UNIVERSAL Credit claimants could see their payments moved next month, and it’s all because of the Queen.
Her Majesty is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in June, and the momentous occasion means a few days off for working Brits.
There’s a bank holiday on June 3 to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
And the usual Spring Bank holiday has been tagged on the day before too, meaning another day-off on June 2.
But the additional bank holiday and long weekend is expected to affect the Universal Credit payment dates for thousands of claimants.
Universal Credit is paid once a month into your bank, building society or credit union account.
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But if your benefit payment date falls on a bank holiday, you’ll usually be paid on the working day before.
For example, over Christmas many claimants were paid a day early, getting their money on Christmas Eve instead.
And over Easter AND the early May bank holiday, claimants got their money sooner than usually expected too.
So with more banking disruption on the way in a few weeks time it means most will get their money a little earlier next month too.
We reveal when you’ll be paid.
When will Universal Credit be paid over the Queen’s Jubilee weekend?
If your usual payment is scheduled to fall on Thursday June 2 or Friday June 3, then you’ll get it the last working day before.
That means you’ll be paid on Wednesday June 1 instead.
There’s nothing you need to do – the change in payment date will happen automatically.
If your payment date falls on a normal working day either side of the long weekend, you’ll get payments as normal.
So usually, the Spring Bank holiday would fall on a Monday, but this year it’s been moved to before the weekend to make for the bumper Jubilee break.
That means if your payment does fall on Monday though, you’ll get it as normal.
What other benefit payment dates will change over the Queen’s Jubilee weekend?
Universal Credit isn’t the only benefit that can be affected by bank holidays.
The following payment dates can also change:
- State Pension
- Employment support allowance (ESA)
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Carer’s allowance
- Pension credit
- Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Attendance allowance
Will the amount of Universal Credit I’m paid change?
The amount of Universal Credit you get won’t change if it’s paid on a different date over a bank holiday.
Neither will any of the other benefits, unless you’ve had a change of circumstances that affects how much you get at the same time.
But you will have to remember that being paid earlier than normal means that you’ll need to make the money stretch for a few extra days of the month.
Remember to factor this into your budget for June as you’ll have longer to wait until the August payment.
If your money is not paid on time, then you should double check the date you get paid normally and contact your bank before calling the DWP.
If something’s not right, you can also submit a complaint to the DWP.
What other bank holidays can affect Universal Credit?
It feels like we’ve had endless bank holidays lately, but there’s more to come.
That means more payment disruption though, so make sure you make a note of any changed dates.
At the end of August there’s another bank holiday, and before you know it Christmas will be rolling around again.
Here’s the full list of the remaining Bank holidays in 2022 that could affect your benefit payments:
- Thursday, June 2 – Spring Bank Holiday
- Friday, June 3 – Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday
- Tuesday, July 12 – Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only)
- Monday, August 1 – Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland only)
- Monday, August 29 – Summer Bank Holiday (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- Wednesday, November 30 – St Andrew’s Day (Scotland only)
- Monday, December 26 – Boxing Day
- Tuesday, December 27 – Christmas Day (substitute day)
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Before you have to worry about the Jubilee payment disruptions, there’s another major Universal Credit shake-up coming in just DAYS.
That’s as the government has given the greenlight for millions on legacy benefits to start moving on to Universal Credit through the managed migration scheme.
