Households who are due to receive benefit payments on the New Year bank holiday will see the money arrive in their accounts earlier in the second early payday of the festive season.
Most benefit payments including Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and State Pension are paid on a specific weekday either every two or four weeks. Claimants with payments due between Christmas and New Year will have already noticed that they were paid earlier this month, with any payments due on December 26, 27 or 28 landing in accounts on Friday, December 23 instead.
As New Year falls on a Sunday this year benefit payments won't be affected on New Year's Day itself, but they will be impacted on the substitute bank holiday that will take place on Monday January 2. According to the gov.uk website, any payments due on this date, including Universal Credit, will instead be paid early on Friday December 30.
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Normal payment schedules will resume on Tuesday, January 3, with the exception of Tax Credits. Here's the full list of benefits affected over the New Year period:
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer's Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Jobseeker's Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- State Pension
- Tax Credits (such as Working Tax Credit)
- Universal Credit
Universal Credit claimants should also be aware that if they are due a payment on Wednesday December 28, they will still receive it on this date rather than having had it land in their bank account early on December 23 as with other benefits. Any Universal Credit payments due on Boxing Day or December 27 should have been paid in on December 23.
When it comes to Tax Credits, if you are due to receive your payments on Tuesday, January 3, you will also see your money arrive early on Friday, December 30. If your Tax Credits are due to arrive on Wednesday, January 4, they will instead be paid on Tuesday, January 3.
If the money hasn't arrived in your account, you should call the helplines for advice. For State Pension, call the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898 (open 8am to 5pm on December 23). The service will be closed on December 26 and 27, and open on December 28 from 8am to 5pm for calls about missing payments only.
For Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), call 0800 169 0310 (open 8am to 4pm on December 23). Offices are closed until Thursday, but helplines reopen on December 28 until 4pm for missing or urgent payments only.
For PIP, call 0800 121 4433, and for Disability Living Allowance, call 0800 121 4600 if you were born after April 8, 1948, and 0800 731 0122 if you were born on or before that date. Helplines are closed on December 26 and 27, and open on December 28 for enquiries about missing or urgent payments only.
For Carer's Allowance, call 0800 731 0297 and for Attendance Allowance call 0800 731 0122. These helplines will be closed December 26, 27 and 28.
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