Exact date Universal Credit and benefits to be paid EARLY this summer
THOUSANDS on benefits including Universal Credit will receive payments earlier than usual this summer.
Benefits are paid early if you are due to receive them on a bank holiday.
The next bank holiday is in August, which means thousands will see money land in accounts sooner.
Anyone who is usually paid on August 26 will receive their money on August 23 instead – the first working day before the bank holiday.
The official Government guidance states: “Benefits are usually paid straight into your bank, building society or credit union account.
“If your payment date is on a weekend or a bank holiday you’ll usually be paid on the working day before.”
The Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC have confirmed the following benefits will be made early in August:
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Income Support
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment
- State pension
- Universal Credit
- Child benefit
- Tax credits
If you don’t receive your benefit payment one working day before the August bank holiday, contact the DWP directly.
You can also submit a complaint to them to get a problem sorted if your payment is wrong.
The benefit amount won’t change if it’s paid early unless there’s been a change in circumstances which impacts how much you are due.
If you do get paid early in August, make sure you budget accordingly as the wait between that payment and the next one will be longer than usual.
What are the payment dates for other bank holidays in 2024?
After August, there are two more bank holidays before the end of the year which could impact when you receive your benefits.
Here’s when the DWP or HMRC will make your payments:
- December 25 – payments will be made on December 24 instead
- December 26 – payments will be made on December 24 instead
Other upcoming benefits changes
Tens of thousands on old-style legacy benefits are being moved to Universal Credit via Managed Migration.
In total, the Government is transitioning two million to Universal Credit or Pension Credit.
The vast majority will be moved by March 2025.
The process started being rolled out in May last year after a successful pilot in July 2019.
Households are being contacted via letters which tell them how to make the move from their old benefit to Universal Credit.
Once you receive a letter, you have three months to move over, or you could lose your current benefits.
You can read more about the process and who is impacted here.
Those claiming housing benefit are being asked to move across this month.
Housing benefit is paid to households struggling to pay rent due to unemployment or a low income.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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