Decision

Secretary of State determination under regulation 5 of the Universal Credit (Surpluses and Self-Employed Losses) (Digital Service) amendment regulations 2015

Published 13 March 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

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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 31 March 2026.

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

26 February 2025

What the determination means

This determination extends the temporary ‘de minimis’ period until 31 March 2026. This means that monthly earnings of more than £2,500 over the amount where your Universal Credit payment stops, will be treated as ‘surplus earnings’. Your surplus earnings will be carried forward to the following month, where they will count towards your earnings.

  1. S.I. 2015/354, amended by S.I. 2018/65 ↩

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

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