Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend this year, meaning the bank holidays have been moved to Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has shared the payment dates for the Christmas period.
The usual payment dates will be interrupted this year because of the upcoming bank holidays.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend this year, meaning the bank holidays have been moved to Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28.
The same has occurred over New Year. New Year’s Day, January 1 falls on a Saturday so the bank holiday has been postponed until Monday, January 3.
As a result, universal credit, PIP, and other benefits have moved. Although according to Wales Online, there may be differences for Child Benefit and Tax Credits, both of which are handled by HMRC rather than DWP.
The DWP said: Those whose income drops when they are off work in self-isolation are able to put in claims for Universal Credit and also for Employment and Support Allowance.
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. This may be different for tax credits and Child benefits, it said.
Some payments will be made earlier if they’re due between 27 December 2021 and 4 January 2022. Tell the office that pays your benefit if you do not get your payment on the day it’s scheduled, it said.
DWP guidance states: If you are not eligible to receive sick pay you can apply for Universal Credit and/or apply for New Style Employment and Support Allowance. You can also apply for these if you are prevented from working because of a risk to public health.
It said: You may be able to get Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay at the same time. If you are receiving Statutory Sick Pay it may be a good idea to apply for Universal Credit as well, particularly if you pay rent or have children to support. If you get both, your Statutory Sick Pay will be taken into account when calculating your Universal Credit payment.