Some parents have been left confused over when Child Benefit payments are going to be made this month. It comes after a change in payments due to the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday.
The confusion came as parents discovered they have received an earlier than usual small Child Benefit payment on May 27. It appeared to some that their payments had been cut.
Birmingham Live reports that a full payment would normally have been due on Monday 30 May. Some parents took to social media to question the confusing payments but the HMRC has reassured them that there is nothing to be concerned about.
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Child Benefit is normally paid on a Monday or Tuesday, with payments processed at the end of the preceding week, but with the double bank holiday coming up, normal procedures have had to be altered. Here’s when this month’s Child Benefit payments will be made - and why the dates have changed.
May 2022 Child Benefit payment dates
According to the UK government’s website, if your Child Benefit payment is due on May 30 or 31, you’ll get your payment - but only part of it - early. HMRC has advised parents that this is "nothing to worry about."
If you get Child Benefit payments every four weeks and your payment is due on May 30, you’ll get a week’s payment on May 27 and the remaining three weeks’ worth on May 30.
People who get Child Benefit every four weeks and whose payment is due on Tuesday (May 31), meanwhile, will get the first week’s payment on May 30 and the remaining three weeks’ worth on May 31.
Alternatively, if you normally get Child Benefit weekly and your payment is due on May 30th, you will have got it on May 27. If it’s due on Tuesday, May 31, you’ll get it on Monday, May 30, instead.
Why have Child Benefit payment dates changed this month?
Child Benefit payment dates for May have changed because of the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend in June. Child Benefit payments are usually made early when there’s a Bank Holiday coming up but with two bank holidays in one week - on June 2 and 3 - it has meant more differences than usual.
"When there is an upcoming bank holiday, we often make Child Benefit payments earlier to ensure customers’ payments are not delayed. Customers will still receive their full child benefit entitlement," an HMRC spokesperson explained.
