Overview

• Payments that would have fallen on Monday 25 August were issued on Friday 22 August across major benefits including universal credit, PIP, child benefit, carer’s allowance and the state pension.
• Many recipients reported unexpected Friday credits that were simply their regular payments paid early because of the bank holiday.
• Anyone missing an expected payment is advised to contact the DWP using its published helplines for their specific benefit.
• Roughly 24 million people receive DWP‑administered support, with a large share potentially affected by the adjusted timing.
• Current context includes April uprating of working‑age benefits by 1.7% and the state pension by 4.1%, ongoing migration to universal credit targeted for January 2026, and welfare‑bill changes that raise universal credit from next year while reducing the health‑related element for new claimants until 2029.