Big change to benefits and Universal Credit this week – see if you’re affected and four more key payment dates to know

HOUSEHOLDS on Universal Credit and other benefits may get their payments earlier this week.

This is due to the first May bank holiday affecting the schedule – and there are even more changes later on.

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For Universal Credit, for example, your usual payment date depends on when you first applied and when your application was approved – there is no set day for everyone.

Most people receive their first payment seven days after the end of their initial assessment period.

If that date falls on the bank holiday, you’ll get the money on the previous working day instead.

That means you won’t be left waiting for cash over the long weekend.

In other words, if you’re expecting a payment on the next bank holiday Monday on May 6, you’ll likely get it this Friday, May 3, instead.

Overall, 12 benefits including Universal Credit are affected by the earlier payment date.

They are as follows:

Income Support, jobseekers’s allowance and pension credit payments usually arrive every two weeks while the rest arrive every four weeks.

There’s also another bank holiday on Monday, May 27, to watch out for.

If you’re due cash on this day, you should get paid on Friday, May 24, instead.

If you don’t receive your benefit payment one working day before the bank holiday, contact DWP directly.

You can also submit a complaint to them to get a problem sorted if your payment is wrong. 

Will my benefit payment amount change?

No, the amount you’re due should remain the same.

It will only be different if you’ve had a change in circumstances since your last payment, which you’ll need to alert the DWP of.

You don’t need to do anything if your usual date for getting your benefits falls on a bank holiday.

Just remember that if you get paid early, the money you get needs to go further as you’ll have extra days until your next payment date.

Make sure you factor this into your budget.

What are the payment dates for other bank holidays?

There are five bank holidays before the end of this year which could impact when you receive your benefits.

Here’s when the DWP or HMRC will make your payments if you’re expecting them on a public holiday:

• May 6 – payments will be made on May 3 instead
• May 27 – payments will be made on May 24 instead
• August 26 – payments will be made on August 23 instead
• December 25 and 26 – payments will be made on December 24 instead

The date changes come as millions on benefits face a delay in receiving their payment boost.

Benefits rose by 6.7% from April, in line with the consumer price index (CPI) level of inflation for September 2023.

However, while the new rates came into force on April 8, most will not see their payments rise until May.

This is because most benefits are paid monthly or twice monthly in arrears.

For example, if you usually receive your state pension payment on or before the 8th of each month, you won’t receive a payment boost until your May payment is due.

Millions on Universal Credit will also have to wait a bit longer to receive the boost because of how the benefit is assessed.

It means that the date you’ll receive the pay boost will depend on when your last assessment period was.

Those whose assessment periods started before April 8 will see the benefits rise in May.

However, those whose assessment period started after this date won’t see it until June.

Check our guide for the full list of the new benefit rates for 2024-25.

In other news, an HR administrator has revealed how she is £4.2k better off a year after claiming Universal Credit.

Meanwhile, a single mum has told The Sun how she must pay back more than £24,000 in Universal Credit payments after a DWP error.

Universal Credit

HERE’S everything to know about Universal Credit:

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk