The DWP and HMRC don’t pay benefits on Bank Holidays, so those whose payment dates fall on Christmas Day or Boxing Day this year will get them earlier
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is paying a whole raft of benefits earlier than normal today.
The DWP and HMRC don’t pay benefits on Bank Holidays, so those whose payment dates fall on Christmas Day or Boxing Day this year will get them earlier. So for Universal Credit payments due today or tomorrow these will be paid on today – on Tuesday, December 24 – instead.
Universal Credit payments due on Friday, December 27, Monday, December 30 and Tuesday, December 31 will be paid as normal – but if you’re due a payment on Wednesday, January 1, you’ll also be paid a day earlier on December 31.
Other benefit payments that aren’t Universal Credit, and are due on Friday, December 27, will be paid three days early, so on Tuesday, December 24. If you’re due a benefit payment that isn’t Universal Credit on Thursday, January 2, then you should be paid on Tuesday, December 31.
Child Benefit payments are paid on Mondays and Tuesdays, but some payments will be made slightly later over Christmas. If you’re due a payment on Monday, December 30, then you’ll be paid on Tuesday, December 31.
If you’re due to be paid on a different day, you won’t need to do anything – the money will be paid into your account as normal. The amount you get will also remain the same, and it will also be paid into the same account in which you normally receive your benefit payment.
It’s also very important to note that although receiving your benefits earlier may sound like a good thing, it does mean that you need to make your money last longer, even if it is just by one day.
If your money does not arrive in your account on the new payment date, you will need to contact the department that pays your benefit as soon as possible. This is because the DWP/HMRC support offices will be closed over bank holidays. You can find the relevant support numbers on the government’s official website. You can reach its Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
Full list of benefits being paid today
- Attendance allowance
- Carer’s allowance
- Disability living allowance
- Income support
- Jobseekers allowance
- Pension credit
- Personal independence payments (PIP)
- State pension
- Universal Credit
- Child benefit (paid by HMRC)
- Tax credits (paid by HMRC)
