Support the Housing Benefit residential capital exception

changelog.d/hb-residential-capital.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Added the working-age Housing Benefit residential capital threshold using one separately pre-assessed qualification input.

policyengine_uk/parameters/gov/dwp/housing_benefit/means_test/capital/working_age/residential_threshold.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+description: Working-age Housing Benefit capital tariff threshold where the statutory residential exception applies.
+metadata:
+  label: Housing Benefit residential capital tariff threshold
+  unit: currency-GBP
+  period: year
+values:
+  2006-04-10:
+    value: 10000
+    reference:
+      - title: The Housing Benefit Regulations 2006, regulation 52(3)-(5), (8)-(9)
+        href: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/213/regulation/52
+      - title: The Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006, regulation 49(2)-(4), (7)-(8)
+        href: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2006/405/regulation/49

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/housing_benefit/housing_benefit_residential_capital.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+- name: ENGLAND ordinary capital threshold and partial steps
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    country: [ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND]
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: [6000, 6001, 10000, 10001, 10250, 10251]
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_guarantee_credit: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_savings_credit_only: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: [0, 52, 832, 884, 884, 936]
+
+- name: ENGLAND residential capital threshold and partial steps
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    country: [ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND]
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: [6000, 6001, 10000, 10001, 10250, 10251]
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: [true, true, true, true, true, true]
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_guarantee_credit: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_savings_credit_only: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: [0, 0, 0, 52, 52, 104]
+
+- name: NORTHERN_IRELAND ordinary capital threshold and partial steps
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    country: [NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND]
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: [6000, 6001, 10000, 10001, 10250, 10251]
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_guarantee_credit: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_savings_credit_only: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: [0, 52, 832, 884, 884, 936]
+
+- name: NORTHERN_IRELAND residential capital threshold and partial steps
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    country: [NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND, NORTHERN_IRELAND]
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: [6000, 6001, 10000, 10001, 10250, 10251]
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: [true, true, true, true, true, true]
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_guarantee_credit: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+    in_receipt_of_savings_credit_only: [false, false, false, false, false, false]
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: [0, 0, 0, 52, 52, 104]
+
+- name: Omitted residential status retains the ordinary threshold
+  period: 2025
+  input:
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: 10001
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: false
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: false
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: 884
+
+- name: Specified accommodation alone does not establish the capital exception
+  period: 2025
+  input:
+    in_specified_or_temporary_accommodation: true
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: 10001
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: false
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: false
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: 884
+
+- name: Pension-age tariff and passports are not changed by residential status
+  period: 2025
+  input:
+    housing_benefit_assessable_capital: [10001, 10001, 10001]
+    housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception: [true, true, true]
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: [true, true, true]
+    in_receipt_of_guarantee_credit: [false, true, false]
+    in_receipt_of_savings_credit_only: [false, false, true]
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_tariff_income: [52, 0, 0]

policyengine_uk/variables/gov/dwp/housing_benefit/applicable_income/housing_benefit_tariff_income.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ class housing_benefit_tariff_income(Variable):
     unit = GBP
     reference = (
         "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/213/regulation/52",
+        "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2006/405/regulation/49",
         "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/214/regulation/29",
         "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/214/regulation/26",
     )
@@ -31,10 +32,16 @@ def formula(benunit, period, parameters):
             "in_receipt_of_guarantee_credit", period
         )
         p = parameters(period).gov.dwp.housing_benefit.means_test.capital
+        # This statutory category differs from specified/temporary accommodation.
+        working_age_threshold = where(
+            benunit("housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception", period),
+            p.working_age.residential_threshold,
+            p.working_age.tariff_income.threshold,
+        )
         threshold = where(
             pension_age_regulations,
             p.pension_age.tariff_income.threshold,
-            p.working_age.tariff_income.threshold,
+            working_age_threshold,
         )
         step = where(
             pension_age_regulations,

policyengine_uk/variables/gov/dwp/housing_benefit/housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception.py

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+from policyengine_uk.model_api import *
+
+
+class housing_benefit_residential_capital_exception(Variable):
+    value_type = bool
+    entity = BenUnit
+    label = "Housing Benefit residential capital tariff exception"
+    definition_period = YEAR
+    default_value = False
+    documentation = (
+        "Pre-assessed qualification for the working-age residential capital "
+        "tariff exception: GB HB regulation 52(4)-(5), (8)-(9), or NI "
+        "regulation 49(3)-(4), (7)-(8). This includes the specified historical "
+        "saved circumstances; generic supported housing, a care-home label "
+        "or in_specified_or_temporary_accommodation does not establish it. "
+        "Supply true only after assessing the applicable jurisdiction's rules. "
+        "No dataset mapping has been verified. Missing input defaults to false "
+        "and retains the ordinary threshold; that approximation may understate "
+        "Housing Benefit for qualifying residents. This does not change "
+        "eligibility, capital ownership/valuation or the upper capital limit."
+    )
+    reference = (
+        "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/213/regulation/52",
+        "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2006/405/regulation/49",
+    )