Universal Credit payments: bank holiday payment dates as DWP confirms benefit increase from April 2023

Bank holidays mean benefits claimants may receive their money earlier than usual
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Thousands of Universal Credit claimants will get an early payment next month ahead of the August bank holiday.

Tax credit payments are usually made every week or every four weeks, but can often come earlier than normal due to a bank holiday.

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The next bank holiday will fall on Monday 29 August and the Department of Work and Pensions has now confirmed the payment dates for benefits claimants.

niversal credit payments are set to increase from April next year (Photo: Adobe)niversal credit payments are set to increase from April next year (Photo: Adobe)
niversal credit payments are set to increase from April next year (Photo: Adobe)

When will I get my benefit payment in August?

If your benefit payment date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, you will be paid on the last working day before.

This means if you are due to receive your payment on Monday 29 August, you should expect it to arrive three days earlier on Friday 26 August.

If your payment date falls on a normal working day either side of the bank holiday, you will get your payment as normal.

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The UK government has confirmed the dates for tax credit payments or the rest of the years as follows:

  • Due date: 1 August - date payment will be made: 29 July
  • Due date: 2 August -  date payment will be made: 1 August (England and Northern Ireland only)
  • Due date: 29 August -  date payment will be made: 26 August
  • Due date: 26 December -  date payment will be made: 23 December
  • Due date: 27 December - date payment will be made: 23 December
  • Due date: 28 December -  date payment will be made: 23 December
  • Due date: 29 December -  date payment will be made: 28 December (England and Scotland only)
  • Due date: 2 January 2023 -  date payment will be made: 30 December 2022
  • Due date: 3 January 2023 -  date payment will be made: 30 December 2022
  • Due date: 4 January -  date payment will be made: 3 January (England and Northern Ireland only)

The amount of Universal Credit you receive will not change even when it is paid on a different day than usual. The same applies to other benefits payments.

Universal Credit payments to increase

Universal credit payments are set to increase from April next year, the DWP has confirmed.

The annual rise will keep in line with the rising cost of living and will happen alongside other increases affecting personal independence payments and housing benefits.

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Despite the cost of living crisis, the DWP has said the increase to payments will not be confirmed until November.

Parliamentary under-Secretary for the DWP David Rutley MP was responding to a written question asking the government to review benefit payments, with the energy price cap in mind.

The cap is currently set at £1,971 per year but is expected to increase to almost £3,000 in October.

Mr Rutley said in response that the DWP Secretary is "required to undertake an annual statutory review of benefits and pensions" but there were no plans to bring the review forward.

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He added: “Her review will commence in the autumn and her decisions will be announced to Parliament in November in the normal way."

The Macclesfield MP also confirmed that the increase would be either in line with inflation, earnings, or maybe higher than either.

He said: "The Secretary of State must increase certain benefits by at least the increase in prices or earnings.

"If she considers it appropriate, having regard to the national economic situation and any other matters which she considers relevant, she may increase others by such a percentage(s) as she thinks fit."

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