Add the Child Benefit qualifying young person routes for young people who have left education

changelog.d/cb-qyp-school-leaver-routes.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Added the Child Benefit qualifying young person conditions for young people who have left education (Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2006 regs 4, 5 and 7): a 16-year-old counts until the 31 August after their 16th birthday, in any year that starts before it, and two new inputs place the 20-week extension period and the terminal date. Housing Benefit, the legacy benefits and Council Tax Reduction young persons follow. Child Benefit is not paid for a young person who qualifies only through the terminal date and works 24 hours or more a week (reg. 7(3)).

changelog.d/means-tests-dependants-income.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Housing Benefit, Income Support, tax credit and Council Tax Reduction means tests no longer count a child's or young person's own income, tax or personal benefits as the claimant's (HB Regs 2006 reg 25(3), IS Regs 1987 reg 23(2), Tax Credits (Definition and Calculation of Income) Regs 2002 reg 3(1), the Council Tax Reduction applicant-and-partner rules).

changelog.d/uc-pc-qyp-sixteen-route.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Counted a 16-year-old outside education as a Universal Credit and Pension Credit qualifying young person until the 1 September following their 16th birthday (UC Regs 2013 reg. 5(1)(a); SPC Regs 2002 reg. 4A(1)(a)), in any year that starts before that date.

policyengine_uk/parameters/gov/hmrc/child_benefit/eligibility/extension_period_age_limit.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+description: Age limit below which a person who has left education or training may be a Child Benefit qualifying young person during an extension period.
+values:
+  0001-01-01: 18
+metadata:
+  unit: year
+  label: Child Benefit extension period age limit
+  reference:
+    - title: Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2006 reg. 5(1)
+      href: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/223/regulation/5

policyengine_uk/parameters/gov/hmrc/child_benefit/eligibility/remunerative_work_hours.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+description: Weekly hours of paid work from which a person is in remunerative work for Child Benefit rules.
+values:
+  0001-01-01: 24
+metadata:
+  unit: hour
+  label: Child Benefit remunerative work hours
+  reference:
+    - title: Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2006 reg. 1(3), "remunerative work"
+      href: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/223/regulation/1

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/housing_benefit/applicable_income/housing_benefit_applicable_income_childcare_element.yaml

@@ -218,7 +218,33 @@
     num_relevant_children_for_housing_benefit_childcare: 0
     housing_benefit_applicable_income_childcare_element: 0
 
-- name: Disabled 16-year-old outside education and training is not a relevant young person
+- name: Disabled 16-year-old outside education and training is a relevant young person until the 31 August after their 16th birthday
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      claimant:
+        age: 40
+        is_parent: true
+        childcare_expenses: 9_000
+      young_person:
+        age: 16
+        is_disabled_for_benefits: true
+        is_in_non_advanced_education: false
+        is_in_approved_training: false
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [claimant, young_person]
+  output:
+    # A 16-year-old who has left education is a young person until that 31
+    # August (Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2006 reg. 4; HB reg 19(1)),
+    # in any year that starts before it. HB reg 28(6) then counts a disabled
+    # one: min(9,000, one-child cap * 52).
+    is_child_or_young_person_for_legacy_benefits: [false, true]
+    num_relevant_children_for_housing_benefit_childcare: 1
+    housing_benefit_applicable_income_childcare_element: 9_000
+
+- name: Disabled 16-year-old outside education and training is not a relevant young person after that 31 August
   period: 2025
   input:
     people:
@@ -231,11 +257,13 @@
         is_disabled_for_benefits: true
         is_in_non_advanced_education: false
         is_in_approved_training: false
+        is_before_first_september_following_16th_birthday: false
     benunits:
       benunit:
         members: [claimant, young_person]
   output:
     # HB reg 28(6) requires a child of the family, including a qualifying
     # young person; the disability age extension does not create that status.
+    is_child_or_young_person_for_legacy_benefits: [false, false]
     num_relevant_children_for_housing_benefit_childcare: 0
     housing_benefit_applicable_income_childcare_element: 0

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/universal_credit/work_allowance/is_uc_work_allowance_eligible.yaml

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
   output:
     is_uc_work_allowance_eligible: false
 
-- name: Case 6, a nonqualifying 16-year-old does not create a work allowance.
+- name: Case 6, a 16-year-old outside education past the reg. 5(1)(a) route does not create a work allowance.
   period: 2025
   input:
     people:
@@ -91,13 +91,33 @@
         age: 16
         is_in_non_advanced_education: false
         is_in_approved_training: false
+        is_before_first_september_following_16th_birthday: false
         uc_limited_capability_for_WRA: false
     benunits:
       benunit:
         members: [person1, person2]
   output:
     is_uc_work_allowance_eligible: false
 
+- name: Case 6a, a 16-year-old outside education in the reg. 5(1)(a) route creates a work allowance.
+  period: 2025
+  input:
+    people:
+      person1:
+        age: 40
+        is_parent: true
+        uc_limited_capability_for_WRA: false
+      person2:
+        age: 16
+        is_in_non_advanced_education: false
+        is_in_approved_training: false
+        uc_limited_capability_for_WRA: false
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [person1, person2]
+  output:
+    is_uc_work_allowance_eligible: true
+
 - name: Case 7, a looked-after child does not create a work allowance.
   period: 2025
   input:

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/means_tests_young_person_income.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+# A child's or young person's own income is never the claimant's: HB Regs
+# 2006 reg 25(3), HB (SPC) Regs 2006 reg 23(1), IS Regs 1987 reg 23(2), Tax
+# Credits (Definition and Calculation of Income) Regs 2002 reg 3(1), and the
+# applicant-and-partner rules of every Council Tax Reduction scheme (SSI
+# 2021/249 reg 36(2) says it in terms).
+#
+# The family in each case: a lone parent and a 17-year-old at school who earns
+# £8,000, below the income tax and National Insurance thresholds. Child
+# Benefit is not claimed, so it adds nothing to the income totals.
+
+- name: Case 1, a young person's earnings are not the parent's income in any of the four means tests.
+  period: 2026
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      parent:
+        age: 40
+        is_parent: true
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+      student:
+        age: 17
+        current_education: UPPER_SECONDARY
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        employment_income: 8_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [parent, student]
+        would_claim_child_benefit: false
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [parent, student]
+        country: ENGLAND
+        rent: 6_000
+        council_tax: 1_800
+  output:
+    # The student is still the family's young person.
+    is_child_or_young_person_for_legacy_benefits: [false, true]
+    housing_benefit_applicable_income: 0
+    income_support_applicable_income: 0
+    tax_credits_applicable_income: 0
+    council_tax_reduction_applicable_income: 0
+
+- name: Case 2, the parent's own earnings still count.
+  period: 2026
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      parent:
+        age: 40
+        is_parent: true
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+        employment_income: 5_000
+      student:
+        age: 17
+        current_education: UPPER_SECONDARY
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        employment_income: 8_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [parent, student]
+        would_claim_child_benefit: false
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [parent, student]
+        country: ENGLAND
+        rent: 6_000
+        council_tax: 1_800
+  output:
+    # £5,000 less the lone parent earnings disregard of £25 a week.
+    housing_benefit_applicable_income: 3_700
+    # £5,000 less the lone parent disregard of £20 a week.
+    income_support_applicable_income: 3_960
+    tax_credits_applicable_income: 5_000
+    council_tax_reduction_applicable_income: 5_000
+
+- name: Case 3, a pension-age Housing Benefit claimant's grandchild's earnings are not the claimant's.
+  period: 2026
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      grandparent:
+        age: 70
+        is_parent: true
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+        # Above the Pension Credit guarantee, so no passport zeroes the income.
+        private_pension_income: 20_000
+      student:
+        age: 17
+        current_education: UPPER_SECONDARY
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        employment_income: 8_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [grandparent, student]
+        would_claim_child_benefit: false
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [grandparent, student]
+        country: ENGLAND
+        rent: 6_000
+        council_tax: 1_800
+  output:
+    housing_benefit_pension_age_regulations_apply: true
+    pension_credit: 0
+    # The pension of £20,000 less income tax of 20% of (20,000 - 12,570),
+    # £1,486; not the student's £8,000.
+    housing_benefit_applicable_income: 18_514
+    council_tax_reduction_applicable_income: 18_514