MILLIONS of households on Universal Credit and benefits could get their payments early this week.
Bank holidays can change when the cash support hits your bank account.
AlamyMillions could see their benefit and Universal Credit payment dates changed this week[/caption]
The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed early payments will be made for 12 benefits.
That includes Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Income Support.
The Spring Bank Holiday falls on Monday, May 29.
So anyone who is usually paid on May 27, 28 or 29 will be paid earlier.
This is because the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) doesn’t make benefit payments on bank holidays
Any payments which are usually made on these dates will be made on Friday, May 26.
This counts for the following 12 benefits:
Attendance allowanceCarer’s allowanceChild benefitDisability living allowanceEmployment and support allowanceIncome supportJobseeker’s allowancePension creditPersonal independence paymentState pensionTax credits (such as Working Tax Credit)Universal Credit
Income Support, jobseekers’s allowance and pension credit payments usually arrive every two weeks while the rest arrive every four weeks.
If you don’t receive your benefit payment one working day before the bank holiday, you should contact DWP directly.
You can also submit a complaint to them to get a problem sorted if your payment is wrong.
Millions will also see their payments rise in the next few weeks.
The Government increased the rate of a number of benefits by 10.1% from April.
But despite the rise coming from last month, households will only just start receiving the boost this week and possibly into June.
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 the state pension falls on a bank holiday.
Don’t forget that if you get paid early then you’ll have to make the money you get go further as you’ll have extra days to wait until your next payment date.
Make sure you factor this into your budget.
If your money is not paid on time, then you should double-check the date you get paid normally and contact your bank.
Failing that, you should contact the DWP.
You can also submit a complaint to the DWP over any unpaid benefits.
Meanwhile, millions of disabled people will get a one-off £150 cost of living payment paid straight into their bank accounts.
Plus, thousands of households can claim up to £90 free cash to land in bank accounts within days – here’s how you could claim.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]