People on DWP benefits set to wake up to unexpected payment on Thursday morning
April will see two bank holidays - Good Friday and Easter Monday - and this can affect benefit payment dates.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC benefit payments are set to change in a shake-up next week. April will see two bank holidays - Good Friday and Easter Monday - and this can affect benefit payment dates.
With Easter falling over the weekend of Friday, April 18, to Monday, April 21, many will be affected. If your usual payment date falls on a bank holiday, you will be paid on a different day.
This year, there are bank holidays on Good Friday, April 18, and Easter Monday, April 21. If your payment date falls on either of these days, or over the Easter weekend, you will generally be paid on the working day before.
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This can be different for people receiving Child Benefit. Both DWP and HMRC require recipients to provide bank, building society or credit union account details when they claim. If there's an issue with opening or managing an account, alternative payment methods can be arranged.
If you don't have an account or are unable to open one, you should contact the office that pays your benefit to discuss alternative payment options. For those receiving Universal Credit, the Universal Credit helpline should be contacted.
You can repay any benefits and allowances you get but feel you don’t need. Write to the department that paid the benefit. Their address will be on any letter you’ve received from them.
Include a cheque made payable to the department, along with your National Insurance number and details of the payment, for example, the date and the amount.
Bank holidays in England and Wales
- Wednesday, 1 January – New Year’s Day
- Friday, 18 April – Good Friday
- Monday, 21 April – Easter Monday
- Monday, 5 May – early May bank holiday
- Monday, 26 May – spring bank holiday
- Monday, 25 August – summer bank holiday
- Thursday, 25 December – Christmas Day
- Friday, 26 December – Boxing Day
Bank holidays in Scotland
- Wednesday, 1 January – New Year’s Day
- Thursday, 2 January – January 2
- Friday, 18 April – Good Friday
- Monday, 5 May Early May bank holiday
- Monday, 26 May– – spring bank holiday
- Monday, 4 August– – summer bank holiday
- Monday, 1 December – St Andrew’s Day
- Thursday, 25 December – Christmas Day
- Friday, 26 December – Boxing Day
Bank holidays in Northern Ireland
- Wednesday, 1 January – New Year’s Day
- Monday, 17 March – St Patrick’s Day
- Friday, 18 April – Good Friday
- Monday, 21 April – Easter Monday
- Monday, 5 May – early May bank holiday
- Monday, 26 May – spring bank holiday
- Monday, 14 July – Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)
- Monday, 25 August – summer bank holiday
- Thursday, 25 December – Christmas Day
- Friday, 26 December – Boxing Day