Overview
- A wide range of DWP payments due on Thursday, January 1 will arrive on Wednesday, December 31, covering Universal Credit, State Pension, Pension Credit, DLA, PIP, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, ESA, Income Support and JSA.
- In Scotland, payments scheduled for Friday, January 2 will also be paid on December 31, and HMRC says Child Benefit due Monday, January 5 will instead be paid on Tuesday, January 6.
- The change follows DWP’s standard bank‑holiday rule that when a payment date falls on a holiday it is made on the preceding working day.
- Recipients are advised to plan for a longer gap before the next regular payment because subsequent payment dates are not brought forward to compensate.
- Examples cited in coverage include up to £921 for a four‑week new State Pension for those with a full record and roughly £706 for those on the basic State Pension, with guidance to contact the paying office via GOV.UK if funds do not arrive.