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(3) In calculating the weekly amount of the loan to be taken in account as income—

(a) in respect of a course that is of a single academic year’s duration or less, a loan which is payable in respect of that period is to be apportioned equally between the weeks in the period beginning with—

(i) except in a case where paragraph (ii) applies, the benefit week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of the single academic year;

(ii) where the student is required to start attending the course in August or where the course is less than an academic year’s duration, the benefit week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of the course,

and ending with the benefit week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of the course;

(b) in respect of an academic year of a course which starts other than on 1st September, a loan which is payable in respect of that academic year is to be apportioned equally between the weeks in the period beginning with the benefit week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of that academic year and ending with the benefit week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of that academic year but excluding any benefit weeks falling entirely within the quarter during which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, the longest of any vacation is taken;

(c) for the purposes of sub-paragraph (b), “quarter” is to have the same meaning as for the purposes of regulation 104(6) (calculation of income other than earnings);

(d) in respect of the final academic year of a course (not being a course of a single year’s duration), a loan which is payable in respect of that final academic year is to be apportioned equally between the weeks in the period beginning with—

(i) except in a case where paragraph (ii) applies, the benefit week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of that academic year;

(ii) where the final academic year starts on 1st September, the benefit week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the earlier of 1st September or the first day of the autumn term,

and ending with the benefit week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of the course;

(e) in any other case, the loan is to be apportioned equally between the weeks in the period beginning with the earlier of—

(i) the first day of the first benefit week in September; or

(ii) the benefit week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of the autumn term,

and ending with the benefit week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of June,

and, in all cases, from the weekly amount so apportioned there is to be disregarded £10.

(4) A student is to be treated as possessing a student loan in respect of an academic year where—

(a) a student loan has been made to that student in respect of that year; or

(b) the student could acquire such a loan in respect of that year by taking reasonable steps to do so.

(5) Where a student is treated as possessing a student loan under paragraph (4), the amount of the student loan to be taken into account as income is to be, subject to paragraph (6)—

(a) in the case of a student to whom a student loan is made in respect of an academic year, a sum equal to the maximum student loan the student is able to acquire in respect of that year by taking reasonable steps to do so and either—

(i) in the case of a student other than one to whom paragraph (ii) refers, any contribution whether or not it has been paid to that student; or

(ii) in the case of a student who is entitled to an income-related allowance by virtue of being a student to whom regulation 18 (circumstances in which the condition that the claimant is not receiving education does not apply) applies;

(b) in the case of a student to whom a student loan is not made in respect of an academic year, the maximum student loan that would be made to the student if—

(i) the student took all reasonable steps to obtain the maximum student loan that student is able to acquire in respect of that year; and

(ii) no deduction in that loan was made by virtue of the application of a means test.

(6) There is to be deducted from the amount of income taken into account under paragraph (5)—

(a) the sum of £290 per academic year in respect of travel costs; and

(b) the sum of £370 per academic year towards the costs of books and equipment,

whether or not any such costs are incurred.

Treatment of payments from access funds

138.—(1) This regulation applies to payments from access funds that are not payments to which regulation 142(2) or (3) (income treated as capital) applies.

(2) A payment from access funds, other than a payment to which paragraph (3) applies, is to be disregarded as income.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4) and paragraph 39 of Schedule 8, any payments from access funds which are intended and used for food, ordinary clothing or footwear, household fuel, rent for which housing benefit is payable or any housing costs to the extent that they are met under regulation 67(1)(c) or 68(1)(d) (housing costs), of a single claimant or, as the case may be, of the claimant’s partner, and any payments from access funds which are used for any council tax or water charges for which that claimant or partner is liable is to be disregarded as income to the extent of £20 per week.

(4) Where a payment from access funds is made—

(a) on or after 1st September or the first day of the course, whichever first occurs, but before receipt of any student loan in respect of that year and that payment is intended for the purpose of bridging the period until receipt of the student loan; or

(b) before the first day of the course to a person in anticipation of that person becoming a student,

that payment is to be disregarded as income.

Treatment of fee loans

139.  A loan for fees, known as a fee loan or a fee contribution loan, made pursuant to regulations made under Article 3 of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998(179), section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998(180) or section 73(f) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980(181), is to be disregarded as income.

Disregard of contribution

140.  Where the claimant or the claimant’s partner is a student and, for the purposes of assessing a contribution to the student’s grant or student loan, the other partner’s income has been taken into account, an amount equal to that contribution is to be disregarded for the purposes of assessing that other partner’s income.

Further disregard of student’s income

141.  Where any part of a student’s income has already been taken into account for the purposes of assessing that student’s entitlement to a grant or student loan, the amount taken into account is to be disregarded in assessing that student’s income.

Income treated as capital

142.—(1) Any amount by way of a refund of tax deducted from a student’s income is to be treated as capital.

(2) An amount paid from access funds as a single lump sum is to be treated as capital.

(3) An amount paid from access funds as a single lump sum which is intended and used for an item other than food, ordinary clothing or footwear, household fuel, rent for which housing benefit is payable or any housing costs to the extent that they are met under regulation 67(1)(c) or 68(1)(d), of a single claimant or, as the case may be, of the claimant’s partner, or which is used for an item other than any council tax or water charges for which that claimant or partner is liable is to be disregarded as capital but only for a period of 52 weeks from the date of the payment.

Disregard of changes occurring during summer vacation

143.  In calculating a student’s income there is to be disregarded any change in the standard maintenance grant occurring in the recognised summer vacation appropriate to the student’s course, if that vacation does not form part of the student’s period of study, from the date on which the change occurred up to the end of that vacation.