If you are in receipt of any welfare payments or the state pension, then it is important to know when you will be paid this month – we round up everything you need to know
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC pay benefits to more than 20 million people across the UK.
If you are in receipt of any welfare payments or the state pension, then it is important to know when you will be paid this month. The good news is, as there are no bank holidays in October, it means all benefit payments will be paid as normal.
Benefit payments are typically paid earlier when there is a bank holiday in the diary. But with energy bills creeping up just as winter is drawing in, it does mean many households will be worrying about how to pay for their heating soon.
Most people start to turn the heating on in October, typically to coincide with when the clocks go back. The clocks go back by one hour on Sunday, October 26.
DWP and HMRC benefit payments in October
You can find a full list of some of the most common benefit payments below, plus how often they are normally paid:
- Attendance Allowance – Usually every four weeks
- Carer’s Allowance – Weekly in advance or every four weeks
- Child Benefit – Usually every four weeks, or weekly if you’re a single parent or you or your partner get certain benefits
- Disability Living Allowance – Usually every four weeks
- Employment and Support Allowance – Usually every two weeks
- Income Support – Usually every two weeks
- Jobseeker’s Allowance – Usually every two weeks
- Pension Credit – Usually every four weeks
- Personal Independence Payment – Usually every four weeks
- State Pension – Usually every four weeks
- Tax credits – Every four weeks or weekly
- Universal Credit – Every month
State pension payment dates in October
The day your state pension is paid depends on the last two digits of your National Insurance number – you can see which days correlate to which day of the week below. The state pension is normally paid every four weeks.
- 00 to 19: Monday
- 20 to 39: Tuesday
- 40 to 59: Wednesday
- 60 to 79: Thursday
- 80 to 99: Friday
What if I don’t get paid?
If you don’t get your benefit payment when you expected to, you should contact the relevant helpline. Do keep in mind these are unlikely to be open on bank holidays, so you may have to wait until the next working day.
Universal Credit:
- Call for free: 0800 328 9344
- Welsh speaking: 0800 012 1888
- Textphone: 0800 328 1344
Child benefit:
- Call for free: 0300 200 3100
- Outside UK: +44 161 210 3086
Tax credits:
- Call HMRC for free: 0345 300 3900
- From outside the UK: +44 2890 538 192
Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance:
- Call for free: 0800 169 0310
- Textphone: 0800 169 0314
- Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 169 0310
