Changes to benefits payments this Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, many will be wondering how the festive season affects their benefits payments.

Here’s when you can expect your money to land in your account.

Changes to payment dates

Some payment dates will come earlier than usual because of the bank holidays over Christmas and New Year.

You’ll usually be paid the working day before your payment is due.

This means:

• If your payment is due on 25, 26, or 27 December, you will be paid on 24 December.
• If your payment is due on 1 January, you will be paid on 31 December.
• Payments due on or after 2 January 2025 will be paid as usual.

As the festive season approaches, it’s good to keep these dates in mind as you might need to make your money last longer – so make sure you budget accordingly.

Which benefits are affected?

The following payments may be affected:

• attendance allowance
• carer’s allowance
• child benefit
• child tax credit
• employment support allowance
• guardian’s allowance
• jobseeker’s allowance
• pension credit
• personal independence payment
• state pension
• universal credit
• working tax credit

You don’t need to do anything as you’ll automatically be paid early.

Christmas bonus

To help with the added costs of Christmas, some claimants will receive a Christmas bonus of £10.

This tax-free payment is automatically paid in the first full week of December.

If you get universal credit, you won’t qualify for the bonus.

To be eligible, you need to be receiving certain benefits during the qualifying week. A complete list of eligible benefits is available on the government website.

It’s always a good idea to double-check your eligibility if you're not sure that you qualify.

What do I do if I don’t get paid early?

If you’re due to be paid on one of the dates above and you don’t automatically receive an early payment when you expected one:

• double check your payment date
• speak to your bank to see if anything's gone wrong there
• contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) directly, or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if you've not been paid your tax credits

If your payment is incorrect for any reason, you can complain to DWP or HMRC.