BENEFITS BOOST
Thousands on Universal Credit wake up to surprise DWP payments this week
Check below to see if you're affected
THOUSANDS of Brits on Universal Credit could see an early DWP payment drop into their accounts this week.
The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that thousands of people will get their money ahead of schedule.
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This is due to the spring bank holiday falling on Monday, May 26.
Instead of waiting until after the long weekend, payments due on the 26th will now land this week on Friday, May 23 – giving claimants a much-needed cash boost just before the break.
This applies to a range of benefits, including the state pension, child benefit, PIP, and Universal Credit.
It’s important to remember that not everyone will get paid early – it only affects those whose usual payment date falls on the bank holiday Monday.
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If your regular payday isn’t impacted, your money will arrive as normal.
The DWP makes early payments during bank holidays, Easter, and Christmas to make sure claimants aren’t left waiting for vital support.
WHO’S GETTING PAID EARLY?
It is not just those on Universal Credit that will get paid early.
Twelve benefits are affected by this May’s date change:
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- Universal Credit
- State Pension
- Child Benefit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Pension Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Guardian’s Allowance
If you’re due money from any of these and your payment date is Monday, May 26, it should arrive on Friday, May 23, instead.
I'm a mum-of-5 on £1.5K Universal Credit per month - people think I'm popping kids out to get 'lots of money’ but I still have to use food banks - its embarrassing
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity works out what you could get.
Entitledto's determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data.
You can use to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
HAVEN’T BEEN PAID?
If your payment hasn’t landed when expected, you can contact the DWP helpline on 0800 328 5644.
You can also raise a complaint online if your payment is late or missing.
For more info on your specific benefit and payment dates, visit or speak to your local Jobcentre Plus.
And while an early deposit might be welcome, experts are urging people to budget carefully, as the next payment will still land on its usual date – leaving a longer gap than usual between payouts.
UPCOMING BENEFIT CHANGES
Thousands of households on old-style legacy benefits are being moved to Universal Credit via Managed Migration.
The managed migration process officially began back in July 2022 after a successful pilot in July 2019.
Since then, households receiving one of five legacy benefits, have been receiving postal notifications outlining the steps required to transition to Universal Credit.
Upon receiving a migration letter, claimants are given up to three months to make the switch.
Am I entitled to Universal Credit?
According to the if you're on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit.
To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you're 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments.
Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition.
Failure to act within this timeframe could result in the loss of existing benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has already closed new claims for four legacy benefits - tax credits, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, and housing benefit.
Households still receiving income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) are now being urged to make the move to Universal Credit.
ESA provides financial support for those unable to work due to illness or disability.
Initially, the government planned to transfer all ESA claimants to Universal Credit by the end of 2028.
However, this deadline has since been brought forward to March 2026.
HELP CLAIMING UNIVERSAL CREDIT
As well as benefit calculators, anyone moving from Tax Credits to Universal Credit can find help in a number of ways.
You can visit your local Jobcentre by searching at .
There's also a free service called Help to Claim from Citizen's Advice:
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- England: 0800 144 8 444
- Scotland: 0800 023 2581
- Wales: 08000 241 220
You can also get help online from advisers at
Will I be better off on Universal Credit?
ANALYSIS by James Flanders, The Sun's Chief Consumer Reporter:
Around 1.4million people on legacy benefits will be better off after switching to Universal Credit, according to the government.
A further 300,000 would see no change in payments, while around 900,000 would be worse off under Universal Credit.
Of these, around 600,000 can get top-up payments (transitional protection) if they move under the managed migration process, so they don't lose out on cash immediately.
The majority of those - around 400,000 - are claiming employment support allowance (ESA).
Around 100,000 are on tax credits, while fewer than 50,000 each on other legacy benefits are expected to be affected.
Those who move voluntarily and are worse off won't get these top-up payments and could lose cash.
Those who miss the managed migration deadline and later make a claim may not get transitional protection.
The clock starts ticking on the three-month countdown from the date of the first letter, and reminders are sent via post and text message.
There is a one-month grace period after this, during which any claim to Universal Credit is backdated, and transitional protection can still be awarded.
Examples of those who may be entitled to less on Universal Credit include:
- Households getting ESA and the severe disability premium and enhanced disability premium
- Households with the lower disabled child addition on legacy benefits
- Self-employed households who are subject to the Minimum Income Floor after the 12-month grace period has ended
- In-work households that worked a specific number of hours (e.g. lone parent working 16 hours claiming working tax credits
- Households receiving tax credits with savings of more than £6,000 (and up to £16,000)
Either way, if these households don't switch in the future, they risk missing out on any future benefit increase and seeing payments frozen.
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