TO YOUR CREDIT
Unexpected payment for thousands on Universal Credit, state pension and other benefits TODAY– are you affected?
Keep scrolling to find out if you are missing out on extra benefits
THOUSANDS of households on Universal Credit, the state pension and benefits will receive an unexpected payment today.
This is because the date claimants usually receive their benefits falls on a bank holiday, so it has been pushed ahead to first working day before the break.
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Households which would have got their payment on Monday, August 26, will now be paid today, August 23.
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."
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC have confirmed the following benefits will be paid early in August:
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- Attendance allowance
- Carer's allowance
- Disability living allowance
- Income support
- Jobseeker's allowance
- Pension credit
- Personal independence payment (PIP)
- State pension
- Universal Credit
- Child benefit
- Tax credits
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said this morning to contact the office directly if you have a problem with your payment.
In a post on X, formally Twitter, it said: "If you are due to be paid on 26 August, you will be paid on 23 August.
"Please contact us straight away if there is a problem with your payment."
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The benefit amount won't change if it's paid early unless there's been a change in circumstances which impacts how much you are due.
If you do get paid early in August, it is important to budget accordingly as the wait between that payment and the next one will be slightly longer than usual.
How to Qualify for Free or Discounted Council Tax!
What are the payment dates for other bank holidays in 2024?
After August, there are just two more bank holidays before the end of the year.
Again, these could impact when you receive your benefit payments.
Here's when the DWP or HMRC will make your payments:
December 25 - payments will be made on December 24 instead
December 26 - payments will be made on December 24 instead
OTHER BENEFITS CHANGES
Tens of thousands on old-style legacy benefits are being moved to Universal Credit via what is known as "managed migration".
In total, the Government is transitioning two million to Universal Credit or Pension Credit.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity works out what you could get.
Entitledto's determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data.
You can use to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
The vast majority will be moved by March 2025.
The process started being rolled out in May last year after a successful pilot in July 2019.
Households are being contacted via letters which tell them how to make the move from their old benefit to Universal Credit.
Once you receive a letter, you have three months to move over, or you could lose your current benefits.
You can read more about the process and who is impacted here.
Those claiming housing benefit was asked to move across last month.
Housing benefit is paid to households struggling to pay rent due to unemployment or a low income.
Earlier this month, all those who claims benefits were urged to check they had been receiving the correct payments after the National Audit Office (NAO) found that claimants received £4.2billion less than they were entitled to last year.
Exclusive figures shared with The Sun in April revealed that £23billion worth of means-tested benefits and social tariffs could go unclaimed this financial year.
The £23billion includes more than £8billion Universal Credit, £3.4billion Council Tax Support, nearly £2.3billion Carer’s Allowance, more than £2billion Pension Credit and £1.7billion child benefit.
The total estimate is up by £4billion compared with last year, and is partly down to some benefits being increased in line with inflation.
If it also included unclaimed disability benefits and some other discretionary payments, it could top £30billion, according to Policy in Practice founder Deven Ghelani.
If you are struggling financially you could be one of the thousands of households due automatic cash and voucher payments worth up to £220.
The cash grant is available under the government's Household Support Fund (HSF).
The HSF provides financial help to struggling households, and has been extended several times since it was first introduced by the Government in 2021.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Funding is given out to local councils to distribute to those most in need in their area, so the support available varies across the country and what you can get depends on where you live.
For example, its been announced that households in Luton in need of support can apply for a financial award of £500 per household.
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