Families receiving Child Benefit will find that their payment dates will change next month. Parents will need to plan for payment dates to shift around the Easter weekend due to bank holidays on April 18 (Good Friday) and April 21 (Easter Monday).
Those expecting Child Benefit payments on these dates will instead receive them on the earliest working day before the long weekend, which should be April 17. This means families due to receive their benefits on April 21 will get them four days earlier.
Child Benefit is a monthly payment worth £25.60 per week for the oldest child and £16.95 for subsequent children.
Child Benefit is normally paid into bank accounts on a Monday or Tuesday for most people, but the bank holidays around Easter, mean that can change; Easter Sunday falls on April 20 this year, with Good Friday on April 18 and Easter Monday on April 21.
Those expecting Child Benefit payments on April 17 or April 22 should not be affected. The same rules apply to all UK benefit recipients and more information can be found on Gov.uk.
Those who receive payments will have to make their money last until the next payment.
The seven million families on Child Benefit may need to consider this when budgeting for their fluctuating April payments.
If you are due a benefit payment around a bank holiday but don’t receive it, you should contact your bank.
You should also contact DWP or HMRC, depending on who issues your benefit.
A number of other changes to benefits and national finances could also affect British budgets next month. This includes the Tax Credit service due to close on April 5, as most eligible recipients should be migrating to Universal Credit.
The earnings threshold for Carer’s Allowance will also be increasing from £151 to £196. Workers on national minimum wage will also see their salaries increase as they will rise by 6%.
Other benefits that may be affected by Bank Holiday
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance – usually paid every two weeks
- Income Support – usually paid every two weeks
- Jobseeker’s Allowance – usually paid every two weeks
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment
- State Pension
- Tax Credits (such as Working Tax Credit)
- Universal Credit
