Thousands on Universal Credit to be paid early this week
THOUSANDS of households claiming Universal Credit and other benefits will be paid early this week.
The bank holiday on May 2 - in a matter of days - will affect when claimants get their money.
Your usual payment date depends on when you first applied for Universal Credit and when your application was approved.
That means there is no set day for everyone when it comes to getting paid.
Most people receive their first payment seven days after the end of their initial assessment period.
If that date falls on the bank holiday, you'll get the money on the previous working day instead.
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That means you won't be left waiting for cash over the long weekend - but it's important to factor this into your budgeting for the following month because of this.
We explain how upcoming bank holidays will affect your benefit payments in May - and the upcoming bank holidays in June too.
When will I get my Universal Credit and other benefit payments?
This year, the next three bank holidays are on:
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- Monday, May 2 - Early May bank holiday
- Thursday, June 2 - Spring bank holiday
- Friday, June 3 - Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
Households who usually get their payments on those dates will get their money slightly earlier than usual.
The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed to The Sun it will be transferred on the previous working day.
So if you usually get paid on the 2nd of the month, you'll get your May benefits on April 29 - as that's the last working day before the bank holiday.
Claimants who would expect to be paid on June 2 or 3 will receive their cash on June 1 instead.
However, while you'll get paid earlier than usual, you'll want to factor these payment date changes into your budget for the next month.
It means you'll have more days to make your money stretch.
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Universal Credit claimants can access lots of extra help on top of their payments.
Thousands of households on low income can access emergency cash grants to help with bills.
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