Miscellaneous amendments to social security regulations, including extension of the period over which the minimum income floor rules are relaxed

New statutory instrument

New regulations have been issued that make miscellaneous amendments to social security regulations, including the extension of the period over which the universal credit minimum income floor rules are relaxed.

In force from 12 November 2020, the Social Security (Coronavirus) (Further Measures) (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations 2020 (SI.No.1201/2020) amend the Social Security (Coronavirus) (Further Measures) Regulations 2020 (SI.No.371/2020) so that the relaxation of the universal credit minimum income floor for self-employed claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 provided for under those regulations now expires on 30 April 2021 instead of 12 November 2020.

In addition, the regulations extend, to 12 May 2021, provisions in the principal regulations that -

• treat a person who is infected, self-isolating or caring for a child who is infected or self-isolating as not having limited capability for work for the purposes of entitlement conditions to jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and excluding any such period from the calculation of the maximum permitted number of sickness periods applicable to a person whilst in receipt of old or new style JSA; and
• treat a person who is in receipt of carer’s allowance and has only temporarily ceased providing care for a severely disabled person because either they or the cared-for person are infected or contaminated with COVID-19 or are self-isolating, as continuing to meet the providing care conditions.

NB - from 24 November 2020, the regulations also amend a typographic defect in the Universal Credit (Persons who have attained state pension credit qualifying age) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (SI.No.655/2020) to ensure the correct operation of regulation 7 of those Regulations that relates to the amendment of entitlement provisions for members of mixed-age couples that transition between universal credit and pension-age housing benefit.

SI.No.1201/2020 is available from legislation.gov.uk