Decision

Secretary of State Determination under Regulation 5 of the Universal Credit (Surpluses and Self-Employed Losses) (Digital Service) Amendment Regulations 2015

Published 31 March 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

© Crown copyright 2026

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-state-determination-under-regulation-5-of-the-universal-credit-surpluses-and-self-employed-losses-digital-service-amendment-regulatio--2/secretary-of-state-determination-under-regulation-5-of-the-universal-credit-surpluses-and-self-employed-losses-digital-service-amendment-regulatio

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions considers it necessary, in order to safeguard the efficient administration of universal credit, to extend the temporary de minimis period in accordance with regulation 5(2) of the Universal Credit (Surpluses and Self-Employed Losses) (Digital Service) Amendment Regulations 2015[footnote 1].   

The “temporary de minimis period” is the period during which “the relevant threshold” for the purposes of calculating surplus earnings under Regulation 54A of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013[footnote 2] is £2,500 rather than £300.  

Therefore, in exercise of the power conferred by paragraph (2) of Regulation 5 of the Universal Credit (Surpluses and Self-Employed Losses) (Digital Service) Amendment Regulations 2015, the Secretary of State determines that the temporary de minimis period is extended and will end on 31st March 2027.  

The Rt Hon, Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, Department for Work and Pensions  

20 January 2026

  1. S.I. 2015/345, amended by S.I. 2018/65. ↩

  2. S.I. 2013/376, amended by S.I. 2014/345 and S.I. 2021/1283. ↩

Back to top