The Qualifying Period is a period of nine consecutive Monthly Assessment Periods in which the claimant has been receiving Universal Credit and would otherwise have qualified for these housing costs to be included in their UC, ie. during which they had no earnings^.
Once the Qualifying Period has been served, they can have a Housing Costs Element included in the Assessment Period after the one on which the Qualifying Period ended for any eligible service charges, as long as they continue not to have any earned income^.(Paragraph 4 of Schedule 5 of the UC Regulations 2013 part 2, paragraph 4 (1)).
^ Earnings include Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay.
What if the claimant had been on New-Style ESA or New-Style JSA before making their claim for UC?
Periods on New-Style ESA or New-Style JSA immediately prior to making a claim for UC count towards the Qualifying Period.
What if the claimant had been in a 'waiting period' whilst on Income-Related ESA, IS or IB-JSA?
Time spent in a 'waiting period' on Income-Related ESA, Income Support or Income-Based JSA immediately prior to UC counts towards the Qualifying Period.
What if the claimant had been getting help with their service charges in their Income-Related ESA, IS or IB-JSA which stopped when they claimed UC?
If their award of IR-ESA, IS or IB-JSA included help with housing costs and the award of IR-ESA, IS or IB-JSA ended no more than a month before the award of UC started, then they are excluded from the Qualifying Period (this is because they would have already served a 'waiting period' on that benefit).
What if they had previously been claiming UC as a couple and have separated?
If they were previously claiming UC as a couple, were joint owners and as a single claimant they continue to occupy the same property, then their single award of UC can continue to include a Housing Costs Element (ie. there was one included in the couple claim) and they do not need to serve another Qualifying Period.
Where the split occurred during a Qualifying Period then any Qualifying Period (or part of a Qualifying Period) counts towards the Qualifying Period for the single UC award.
(Paragraph 5 of
Schedule 5 of the UC Regulations 2013).