Count Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment as Pension Credit income

changelog.d/pension-credit-carers-income.added.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add `scottish_carer_supplement`, the Scottish Carer Supplement paid with Carer Support Payment from 15 March 2026. `carer_support_payment` is now the Carer Support Payment component only, so totals summed by variable name need both variables.

changelog.d/pension-credit-carers-income.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Count Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment as Pension Credit income (SPC Regs 2002 reg 15(1)), and split the Scottish Carer Supplement out of Carer Support Payment into its own variable so that Pension Credit and Housing Benefit leave it out (SI 2026/246).

policyengine_uk/parameters/gov/dwp/pension_credit/guarantee_credit/income.yaml

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ metadata:
     title: State Pension Credit Act 2002 s. 15(1)
   - href: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/1792/regulation/15
     title: State Pension Credit Regulations 2002 reg. 15
+  - href: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/246/article/17/made
+    title: SI 2026/246 art. 17 (Scottish Carer Supplement excepted from reg. 15(1))
   unit: list
 values:
   2002-01-01:
@@ -18,3 +20,9 @@ values:
   - pension_credit_deemed_income
   - esa_contrib
   - jsa_contrib
+  # Reg. 15(1) prescribes all social security benefits except those it lists;
+  # neither of these is listed. carer_support_payment is the Carer Support
+  # Payment component only: reg. 15(1)(ri) excepts the Scottish Carer
+  # Supplement, which is a separate variable.
+  - carers_allowance
+  - carer_support_payment

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/universal_credit/income/uc_unearned_benefits.yaml

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
 # - couple standard allowance (one over 25): 666.97 a month = 8,003.64 a year;
 # - carer element: 209.34 a month = 2,512.08 a year;
 # - Carer's Allowance and the Carer Support Payment component: 86.45 a week,
-#   so 86.45 x 52 = 4,495.40 a year; Scottish Carer Supplement 11.70 a week,
-#   so Carer Support Payment is (86.45 + 11.70) x 52 = 5,103.80 a year;
+#   so 86.45 x 52 = 4,495.40 a year; the Scottish Carer Supplement is a
+#   separate 11.70 a week, 11.70 x 52 = 608.40 a year;
 # - council rent of 6,240 a year is met in full by the housing costs element.
 # So a couple's maximum amount is 8,003.64 + 6,240 = 14,243.64, or
 # 16,755.72 with the carer element.
@@ -203,10 +203,12 @@
         rent: 6_240
   output:
     carers_allowance: [0, 0]
-    # (86.45 + 11.70) x 52.
-    carer_support_payment: [5_103.80, 0]
-    # Capped at a year of Carer's Allowance, 86.45 x 52, which is also the
-    # carer support payment component without the supplement.
+    # The carer support payment component, 86.45 x 52.
+    carer_support_payment: [4_495.40, 0]
+    # 11.70 x 52. Not unearned income: reg. 66(1) does not list it.
+    scottish_carer_supplement: [608.40, 0]
+    # Capped at a year of Carer's Allowance, 86.45 x 52, which the component
+    # equals.
     uc_unearned_carer_support_payment: [4_495.40, 0]
     uc_unearned_income: 4_495.40
     uc_maximum_amount: 16_755.72