DWP issues benefits payment warning ahead of Bank Holiday weekend

Government tells claimant to contact it ‘straight away if there is a problem with your payment’

The government has issued a warning over the schedule for benefits payments ahead of the coronation weekend.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said that the Bank Holiday will lead to changes in the dates people receive their next tranche of benefits.

It said that in some cases, people who would have been paid on 8 May will instead be sent the money earlier.

The DWP said: “If you are due to be paid on 8 May, you will be paid on 5 May. Please contact us straight away if there is a problem with your payment.”

The UK typically has two May bank holidays, but due to the coronation, one extra has been added this year.

Benefits are usually paid straight into your bank, building society or credit union account.

If the claimant’s payment date is on a weekend or a bank holiday, they will usually be paid on the working day before, as is the case this weekend.

As such, if you’re due to receive your payment on 8 May, it will land in your account three days earlier on 5 May.

This is the case for people in receipt of the following benefits:

• Attendance allowance
• Carer’s allowance
• Child benefit
• Disability living allowance
• Employment and support allowance
• Income support
• Jobseeker’s allowance
• Pension credit
• Personal independence payment
• State pension
• Tax credits (such as Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit

Income Support, jobseeker’s allowance and pension credit payments usually arrive every two weeks while the rest arrive every four weeks.

King Charles III will be coronated on Saturday, alongside his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort.

It will take place at Westminster Abbey in London where there are expected to be 2,000 guests in attendance, a stark contrast to the 8,000 guests present at the Queen’s coronation in 1953.

Charles will turn 74 years old in November 2022, making him the oldest person to be crowned in British history.

Buckingham Palace announced the programming that will take place across the long weekend, including a balcony appearance by the royals, a concert featuring international stars and a day of volunteering.