{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-amendment-order-2026/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-amendment-order-2026/note.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2026/1079",
  "legislation_title": "The Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Amendment Order 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-amendment-order-2026",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Order)\nThis Order amends the Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/562) (“the 1998 Order”) which provides for the calculation and payment of housing benefit subsidy to local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland which administer housing benefit. Sections 140C(4) and 140F(2) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5) authorise the making, revocation or varying of an Order before, during or after the year to which it relates.\nArticle 3 updates the definition of “HBAP” in article 2 of the 1998 Order to refer to the appropriate version of the Housing Benefit Assurance Process, published on 2nd April 2026.\nArticle 4 omits article 12(1)(bza) and Schedule 1ZB from the 1998 Order which provide for the making of additional payments of subsidy to authorities administering alerts relating to the earnings and pension entitlement of claimants for housing benefit (the Verify Earnings and Pension Alerts service (VEP)). Schedule 1ZB specifies the additional amounts to be paid to local authorities to support the administration of VEP. Article 12(1)(bza) requires these additional amounts to be taken into account when calculating subsidy. VEP funding became part of the housing benefit administration funding from 1st April 2025 and these provisions are no longer required to determine additional amounts of subsidy payable in respect of VEP administration.\nArticle 5 and the Schedule substitute Schedule 1 to the 1998 Order, which prescribes the sums used in the calculation of subsidy for the year beginning 1st April 2025.\nArticle 6 amends Schedule 1ZC to the 1998 Order which prescribes a system for the making of additional payments of subsidy to authorities verifying the accuracy of information held in respect of the household, income and capital, and general financial circumstances of claimants for housing benefit. The amendment to paragraph 1 of that Schedule updates the definition of “HBAAI” to refer to the most recent version of the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative, published on 24th April 2025. The amendments to paragraph 2 of that Schedule update the Schedule to refer to the additional amounts of subsidy payable for the year beginning on 1st April 2025. The amounts were notified by the Secretary of State to local authorities on 24th April 2025.\nArticle 7 amends Schedule 4A to the 1998 Order, both to update the rebate proportion figure for 2026/2027 to 0.332 and to set out revised specified amounts “O” and guideline rent increases “P” used when calculating deductions from subsidy under paragraph 2 of Schedule 4A. The amendments to Schedule 4A have effect for the purposes of determining subsidy payable for the year beginning on 1st April 2026 for authorities in Wales.\nHard copies of the circulars referenced in this Order are available by writing to the Department for Work and Pensions, Local Authority Partnership, Engagement and Delivery Division, Peel Park Phase 2, First Floor Blue Zone, Brunel Way, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 5ES or by emailing lawelfare.lafunding@dwp.gov.uk.\nA full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/1079/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T20:53:59.830654+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}