Benefits due to be paid on the August bank holiday may be paid on a different date. Those claiming the payments should be aware that bank holidays can occasionally change when they are made.

They usually arrive early to ensure that those claiming benefits do not run out of money. This may appear to be a good thing, but it does require you to make the payment stretch longer.

With this year’s August Bank Holiday, claimants can expect their payments to arrive up to three days earlier. So, if you are due to be paid on August 29, the money will be in your account on August 26.

It comes as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has sent the first instalment of the £650 cost of living payment to more than 7.2 million UK households, despite rising fuel, energy, and food prices and 40-year high inflation. Additional payments are also on the way for pensioners and the disabled, including a £400 grant to help with energy bills, a £150 disability payment, and an extra £300 for pensioner households.

We look at how the August bank holiday may affect your benefits – and when you’ll be paid next month – in this article. More changes will be implemented later this year, including date changes to cover anyone who was scheduled to be paid on December 26, 27, or 28.

Benefit payments during the August bank holiday

If your benefit payment is due on Monday, August 29, you should receive it the day before the bank holiday. That means your money should arrive on Friday, August 26. The amount of benefits you receive will remain unchanged, and you will be paid into your bank, building society, or credit union account as usual.

The frequency with which you receive your benefit is determined by the type of assistance you receive. For example, Universal Credit is paid on the same day each month, whereas Tax Credits are typically paid every four weeks or weekly. Child benefit is usually paid on a Monday or Tuesday every four weeks.

The following is a complete list of how frequently certain benefits are paid:

Attendance Allowance – This is usually paid every four weeks.
Carer’s Allowance – Weekly or every four weeks.
Child Benefit is usually paid every four weeks, or weekly if you’re a single parent or receive certain benefits.
Disability Allowance for living expenses is usually paid every four weeks.
Employment and Support Allowance is paid every two weeks on average.
Income support is usually provided every two weeks.
Jobseeker Allowance – Usually paid every two weeks.
Pension Credit is typically paid every four weeks.
Personal Independence Payment – Usually received every four weeks.
The state pension is usually paid every four weeks.
Tax credits are available every four weeks or weekly.
Every month, Universal Credit

What if I’m not paid?

If you don’t receive your benefit payment on time, double-check the date on your award notice and your bank account. If you have the correct date but no money, you should contact the appropriate helpline. Remember that these are unlikely to be open on bank holidays.

Universal Credit (UC):

Call 0800 328 9344 for free.
0800 012 1888 for Welsh speakers
0800 328 1344 (textphone)
Child support:

Call for free at 0300 200 3100 or +44 161 210 3086 from outside the UK.