Christmas is just a week away and social welfare recipients are being reminded of changes to payment dates as post offices and banks alter their opening hours.
Many benefits will be issued to claimants earlier than usual and some payments will be made within days - even if they are not due until next week.
According to the Department of Social Protection, anyone who received a weekly social welfare payment will get it as usual during the week of Monday, December 19 as well as an advanced payment for the following week.
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This applies to payments made at post offices, by cheque or into bank accounts.
Post offices and banks will open from 9am to 1pm on December 24 before closing for Christmas. They will reopen on December 29 and 30 before closing again until January 3.
Additionally, Intreo Centres and Branch Offices will be closed on December 26, December 27 and January 2.
Here are the Christmas date changes for weekly payments:
- December 19, 20, 21 - No change
- December 22 - Payment will be made on December 21
- December 23 - Payment will be made on December 22
- January 2 - Payment will be made on December 30
Weekly payments will be paid on normal dates from January 3.
Advice has also been issued to those on part-time job seeker’s declarations.
The Department of Social Protection said: “The change in social welfare payment dates will also affect part-time, casual or short-time workers over the Christmas and New Year period. In order to ensure you receive your payments on time this month, please follow the guidelines on MyWelfare.ie on how to submit your work patterns correctly.”
The Christmas Bonus has already been paid during the week beginning December 5.
Meanwhile, thousands of people in receipt of social welfare are expected to begin receiving up to €624 in payment boosts from January 2023.
There were several changes to social welfare payments announced in the Budget in September.
It was confirmed that those in receipt of all core social welfare payments will benefit from the boost.
The change means the maximum rate of all weekly social welfare payments increases by €12 in January, which amounts to €624 across the year.
There will also be proportional increases for those on reduced rates of payment, and qualified adults.
For example, those under 25 that are receiving a decreased payment of Jobseeker's Allowance will receive the full €12 increase in the new year.
The weekly rate for a qualified child under 12 will also increase by €2 from €40 to €42, while those over the age of 12 will increase by €2 from €48 to €50.
The Fuel Allowance threshold is also set to increase from €120 to €200 above the applicable State Pension (Contributory) rate for people under 70.
Anyone aged 70 and over can qualify for Fuel Allowance as long as their weekly means (including State Pension) is not above €500 per week for a single person and €1,000 per week for a couple.
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