Millions of pensioners are due to receive their state pension early next month as the Department for Work and Pensions rearranges payment dates.
Recipients who are meant to be banking payments on April 18 or April 21 are now due to receive the benefit a little earlier than expected.
Since Good Friday and Easter Monday fall on April 18 and 21 respectively, the DWP has announced that benefits will be paid out the day before the long weekend.
Payments are now scheduled to be made on Thursday April 17.
Along with the state pension, the change is also due to affect claimants of child benefit, disability living allowance, carer’s allowance and personal independence payment (PIP)
PA
Along with the state pension, the change is also due to affect claimants of child benefit, disability living allowance, carer’s allowance and personal independence payment (PIP).
Since the payments go out earlier, it is expected that the money will have to last claimants longer than usual as payment days will revert back to regular days after the holiday.
Recipients will not need to make any changes themselves as the DWP will make the amendments automatically.
As normal, the money will be sent directly into claimants’ bank accounts but the total amount will not change.
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If a payment is late in arriving, Britons have been urged to check the date on their award notice and contact their bank before contacting the DWP.
Right after April, May is expected to bring a switch up of dates for those receiving their state pension as well.
The early May bank holiday on May 5 – in addition to another on May 26 – is due to disrupt regular payments throughout the month.
From April 2025, the full new state pension will rise from £221.20 to £230.30 per week.
The payment rate increase is part of the Government’s triple lock promise, which makes sure state pensions rise annually
PA
The change represents a weekly boost of £9.10 for pensioners receiving the new state pension.
Those on the basic state pension will also see an increase, with payments rising from £169.50 to £176.45 per week.
The annual increase means pensioners will receive nearly £500 more over the course of a year, with the total rising from £11,541.90 to £12,016.75.
The payment rate increase is part of the Government’s triple lock promise, which makes sure state pensions rise annually.
This guarantee means payments increase by either inflation (based on the previous September’s figure), wage growth (average increase between May and July), or 2.5 per cent – whichever is highest.
