Money Wellness
category iconbenefits
calendar icon03 Jan 2025

2025 bank holiday dates that will affect your benefit payments

We all love a bank holiday weekend and there’s plenty coming up in 2025.  

But, as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC don’t typically pay out benefits on bank holidays, the long weekends can disrupt your usual payment schedule.  

The good news is that instead of making payments after the bank holiday, DWP typically issues them before. So, if there’s a change to your payment date, you’ll receive the funds sooner rather than later. 

Whether your payments will be affected by bank holidays, depends on when they are due.  

Universal credit, for example, is paid on the same day each month. Tax credits, on the other hand, are usually paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday.  

Carer’s allowance is normally paid on a Monday.  

Do you need to do anything?  

No, if your payment date does change due to a bank holiday, there’s nothing you need to do.  

Unless your circumstances change, you’ll receive the same amount of money as usual.  

To help you stay on top of your payments, we’ve listed the bank holiday dates for 2025. 

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 

Transition to universal credit 

Remember, the government is gradually replacing older benefits, like tax credits, with universal credit.  

If you’ve haven’t yet made the transition, keep an eye out for a ‘migration notice’ in the post. This will provide you with a three-month deadline to begin claiming universal credit.  

You can also check key dates for benefit changes in 2025 

Are you missing out on benefits?  

If you think you might be missing out on benefits, it’sa good idea to check if you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to.  

You can get in touch or use ourbenefits calculator.   

 

Avatar of Gabrielle Pickard Whitehead

Gabrielle Pickard Whitehead

Gabrielle is an experienced journalist, who has been writing about personal finance and the economy for over 17 years. She specialises in social and economic equality, welfare and government policy, with a strong focus on helping readers stay informed about the most important issues affecting financial security.

Related posts

benefits

03 Jan 2025

Moving to universal credit this year

Understanding universal credit migration

benefits

30 Dec 2024