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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Covid-19 issues  →  Thread

Treatment of Test and trace payments for social security

EKS_COTTON
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Tax and Welfare Rights Officer, Equity

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Total Posts: 288

Joined: 10 March 2014

Hello,

DWP guidance published in Sept 2020 says NHS test and trace payments are disregarded as income/capital for means tested benefits: https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/welfare-rights/news/item/treatment-of-nhs-test-and-trace-self-isolation-payments-in-the-calculation-of-income-related-benefits

But the guidance says restricted at the time to Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham or Pendle.  Can we safely assume this applies UK wide now even though there doesn’t seem to be updated DWP guidance (unless I have missed something)?

And safe to assume these payments and similar are discounted for Tax Credits purposes also? https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/welfare-rights/news/item/amendments-to-tax-credits-legislation-in-consequence-of-coronavirus-and-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

EKS

Stuart
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Joined: 21 March 2016

I think it’s safe to assume… changes to tax credits and benefits regs have not been altered as far as I am aware and refer to national schemes rather than pilot -  here’s a summary of test and trace roll-out dates confirming English version went National on 28 September 2020

The Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme opened to claimants in England on 28 September 2020 (following a pilot in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham from 1 September 2020). The Self-Isolation Support Grant opened to claimants in Scotland on 12 October 2020. The Self-Isolation Support Payment opened to claimants in Wales on 23 October 2020.

(from explanatory notes to SI.No.92/2021) on the tax treatment of coronavirus scheme payments to the self-employed.