Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the State Pension Credit (Amendment) Regulations 2015 and come into force on 6th April 2016.

Amendment of the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002

2.-(1) The State Pension Credit Regulations 2002(5) are amended as follows.

(2) After regulation 7(savings credit), insert-

"Limitation of savings credit for certain mixed-age couples

7A.  A person who is a member of a mixed-age couple, is not entitled to a savings credit unless one of the members of the couple-

(a)has been awarded a savings credit with effect from a day before 6th April 2016 and was entitled to a savings credit immediately before 6th April 2016, and

(b)remained entitled to a savings credit at all times since the beginning of 6th April 2016. ".

(3) In regulation 12 (end of assessed income period)-

(a)omit "at such time as";

(b)at the start of sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (c), insert "at such time as";

(c)at the end of sub-paragraph (c), add-

";

(d)if, apart from this sub-paragraph, it would have ended on a date falling within the period specified in column 1 of the table in Schedule IIIA, on the corresponding date shown against that period in column 2 of that table".

(4) After Schedule III (special groups), insert-

Regulation 12

"SCHEDULE IIIADate on which certain fixed length assessed income periods end

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1792) ("the 2002 Regulations") so as to limit savings credit for certain mixed-age couples and to bring forward the date on which certain assessed income periods end.

Under section 3 of the State Pension Credit Act 2002 (c.16) the savings credit element of state pension credit is only payable to those who have reached pensionable age before 6th April 2016. A person may still qualify if they are a member of a mixed-age couple where the other member reached pensionable age before that date.

Regulation 2(2) inserts new regulation 7A into the 2002 Regulations so that in the case of a person who is a member of a mixed-age couple, entitlement is restricted to where one of the members of the couple was entitled to a savings credit before 6th April 2016 and has remained entitled to it at all times since that date.

Regulation 2(3) amends regulation 12 of the 2002 Regulations to provide that certain assessed income periods will end on the dates set out in column 2 of new Schedule IIIA to the 2002 Regulations; that Schedule is inserted by regulation 2(4) of these Regulations.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the private sector or civil society organisations. A summary of the contents of the assessment made for the Pensions Act 2014 is published on www.gov.uk.