The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to pay thousands of older Brits their benefits early this month due to the Easter bank holidays.
Like every year, the two bank holidays over Easter affect benefit payment dates as the DWP does not pay the State Pension or benefits on bank holidays. So, if you are due a payment on one of these days, you will likely be paid early.
If you are due your pension on Good Friday – which this year falls on April 18 – then you should get paid on Thursday, April 17, instead. This will also be the case for those who are due payment on Easter Monday, which this year falls on April 21.
You can find out if you are impacted by the bank holiday changes through the two-digit code linked to your pension payments. State pensions are paid every four weeks, and the day your payments are issued depends on your national insurance number – and more specifically, the last two digits.
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If those digits are between 00 and 19, your state pension is transferred on a Monday. Numbers between 20 and 39 means your payment will be made on a Tuesday and figures from 40 to 59 indicate a Wednesday.
This pattern continues throughout the week, with 60 to 79 codes paid on Thursday and numbers 80 to 99 on Fridays. There are different rules if you live abroad. 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 state pension payment.
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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 payment is due on a different day, it will arrive in your account as normal. Payment dates will return to normal after this weekend – well, until the May bank holidays, when payment will be paid early once again. In May, the two bank holidays fall on Monday May 5 and Monday May 26.
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. This is because the DWP support offices will be closed over bank holidays. For those looking to get information on their state pension, they will need to contact the Pensions Service which you can do by calling 0800 731 0469.
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