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Daily Mirror

Business

Levi Winchester

Universal Credit and other benefit payments date are changing for some people this month

Benefit claimants may find their payments arrive earlier this month due to the Christmas and New Year bank holidays.

If your money does get sent early, it means your bank account will be replenished sooner than expected following the busy festive season.

But this does mean you’ll need to make your cash last longer. Make sure you budget in January to take any payment changes into account.

There are a few bank holiday days to be aware of over the next few weeks.

Some Christmas and New Year bank holiday days fall on slightly different dates this year - so make sure you jot down all the key days below.

The Christmas bank holiday dates are:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has yet to confirm a full list of benefit payment date changes for Christmas.

But normally, if your benefit payment falls on a bank holiday, then you should receive your cash the previous working day.

This means if you're due a payment on one of the days mentioned above, it is likely you'll be paid on Friday, December 23.

Tax Credit households should be aware of some other changes to their payments.

The DWP website confirms these benefits due on Wednesday, December 28 will also be paid on Friday, December 23 as well.

For payments of Tax Credits due on Thursday, December 29 in England and Scotland, these will be paid on Wednesday, December 28.

The amount you receive in benefits won’t change, and you’ll be paid into your bank, building society or credit union account as normal.

The New Year bank holiday dates are:

The DWP also hasn't confirmed a full list of benefit payment date changes for the New Year period.

If it follows the normal patterns, it is likely you'll be paid on Friday, December 30 if your benefit is normally due on January 2.

Tax Credit households expecting a payment on Tuesday, January 3 will also be paid on December 30.

Or if you're due a Tax Credits payment on Wednesday, January 4 in England and Northern Ireland, you should be paid on Tuesday, January 3.

Again, how much you receive in benefits won't be affected by the bank holidays and it'll be paid into your regular account.

How often you get paid your benefit depends on what type of support you claim.

For example, you’ll get paid Universal Credit on the same day each month, while Tax Credits are typically paid every four weeks or weekly.

Child benefit is usually every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday.

See the full list of how often certain benefits are paid below:

Attendance Allowance - Usually every four weeks
Carer’s Allowance - Weekly in advance or every four weeks
Child Benefit - Usually every four weeks, or weekly if you’re a single parent or you or your partner get certain benefits
Disability Living Allowance - Usually every four weeks
Employment and Support Allowance - Usually every two weeks
Income Support - Usually every two weeks
Jobseeker’s Allowance - Usually every two weeks
Pension Credit - Usually every four weeks
Personal Independence Payment - Usually every four weeks
State Pension - Usually every four weeks
Tax credits - Every four weeks or weekly
Universal Credit - Every month