Millions of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit claimants could see changes to their payments next week.
The changes come as February only has 28 days – as opposed to 30 or 31. This means if you are due to get your benefit payment on the final few days of the month, you will have them paid earlier instead. Those affected will mainly be people claiming Universal Credit, which is paid on the same date each month.
For other benefits, they are usually paid every week, two weeks, or four weeks on the same weekday they had their first payment. This weekday usually doesn’t change. According to the DWP website, if your Universal Credit payment date is on a weekend or a bank holiday, you’ll be paid on the working day before – this is also the case in this instance, where the month doesn’t have your date.
In this case, any payments normally set to land in accounts on the 29th, 30th, or 31st of the month should come earlier on Friday, February 28 instead. Alongside this, the first two days of March fall on the weekend which means people with payments set for those two days will also see them come a little earlier – also on Friday, February 28. Here are the changes in full:
If you’re due to be paid on a different day, you won’t need to do anything – the money will be paid into your account as normal. The amount you get will also remain the same, and it will also be paid into the same account in which you normally receive your benefit payment.
It’s also very important to note that although receiving your benefits earlier may sound like a good thing, it does mean that you need to make your money last longer, even if it is just by one day. If your money does not arrive in your account on the new payment date, you will need to contact the department that pays your benefit as soon as possible. You can find the relevant support numbers on the government’s official website. You can reach its Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
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