THOUSANDS on benefits including Universal Credit will see payments land in their accounts early this week.
A number of Government benefits are paid into your account early if your usual payment date lands on a bank holiday.
That means if you are expecting money in your account on May 27 this month, you will get it on Friday (May 24) instead.
Anyone who usually gets paid on 25 and 26 of each month will also see any benefit payments land in their accounts on Friday.
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.”
If you claim any of the following benefits, you could see payments land in your account early this week:
Your National Insurance number dictates what day you receive your state pension on.
If you’re due cash on May 27, you should get paid on May 24 instead.
If you don’t receive your benefit payment one working day before the bank holiday, contact the DWP directly.
You can also submit a complaint to them to get a problem sorted if your payment is wrong.
Your benefit amount won’t change if it is paid early, unless there’s been a change in circumstances which impacts how much you are due.
If you do get paid early next week, make sure you budget accordingly as the wait between that payment and the next one will be longer than usual.
There are three 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:
Benefits have also risen for millions of households.
HERE'S all you need to know about applying for Universal Credit.
You’ll need to apply to the new welfare system via the Gov.UK website, starting by setting up an online account.
To make an account, you’ll need an email address and a phone number.
After that, you’ll need to answer a set of questions about your current circumstances, known as your “to do list”.
These include things like when you last received payment for a job, what your household income is and how many people depend on you financially.
If you’ve lost your job, Citizens Advice recommends that you don’t apply until you’ve received your final wages or any final holiday pay.
This is because any money you receive after you’ve applied for Universal Credit will count as income and mean that you’re entitled to less in your first payment.
You will then need to confirm your identity online.
In certain circumstances, you’ll be able to apply over the phone, such as those who don’t have regular access to the internet, are visually impaired, or have a physical condition that stops you from using a computer or smartphone.
To do this, you will need to contact the Universal Credit helpline to ask if you can apply by phone or arrange a home visit.
In this case, someone can call them on your behalf if you can’t do it yourself.
The vast majority have risen by 6.7%, in line with the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation from last September.
Others are rising by 8.5%, such as the state pension and Pension Credit.
Of course, how much your benefit payment will rise by depends on the amount you were receiving before.
For example, someone receiving £292.11 a month in Universal Credit the last financial year will now start receiving £311.68.
One other change has hit tens of thousands on Universal Credit this month.
The DWP has increased the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET), which means 180,000 on the benefit will now have to step up their search for work or risk having payments stopped.
The AET threshold was previously 15 hours, but this has been upped to 18 hours.
The change means anyone working fewer than 18 hours a week and earning less than £892 a month, or £1,437 for couples, will have fresh requirements to meet with DWP officials.
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