MILLIONS of Brits will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year – and an extra day off.
But the additional bank holiday and long weekend in June is expected to affect Universal Credit payments for thousands of claimants.
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The Queen is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne, on the first weekend in June.
And the country will get an extra bank holiday to toast her time at Buckingham Palace on Friday, June 3.
Thursday, June 2 will also be a bank holiday, because the late May Day bank holiday, which usually falls on a Monday, has been moved to give Brits a bumper four-day weekend.
Buckingham Palace said the extra long weekend will provide “an opportunity for communities throughout the United Kingdom to come together and celebrate the historic milestone”.
But bank holidays can affect your usual payment dates for Universal Credit and other benefit payments.
For example, over Christmas many claimants were paid early on Christmas Eve.
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Here we explain how your payments could be affected over the Queen’s Jubilee weekend.
When will Universal Credit be paid over the Queen’s Jubilee weekend?
Universal Credit is paid once a month into your bank, building society or credit union account.
If your benefit payment date falls on a bank holiday, you’ll usually be paid on the working day before.
That means you will get your Universal Credit payment earlier than usual if your payment is scheduled to fall on Thursday June 2 or Friday June 3.
Payment is expected on the working day before, which would be Wednesday June 1.
There’s nothing you need to do – the change in payment date will happen automatically.
If your payment date falls on a normal working day on either side of the long weekend, you’ll get payments as normal.
What other benefit payment dates will change over the Queen’s Jubilee weekend?
Universal Credit isn’t the only benefit that can be affected by bank holidays.
The following payment dates can also change:
Will the amount of Universal Credit I’m paid change?
The amount of Universal Credit you get won’t change if it’s paid on a different date over a bank holiday.
Neither will any of the other benefits, unless you’ve had a change of circumstances that affects how much you get at the same time.
Remember, being paid earlier than normal means that you’ll need to make the money stretch for extra days as you’ll have longer to wait until next month’s payment.
Make sure you take this into account when working out your household budget.
If your money is not paid on time, then you should double check the date you get paid normally and contact your bank before calling the DWP.
If something’s not right, you can also submit a complaint to the DWP.
What other bank holidays can affect Universal Credit?
June’s long bank holiday weekend for the Queen’s Jubilee is not the only bank holiday you’ll get in 2022.
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The next bank holiday is April 15 for Good Friday followed by April 18 for Easter Monday giving Brits another four-day weekend.
Anyone in Northern Ireland will get an earlier bank holiday first on March 17 for St Patrick’s Day.
There’s an early May bank holiday on Monday May 2, before the June Jubilee bank holidays.
Here’s the full list of Bank holidays in 2022 that could affect your benefit payments:
- Thursday, March 17 – St Patrick’s Day (Northern Ireland only)
- Friday, April 15 – Good Friday
- Monday, April 18 – Easter Monday
- Monday, May 2 – Early May Bank Holiday
- Thursday, June 2 – Spring Bank Holiday
- Friday, June 3 – Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday
- Tuesday, July 12 – Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only)
- Monday, August 1 – Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland only)
- Monday, August 29 – Summer Bank Holiday (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- Wednesday, November 30 – St Andrew’s Day (Scotland only)
- Monday, December 26 – Boxing Day
- Tuesday, December 27 – Christmas Day (substitute day)
Buckingham Palace has unveiled the line-up of celebrations to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
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