Due to the upcoming bank holidays, payment dates are set to change as revealed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The first bank holiday, observed only in Scotland, is on Monday, August 5.
Benefit Payments Rescheduled Ahead of August Bank Holiday
HMRC has announced that Tax Credits payments due on Monday, August 5, will be issued early on Friday, August 2. Similarly, Social Security Scotland payments due on the same date will also be made early, though no official confirmation has been provided yet. The next bank holiday is on Monday, August 26.
Despite being observed only in England and Wales, the bank holiday could affect people in Scotland expecting payments on that date.
According to HMRC, Child Benefit and Tax Credits initially scheduled for this date will arrive in bank accounts on Friday, August 23. The DWP is expected to announce the same changes to scheduled payments for State Pension and other benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), and Universal Credit, as reported by the Daily Record.
This is mainly due to the fact that State Pension and DWP benefits are generally issued when offices and phone lines are available. On official bank holidays, when the lines of communication become unavailable, payments are issued on the first working day right before the affected date.
Revised HMRC Payment Dates for August
Payments from HMRC initially scheduled for August 5 or 26 may be made early for some people.
Tax Credits:
- Payments scheduled for Monday, August 5: will be issued on Friday, August 2 for individuals residing in Scotland.
- Payments scheduled for Monday, August 26: will be made on Friday, August 23 for anyone living in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Child Benefit:
- Payments scheduled for Monday, August 26: will be provided on Friday, August 23 for people residing in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
You can find the complete list of Tax Credit payment date changes in the GOV.UK website
The complete list of Child Benefit payment date changes is also available on GOV.UK.
Possible DWP Payment Date Changes in August
Although these date changes are still to be confirmed, they are expected to follow the same path as those issued by HMRC for the August 26 bank holiday only.
DWP payments scheduled for Monday, August 26, may be made early on Friday, August 23, 2024.
Possibly affected payments:
- Carer’s Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- Income Support
- Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Universal Credit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Pension Credit
- State Pension