4)(e) substituted for full stop (31.12.2014) by The Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3255), arts. 1(2), 28(4)(c)

F6 Reg. 55(4)(f) inserted (31.12.2014) by The Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3255), arts. 1(2), 28(4)(d)

F7 Reg. 55(4A) inserted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments (No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2888), regs. 1(1), 4(2)

Employee involved in trade dispute U.K.

56.  A person who has had employed earnings and has withdrawn their labour in furtherance of a trade dispute is, unless their contract of service has been terminated, to be assumed to have employed earnings at the same level as they would have had were it not for the trade dispute.

Self-employed earnings U.K.

57.—(1) This regulation applies for the purpose of calculating earned income that is not employed earnings and is derived from carrying on a trade, profession or vocation (“self-employed earnings”).

(2) A person's self-employed earnings in respect of an assessment period are to be calculated by taking the amount of the gross profits (or, in the case of a partnership, the person's share of those profits) of the trade, profession or vocation and deducting from that amount—

(a) any payment made to HMRC in the assessment period in respect of the trade, profession or vocation by way of—

(i) Class 2 contributions [F8 under section 11(2), (6) or (8)] of the Contributions and Benefits Act or any Class 4 contributions payable under section 15 of that Act, or

(ii) income tax; and

(b) any relievable pension contributions made by the person in the assessment period (unless a deduction has been made in respect of those contributions in calculating a person's employed earnings).

(3) The gross profits of the trade, profession or vocation in respect of an assessment period are the actual receipts in that period less any deductions for expenses allowed under regulation 58 or 59.

(4) The receipts referred to in paragraph (3) include receipts in kind and any refund or repayment of income tax, value added tax or national insurance contributions relating to the trade, profession or vocation.

[F9 (5) Where the purchase of an asset has been deducted as an expense in any assessment period and, in a subsequent assessment period, the asset is sold or ceases to be used for the purposes of a trade, profession or vocation carried on by the person, the proceeds of sale (or, as the case may be, the amount that would be received for the asset if it were sold at its current market value) are to be treated as a receipt in that subsequent assessment period.]

Textual Amendments

F8 Words in reg. 57(2)(a)(i) substituted (6.4.2015) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 2) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/478), regs. 1(4), 36

F9 Reg. 57(5) inserted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments (No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2888), regs. 1(1), 4(3)

Permitted expenses U.K.

58.—(1) The deductions allowed in the calculation of self-employed earnings are amounts paid in the assessment period in respect of—

(a) expenses that have been wholly and exclusively incurred for purposes of the trade, profession or vocation; or

(b) in the case of expenses that have been incurred for more than one purpose, an identifiable part or proportion that has been wholly and exclusively incurred for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation,

excluding any expenses that were incurred unreasonably.

(2) Payments deducted under paragraph (1) may include value added tax.

(3) No deduction may be made for payments in respect of—

(a) expenditure on non-depreciating assets (including property, shares or other assets held for investment purposes);

(b) any loss incurred in respect of a previous assessment period;

(c) repayment of capital F10 . . . in relation to a loan taken out for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation;

(d) expenses for business entertainment.

[F11 (3A) A deduction for a payment of interest in relation to a loan taken out for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation may not exceed £41.]

(4) This regulation is subject to regulation 59.

Textual Amendments

F10 Words in reg. 58(3)(c) omitted (29.7.2013) by virtue of The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1508), regs. 1(2)(a), 3(7)(a)

F11 Reg. 58(3A) inserted (29.7.2013) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1508), regs. 1(2)(a), 3(7)(b)

Flat rate deductions for mileage and use of home and adjustment for personal use of business premises U.K.

59.—(1) This regulation provides for alternatives to the deductions that would otherwise be allowed under regulation 58.

(2) Instead of a deduction in respect of the actual expenses incurred in relation to the acquisition or use of a motor vehicle, the following deductions are allowed according to the mileage covered on journeys undertaken in the assessment period for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation—

(a) in a car, van or other motor vehicle (apart from a motorcycle), 45 pence per mile for the first 833 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter; and

(b) on a motorcycle, 24 pence per mile,

and, if the motor vehicle is a car F12 . . . , the only deduction allowed for the acquisition or use of that vehicle is a deduction under this paragraph.

(3) Where a person carrying on a trade, profession or vocation incurs expenses in relation to the use of accommodation occupied as their home, instead of a deduction in respect of the actual expenses, a deduction is allowed according to the number of hours spent in the assessment period on income generating activities related to the trade, profession or vocation as follows—

(a) at least 25 hours but no more than 50 hours, £10;

(b) more than 50 hours but no more than 100 hours, £18;

(c) more than 100 hours, £26.

(4) Where premises which are used by a person mainly for the purposes of a trade, profession or vocation are also occupied by that person for their personal use, whether alone or with other persons, the deduction allowed for expenses in relation to those premises is the amount that would be allowed under regulation 58(1) if the premises were used wholly and exclusively for purposes of the trade, profession or vocation, but reduced by the following amount according to the number of persons occupying the premises for their personal use—

(a) £350 for one person;

(b) £500 for two persons;

(c) £650 for three or more persons.

Textual Amendments

F12 Words in reg. 59(2) omitted (29.7.2013) by virtue of The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1508), regs. 1(2)(a), 3(8)

Notional earned income U.K.

60.—(1) A person who has deprived themselves of earned income, or whose employer has arranged for them to be so deprived, for the purpose of securing entitlement to universal credit or to an increased amount of universal credit is to be treated as possessing that earned income.

(2) Such a purpose is to be treated as existing if, in fact, entitlement or higher entitlement to universal credit did result and, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, this was a foreseeable and intended consequence of the deprivation.

(3) If a person provides services for another person and—

(a) the other person makes no payment for those services or pays less than would be paid for comparable services in the same location; and

(b) the means of the other person were sufficient to pay for, or pay more for, those services,

the person who provides the services is to be treated as having received the remuneration that would be reasonable for the provision of those services.

(4) Paragraph (3) does not apply where—

(a) the person is engaged to provide the services by a charitable or voluntary organisation and the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is reasonable to provide the services free of charge or at less than the rate that would be paid for comparable services in the same location;

(b) the services are provided by a person who is participating as a service user (see regulation 53(2)); or

(c) the services are provided under or in connection with a person's participation in an employment or training programme approved by the Secretary of State.

[F13 Information for calculating earned income - real time information etc U.K.

61.— (1) Unless paragraph (2) applies, a person must provide such information for the purposes of calculating their earned income at such times as the Secretary of State may require.

(2) Where a person is, or has been, engaged in an employment in respect of which their employer is a Real Time Information employer—

(a) the amount of the person’s employed earnings from that employment for each assessment period is to be based on the information which is reported to HMRC under the PAYE Regulations and is received by the Secretary of State from HMRC in that assessment period; and

(b) for an assessment period in which no information is received from HMRC, the amount of employed earnings in relation to that employment is to be taken to be nil.

(3) The Secretary of State may determine that paragraph (2) does not apply—

(a) in respect of a particular employment, where the Secretary of State considers that the information from the employer is unlikely to be sufficiently accurate or timely; or

(b) in respect of a particular assessment period where—

(i) no information is received from HMRC and the Secretary of State considers that this is likely to be because of a failure to report information (which includes the failure of a computer system operated by HMRC, the employer or any other person); or

(ii) the Secretary of State considers that the information received from HMRC is incorrect, or fails to reflect the definition of employed earnings in regulation 55, in some material respect.

(4) Where the Secretary of State determines that paragraph (2) does not apply, the Secretary of State must make a decision as to the amount of the person’s employed earnings for the assessment period in accordance with regulation 55 (employed earnings) using such information or evidence as the Secretary of State thinks fit.

(5) When the Secretary of State makes a decision in accordance with paragraph (4) the Secretary of State may—

(a) treat a payment of employed earnings received by the person in one assessment period as received in a later assessment period (for example where the Secretary of State has received the information in that later period or would, if paragraph (2) applied, have expected to receive information about that payment from HMRC in that later period); or

(b) where a payment of employed earnings has been taken into account in that decision, disregard information about the same payment which is received from HMRC.

(6) Paragraph (5) also applies where the Secretary of State makes a decision under regulation 41(3) of the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2013 in a case where the person disputes the information provided by HMRC.

(7) In this regulation “Real Time Information Employer” has the meaning in regulation 2A(1) of the PAYE Regulations.]

Textual Amendments

F13 Reg. 61 substituted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments (No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2888), regs. 1(1), 4(4)

Gainful self-employment U.K.

[F14 Minimum income floor U.K.

62.— (1) This regulation applies to a claimant who—

(a) is in gainful self-employment (see regulation 64); and

(b) would, apart from this regulation, fall within section 22 of the Act (claimants subject to all work-related requirements).

(2) Where this regulation applies to a single claimant, for any assessment period in respect of which the claimant’s earned income is less than their individual threshold, the claimant is to be treated as having earned income equal to that threshold.

(3) Where this regulation applies to a claimant who is a member of a couple, for any assessment period in respect of which—

(a) the claimant’s earned income is less than their individual threshold; and

(b) the couple’s combined earned income is less than the couple threshold,

the claimant is to be treated as having earned income equal to their individual threshold minus any amount by which that amount of earned income combined with their partner’s earned income would exceed the couple threshold.

(4) In this regulation, references to the claimant’s individual threshold and to the couple threshold are to the amounts set out in regulation 90(2) and 90(3) respectively, converted to net monthly amounts by—

(a) multiplying by 52 and dividing by 12; and

(b) deducting such amount for income tax and national insurance contributions as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(5) An assessment period referred to in this regulation does not include an assessment period which falls wholly within a start-up period or begins or ends in a start-up period.]

Textual Amendments

F14 Reg. 62 substituted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments (No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2888), regs. 1(1), 4(5)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C2 Reg. 62 excluded (29.7.2013) by S.I. 2013/383, reg. 13(3) (as substituted by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1508), regs. 1(2)(a), 7(3)(b))

Start-up period U.K.

63.—(1) A “start-up period” is a period of 12 months and applies from the beginning of the assessment period in which the Secretary of State determines that a claimant is in gainful self-employment where—

(a) the claimant has begun to carry on the trade, profession or vocation which is their main employment in the 12 months preceding the beginning of that assessment period; and

(b) the claimant is taking active steps to increase their earnings from that employment to the level of the claimant's individual threshold (see regulation 90).

(2) But no start-up period may apply in relation to a claimant where a start-up period has previously applied in relation to that claimant, whether in relation to the current award or any previous award of universal credit, unless that previous start-up period—

(a) began more than 5 years before the beginning of assessment period referred to in paragraph (1); and

(b) applied in relation to a different trade, profession or vocation which the claimant has ceased to carry on.

(3) The Secretary of State may terminate a start-up period at any time if the person is no longer in gainful self-employment or is no longer taking the steps referred to in paragraph (1)(b).

Meaning of “gainful self-employment” U.K.

64.  A claimant is in gainful self-employment for the purposes of regulations 62 and 63 where the Secretary of State has determined that—

(a) the claimant is carrying on a trade, profession or vocation as their main employment;

(b) their earnings from that trade, profession or vocation are self-employed earnings; and

(c) the trade, profession or vocation is organised, developed, regular and carried on in expectation of profit.