Universal Credit, PIP, and other benefit claimants may find their payments affected by bank holidays this week.
Monday, May 27, is a bank holiday, meaning payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) won’t be made on this day.
If you are due to receive a DWP benefit payment on that day, you may find you receive it early.
If your payment is due on May 27 you will instead receive it on May 24.
If your payment is due on a different day, it will arrive in your account as normal and the amount you are due to be paid will remain the same.
While being paid earlier sounds like a positive, the money will also have to last you longer, as payment dates will return to normal following the bank holiday.
DWP early benefit payments
These are the benefits that may be affected by the bank holiday weekend. Not all apply in Scotland.
- Attendance allowance
- Carer’s allowance
- Child benefit
- Disability living allowance
- Employment and support allowance
- Income support
- Jobseeker’s allowance
- Pension credit
- Personal independence payment (PIP)
- State pension
- Tax credits
- Universal credit
DWP Universal Credit free driving lessons
People who receive Universal Credit could be eligible to claim up to 40 hours of free driving lessons.
The programme is being offered to people receiving higher or enhanced rates of benefits.
It is provided by disability charity Motability, and includes up to 40 hours of lessons with an instructor.
However, people learning through the scheme will still have to pay for their theory and practical driving tests themselves.
The guidance on the charity’s website states: "All grant applications are means-tested to ensure Motability supports those most in need of a charitable grant and help as many beneficiaries as possible with the charitable funds available.”
You could be eligible for the scheme if you are in receipt of one of the following disability allowances:
- Enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP
- Enhanced rate mobility component of the adult disability payment
- Higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance
- Higher rate mobility component of child disability payment
- War pensioners’ mobility supplement
- Armed forces independence payment
You could also be eligible if you receive one of the following means-tested benefits:
- Universal credit
- Income support
- Employment and support allowance (income-related)
- Job seekers’ allowance (income-based)
- Housing benefit
- Council tax benefit
- Pension guarantee credit
- Working tax credit
- Child tax credit
The grant is open to any eligible claimant who has a provisional licence and wants to learn to drive, or anyone who already has a licence but requires lessons to familiarise themselves with newly adapted cars.
