HMRC has told recipients of Tax Credits, Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance that they may receive their payments on a different day to usual, due to the bank holiday Easter weekend. It comes amid confusion as to whether claimants due to be paid on Easter Monday will receive the new, uprated amount, or the old rate.
The four-day Easter weekend runs from Good Friday on April 6 to Easter Monday on April 10. The bank holiday Monday happens to fall on the same day that benefits would have been due to rise – as they generally go up on the first week after the start of the new financial year.
Most benefits are paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), but Child Benefits, Guardian's Allowance, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credits are paid by the Government tax office HMRC. Most benefits from both departments – as well as the state pension – are rising by 10.1% in April.
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No benefits will be paid on Easter Monday, when the rise would normally be applied. Child Benefit, Guardian's Allowance and Tax Credit claimants due to be paid on this date, will instead get their money on April 6. But this has led to confusion as to whether or not they will receive the uprated amount.
A spokesperson for HMRC told BirminghamLive : “The Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance uprate will be applied from April 10. Please note, customers due to receive their uprated payment on April 10 will receive this on April 6 due to the Bank Holiday. For more information about bank holiday payment dates, please visit Child Benefit payment dates: When you get paid - GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk ).
“As is the case every year when Tax Credits are uprated, because of their annual nature, the uprated amounts will be applied to customers' awards during the renewal period, typically between April and July. At the point of the increase, customers will see their payments backdated to April 6 in their weekly or four weekly payments.”
What are the HMRC payment rises from April 2023?
Child Benefit
Eldest or only child - increasing from £21.80 to £24
Other children - increasing from £14.15 to £15.90
Guardian's Allowance
increasing from £18.55 to £20.40
Child Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit family element - staying the same at £545 a year
Child element - increasing from £2,935 a year to £3,235 a year
Disabled child rate - increasing from £3,545 a year to £3,905 a year
Severely disabled child rate - increasing from £1,430 a year to £1,575 a year
Working Tax Credit
Basic element - increasing from £2,070 a year to £2,280 a year
Couple and lone parent element - increasing from £2,125 a year to £2,340 a year
30 hour element - increasing from £860 a year to £950 a year
Disabled worker element - increasing from £3,345 a year to £3,685 a year
Severe disability element - increasing from £1,445 a year to £1,595 a year
Childcare element (costs you can claim for) - staying the same at £175 for one child, £300 for two or more children
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