The Guardian’s Allowance Up-rating Regulations 2025
The Guardian's Allowance Up-rating Regulations 2025, effective April 7, 2025, detail adjustments to Guardian's Allowance rates based on the Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance Up-rating Order 2025.
The regulations clarify how these changes apply, addressing situations concerning questions about payment rates and those not ordinarily resident in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
They specify that existing legislation concerning the determination of benefit rates and the treatment of those residing abroad applies to these adjustments.
Arguments For
Increased financial support for guardians: The up-rating of Guardian's Allowance provides increased financial assistance to guardians of children, reflecting changes in living costs and improving their ability to care for the children.
Compliance with existing legislation: These regulations are made under existing powers to adjust benefit rates, ensuring consistency with the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and related legislation.
Streamlined decision-making: The regulations provide a framework to determine the payment of the up-rated Guardian's Allowance, resolving potential ambiguities and improving efficiency.
Fair and equitable treatment of beneficiaries: Regulations clarify eligibility criteria for the up-rated payments, ensuring everyone receives benefits according to the conditions laid out in legislation.
Arguments Against
Potential for administrative burden: Determining eligibility for the up-rated allowance under certain unique circumstances may pose an administrative challenge for HMRC causing delays or errors in processing claims.
Limited impact assessment: The lack of a full impact assessment suggests a lack of thorough analysis of the potential effects of the changes on beneficiaries and the associated administrative costs.
Potential for unintended consequences: The application of existing regulations concerning individuals not residing in the UK regarding the benefits could produce unintended consequences for specific cases.
Complex interaction with other regulations: The regulations may involve intricate interactions with other existing legislation regarding social security benefits, making it challenging to fully understand their effects on claimants.
- Citation, commencement and interpretation (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Guardian’s Allowance Up-rating Regulations 2025 and come into force on 7th April 2025. (2) In these Regulations “the Up-rating Order” means the Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance Up-rating Order 2025.
The regulations are titled the Guardian's Allowance Up-rating Regulations 2025 and came into effect on April 7, 2025.
The term 'the Up-rating Order' is defined as referring to the Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance Up-rating Order 2025.
- Exceptions relating to payments of additional guardian’s allowance by virtue of the Up-rating Order Neither section 155(3) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 nor section 135(3) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 are to apply if a question arises as to either— (a) the weekly rate at which guardian’s allowance is payable by virtue of the Up-rating Order, or (b) whether the conditions for receipt of guardian’s allowance at the altered rate are satisfied, until that question has been determined in accordance with the provisions of section 8 of the Social Security Act 1998 or article 9 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.
Sections 155(3) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and 135(3) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 do not apply when there are questions about either the weekly Guardian's Allowance rate or whether the conditions for receiving the altered rate are met.
These questions must be determined under section 8 of the Social Security Act 1998 or article 9 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 before the provisions apply.
- Persons not ordinarily resident in either Great Britain or Northern Ireland Regulation 5 of the Social Security Benefit (Persons Abroad) Regulations 1975 and regulation 5 of the Social Security Benefit (Persons Abroad) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1978 (application of disqualification in respect of up-rating of benefit) is to apply to any additional benefit payable by virtue of the Up-rating Order.
Regulation 5 of the Social Security Benefit (Persons Abroad) Regulations 1975 and its Northern Ireland equivalent (1978) apply to any additional benefits arising from the Up-rating Order for those not ordinarily resident in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
This likely means existing rules regarding benefits for individuals abroad apply to the increase specified in the Up-rating order.