Count only parents' own ESA and JSA in the Wales childcare income limit; test #1966's switch

changelog.d/legacy-award-reader-switches-1966.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+The Childcare Offer for Wales income test now counts only the claimant's and partner's income-related ESA and income-based JSA towards a parent's gross income, not an award that another member of the benefit unit claims in their own right. New tests check that only the applicant's or partner's own income-related ESA gives a single applicant under 25 the higher council tax reduction personal allowance in Scotland and Wales.

policyengine_uk/parameters/gov/welsh_government/childcare_offer/income/benunit_gross_income_sources.yaml

@@ -13,8 +13,12 @@ values:
   # credits or Housing Benefit, so as a modelling convention (not a legal
   # reading) each is shared equally between the claimant and any partner; the
   # legacy income-related benefits are shared the same way for consistency.
-  # A lone parent counts all of it. None of them reads the Childcare Offer, so
-  # counting them creates no dependency cycle.
+  # A lone parent counts all of it. Income-related ESA and income-based JSA
+  # are the claimant's and partner's awards (claimant_or_partner_esa_income
+  # and claimant_or_partner_jsa_income): another member of the benefit unit
+  # who claims either in their own right receives that income, not a parent.
+  # None of them reads the Childcare Offer, so counting them creates no
+  # dependency cycle.
   2019-08-01:
     - child_benefit
     - universal_credit
@@ -23,5 +27,5 @@ values:
     - housing_benefit
     - income_support
     - pension_credit
-    - esa_income
-    - jsa_income
+    - claimant_or_partner_esa_income
+    - claimant_or_partner_jsa_income

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/legacy_award_readers/council_tax_reduction_working_age_personal_allowance.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+# Scotland and Wales working-age council tax reduction: a single applicant
+# under 25 gets the lower personal allowance unless entitled to main phase
+# employment and support allowance (SSI 2021/249 Sch 1 para 1; WSI 2013/3029
+# Sch 7 para 1). The model takes receipt of ESA by the applicant or partner as
+# the main phase: contributory ESA on their own records, and income-related
+# ESA through claimant_or_partner_esa_income where the benefit unit's awards
+# are the applicant's. "other" is a member who is neither the applicant, the
+# partner nor a child or young person they are responsible for, so their
+# income-related ESA is their own claim and leaves the applicant on the lower
+# rate. The applicant is the household head, whom the model takes to be
+# liable, so the applicant applies with the benefit unit's awards
+# (council_tax_reduction_head_applies_alone is false). The cases run in 2025,
+# when income-related ESA is paid for the whole year. Weekly rates for 2025-26
+# (x 52): Scotland £72.90 under 25 and £92.05 at 25 or over (SSI 2025/24 reg
+# 16(a)); Wales £77.65 and £98.10 (W.S.I. 2025/59 reg 9(a)(i)).
+
+- name: Scotland, another member's income-related ESA leaves an applicant under 25 on the lower personal allowance
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      applicant:
+        age: 22
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+        is_household_head: true
+      other:
+        age: 30
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        is_household_head: false
+        current_education: NOT_IN_EDUCATION
+        esa_income_reported: 5_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        region: SCOTLAND
+        country: SCOTLAND
+  output:
+    council_tax_reduction_head_applies_alone: false
+    esa_income: 5_000
+    claimant_or_partner_esa_income: 0
+    # 72.90 * 52
+    council_tax_reduction_working_age_personal_allowance: 3_790.80
+
+- name: Scotland, the applicant's own income-related ESA gives the higher personal allowance under 25
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      applicant:
+        age: 22
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+        is_household_head: true
+        esa_income_reported: 5_000
+      other:
+        age: 30
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        is_household_head: false
+        current_education: NOT_IN_EDUCATION
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        region: SCOTLAND
+        country: SCOTLAND
+  output:
+    council_tax_reduction_head_applies_alone: false
+    esa_income: 5_000
+    claimant_or_partner_esa_income: 5_000
+    # 92.05 * 52
+    council_tax_reduction_working_age_personal_allowance: 4_786.60
+
+- name: Wales, another member's income-related ESA leaves an applicant under 25 on the lower personal allowance
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      applicant:
+        age: 22
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+        is_household_head: true
+      other:
+        age: 30
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        is_household_head: false
+        current_education: NOT_IN_EDUCATION
+        esa_income_reported: 5_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        region: WALES
+        country: WALES
+  output:
+    council_tax_reduction_head_applies_alone: false
+    esa_income: 5_000
+    claimant_or_partner_esa_income: 0
+    # 77.65 * 52
+    council_tax_reduction_working_age_personal_allowance: 4_037.80
+
+- name: Wales, the applicant's own income-related ESA gives the higher personal allowance under 25
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      applicant:
+        age: 22
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+        is_household_head: true
+        esa_income_reported: 5_000
+      other:
+        age: 30
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        is_household_head: false
+        current_education: NOT_IN_EDUCATION
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [applicant, other]
+        region: WALES
+        country: WALES
+  output:
+    council_tax_reduction_head_applies_alone: false
+    esa_income: 5_000
+    claimant_or_partner_esa_income: 5_000
+    # 98.10 * 52
+    council_tax_reduction_working_age_personal_allowance: 5_101.20

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/legacy_award_readers/wales_childcare_offer.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+# Childcare Offer for Wales: each parent must have gross income of no more
+# than £100,000 a year, counting all of that parent's income (guidance for
+# local authorities, version 8.3, April 2026, paragraphs 57 and 69; July 2020
+# income guidance, questions 8 and 9). The model shares the benefit unit's
+# benefits equally between the claimant and any partner, and a lone parent
+# counts all of them (benunit_gross_income_sources). Of income-related ESA and
+# income-based JSA it counts the claimant's and partner's awards
+# (claimant_or_partner_esa_income, claimant_or_partner_jsa_income). "other" is
+# a member who is neither the claimant, the partner nor a child or young person
+# they are responsible for, so an award they claim in their own right is their
+# income, not the parent's. An award entered for the benefit unit with no
+# reports behind it is read as the claimant's or partner's. Child Benefit is
+# set to zero so that wages and awards alone decide each case. The lone parent
+# earns £96,000, far above 16 hours a week at the National Living Wage. The
+# cases run in 2025, when income-related ESA and income-based JSA are paid for
+# the whole year.
+
+- name: Wales, another member's income-related ESA does not count towards a lone parent's gross income
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      parent:
+        age: 30
+        employment_income: 96_000
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+      child:
+        age: 3
+      other:
+        age: 30
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        current_education: NOT_IN_EDUCATION
+        esa_income_reported: 8_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [parent, child, other]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+        child_benefit: 0
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [parent, child, other]
+        region: WALES
+        country: WALES
+  output:
+    esa_income: 8_000
+    claimant_or_partner_esa_income: 0
+    # 96,000 <= 100,000. Counting the other member's award would give
+    # 96,000 + 8,000 = 104,000.
+    wales_childcare_offer_parent_condition: [true, false, false]
+    wales_childcare_offer_eligible: true
+
+- name: Wales, another member's income-based JSA does not count towards a lone parent's gross income
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      parent:
+        age: 30
+        employment_income: 96_000
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+      child:
+        age: 3
+      other:
+        age: 30
+        is_claimant_or_partner: false
+        current_education: NOT_IN_EDUCATION
+        jsa_income_reported: 8_000
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [parent, child, other]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+        child_benefit: 0
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [parent, child, other]
+        region: WALES
+        country: WALES
+  output:
+    jsa_income: 8_000
+    claimant_or_partner_jsa_income: 0
+    wales_childcare_offer_parent_condition: [true, false, false]
+    wales_childcare_offer_eligible: true
+
+- name: Wales, the benefit unit's income-related ESA counts towards the lone parent's gross income
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      parent:
+        age: 30
+        employment_income: 96_000
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+      child:
+        age: 3
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [parent, child]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+        child_benefit: 0
+        esa_income: 8_000
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [parent, child]
+        region: WALES
+        country: WALES
+  output:
+    claimant_or_partner_esa_income: 8_000
+    # 96,000 + 8,000 = 104,000 > 100,000
+    wales_childcare_offer_parent_condition: [false, false]
+    wales_childcare_offer_eligible: false
+
+- name: Wales, the benefit unit's income-based JSA counts towards the lone parent's gross income
+  period: 2025
+  absolute_error_margin: 0.01
+  input:
+    people:
+      parent:
+        age: 30
+        employment_income: 96_000
+        is_claimant_or_partner: true
+      child:
+        age: 3
+    benunits:
+      benunit:
+        members: [parent, child]
+        would_claim_uc: false
+        child_benefit: 0
+        jsa_income: 8_000
+    households:
+      household:
+        members: [parent, child]
+        region: WALES
+        country: WALES
+  output:
+    claimant_or_partner_jsa_income: 8_000
+    wales_childcare_offer_parent_condition: [false, false]
+    wales_childcare_offer_eligible: false