New additions -

Universal Credit (Administrative Earnings Threshold) (Amendment (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2024 (SR.No.107/2024) - Make provision to increase the universal credit administrative earnings threshold (AET) in Northern Ireland

Social Security and Universal Credit (Migration of Tax Credit Claimants and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (SR.No.54/2024) - Include amendments and modifications to various social security regulations that, in particular, make changes in relation to the migration of legacy benefit claims to universal credit and require the allocation of a national insurance number before an advance payment can be made

Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024​ (SR.No.18/2024) - New regulations require jobseekers in Northern Ireland to widen their job search outside of their preferred sector after four weeks of jobseeking rather than thirteen

Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (SR.No.5/2024) - New regulations that make provision for additional amounts to be added to the transitional SDP element for claimants who move to universal credit following a change in their circumstances, where they were previously in receipt of a benefit or tax credit including a disability premium or element prior to migrating

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Costs (Executive Determinations) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (SR.No.3/2024) - New regulations include provisions that increase local housing allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rates for private rented sector properties in Northern Ireland from April 2024

Social Security, Universal Credit and State Pension (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 (SR.No.93/2023) - Make amendments to correct errors and clarify policy intent in relation to a number of areas in universal credit

Universal Credit (Childcare) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 (SR.No.90/2023) - Increase the maximum amounts for childcare support in universal credit from 28 June 2023

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Costs (Executive Determinations) (Modification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 (SR.No.4/2023) - ​Provide for local housing allowance rates in 2023/2024 to be retained at the same cash levels as applied from April 2020

Universal Credit (Administrative Earnings Threshold) (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 (SI.No.3/2023) - Provide for an increase in the Administrative Earnings Threshold, from the current £494 per calendar month to £617 for an individual; and from £782 per calendar month to £988 for a couple

Universal Credit (Administrative Earnings Threshold) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 (SR.No.223/2022) - New regulations that provide for an increase in the Administrative Earnings Threshold to £494 a month for an individual, and to £782 for a couple

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit (Victims of Domestic Abuse and Victims of Modern Slavery) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 (SR.No.211/2022) - New regulations extend exemptions from local housing allowance shared accommodation rate to include victims of domestic abuse and victims of modern slavery

Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 (SR.No.194/2022) - New regulations make amendments to universal credit natural migration and managed migration provisions, including to enable the Department for Communities to begin issuing managed migration notices in Northern Ireland

Social Security (Terminal Illness) (2022 Act) (Commencement) Order (Northern Ireland) 2022 (SR.No.171/2022) - Amend the definition of terminal illness within universal credit to extend the period within which death may reasonably be expected from six months to 12 months

Social Security (Habitual Residence and Past Presence) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 (SR.No.149/2022) - New regulations ensure that those who left Ukraine in connection with the Russian invasion are exempt from the habitual residence for universal credit 

Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (Commencement No. 16 and Commencement No. 8, 13 and 14 and Transitional and Transitory Provisions (Amendment)) Order (Northern Ireland) 2022 (SR.No.132/2022) - Brings into force provisions of the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 in so far as they are not already in force, and removes restrictions that have prevented frontier workers from making universal credit claims

Universal Credit (Exception to the Requirement not to be receiving Education) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.303/2021) - Provide for the exception to the universal credit basic condition not to be receiving education on the grounds of receipt of a disability benefit to apply only when a person has also been determined to have limited capability for work on a date before the person starts undertaking a course of education

Universal Credit (Work Allowance and Taper) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.302/2021) - Provide for a reduction in the universal credit taper rate from 63 per cent to 55 per cent, and for work allowances to be increased by £500 per year

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit (Sanctuary Schemes) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.248/2021) - Provide an exception to the bedroom tax for claimants living in a social sector property that has been adapted under a sanctuary scheme in Northern Ireland

Universal Credit (Coronavirus) (Restoration of the Minimum Income Floor) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.209/2021)  - Provide for the reintroduction of the universal credit minimum income floor in Northern Ireland over the 12 months to 31 July 2022

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit (Care Leavers and Homeless) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SI.No.118/2021) - Include provisions that amend the age limits applying to exemptions from the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance in universal credit in Northern Ireland.

Universal Credit (Extension of Coronavirus Measures) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.67/2021) - New regulations have been issued in relation to the extension of the universal credit uplift and the suspension of the universal credit minimum income floor in Northern Ireland

Social Security (Claims and Payments, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit) (Telephone and Video Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.64/2021) - Include a provision that specifies that medical examinations and consultations can be conducted in person, by telephone or by video.

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Costs (Executive Determinations) (Modification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.14/2021) - New regulations that freeze local housing allowance rates in Northern Ireland in 2021/2022

Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Claimants previously entitled to a severe disability premium) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (SR.No.2/2021) - New regulations set out criteria for payments of severe disability premium (SDP) transitional protection going forwards, when people in receipt of SDP will no longer be prevented from claiming universal credit in Northern Ireland from 27 January 2021.

Universal credit: Northern Ireland

This section of the site includes UC legislation specific to Northern Ireland. You can find out more about the detail of roll-out of UC in Northern Ireland in our NI guidance section. You can read about payment flexibilities in Northern Ireland in our payments section.

Welfare Reform Act 2012 coverage

The Welfare Reform Act 2012 broadly applies only to England, Wales and Scotland. There are a couple of exceptions to this set out in Section 149 Welfare Reform Act 2012:

Welfare Reform Bill Northern Ireland

The Welfare Reform Bill was introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 1 October 2012. The Bill has progressed slowly and stalled several times due to disagreement between the various political parties. In December 2014, the Northern Ireland parties agreed a deal on welfare reform (The Stormont House Agreement) in order to get the Bill through the final stages of the Assembly process.

However, on 9 March 2015, Sinn Fein withdrew support for the Bill under the terms of the agreement meaning the Bill stalled once again. On 22 May 2015, a petition of concern was presented by Sinn Fein and SDLP. A petition of concern allows coalition members to block bills which do not have sufficient cross-community support. The Bill therefore stalled once again.

On 17 November 2015, the Northern Ireland Assembly agreed a set of actions on certain matters, which included steps towards the delivery of Welfare Reform. The details of the agreement can be found in the document, A Fresh Start – A Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan.

In relation to Welfare Reform, the agreement stated that:

The agreement also set up the Welfare Reform Mitigations Working Group to report on a mitigation strategy to Welfare Reform specific to Northern Ireland.

Their report, published on 20 January 2016, highlights mitigation under 3 strands covering disability and carers; advice and sanctions; and mitigation for tax credits and Universal Credit. Strand 3, mitigation for tax credits and Universal Credit recommends aspects of additional discretionary support, for example supplementary payments which recognise the costs incurred by workers with a special weighting for lone parents taking account of childcare costs, discretionary support available for emergency payments in hardship cases as Universal Credit rolls out and an allocation of discretionary support for voluntary sector advice.

Northern Ireland (Welfare Reform) Act 2015 and secondary legislation

As explained above, under the Fresh Start agreement made in November 2015, it was agreed that the UK Government would legislate for welfare reform in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland (Welfare Reform) Act 2015 is an enabling measure providing power to legislate for welfare reform in Northern Ireland and confer powers on the Secretary of State or the Department of Communities (previously DSD) to make further provision by regulations and order.

You can read about the passage of the Act on the UK Parliament website.

The Bill was followed by an Order in Council and a commencement order to start the process of welfare reform in Northern Ireland.

Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (SI.No.2006/2015)

This Order makes provision equivalent to the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and will implement the reforms contained in that Act in Northern Ireland, with some limited specific changes, including top up powers and a different sanctions regime, as agreed in the Stormont House Agreement and in previous discussions between the Government and the NI Executive. This order also allows Regulations to be brought forward to implement the various welfare reforms.

Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2016 (SR.No.46/2016)

This Order brings into force provisions of the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 relating to: employment and support allowance; benefit cap; recovery of benefits; penalties; information sharing; discretionary payments.

Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2016 (SR.215/2016)

Universal Credit

In May 2016, regulations were published supporting the introduction of UC in Northern Ireland:

Other regulations

List of Relevant Districts

Last reviewed/updated 10 May 2024