May brings two more bank holiday weekends, just weeks after Easter, and a change to some of the payment dates for benefits and the state pension
After a late Easter in April, more long bank holiday weekends are on their way in May.
The month of May is bookended by two bank holidays.
Monday 5 May provides the first long weekend and then the Spring bank holiday at the end of the month on Monday 26 May gives us a second.
For many, it means the chance to enjoy some extra time off work with banks, building societies, many government offices and schools closed.
But it will also entail some changes to the way benefits and the state pension are paid around those dates.
We take a look at the details.
When will benefits be paid in May?
Benefits payments are usually made straight to the bank, building society or credit union account of the claimant.
When a payment date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, then the Department for Work and Pensions says the claimant is generally paid on the working day before.
As there are two bank holidays in May, it means there will be some alterations to payment dates for benefits at the beginning and end of the month.
Payments due on the first bank holiday on Monday 5 May will now be made on Friday 2 May, while payments due on Monday 26 May will be made on Friday 23 May.
Benefit payments are administered by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland and in the event of a bank holiday, payments are made on the last working day before a bank holiday which means payments due for Monday 5 and Monday 26 May will now be made on Friday 2 and Friday 23 May.
This is the schedule for DWP’s benefit payments:
If a benefit payment is not made by the expected day, the DWP advises claimants to check the date on their award notice and bank account.
If the date is correct but the money has failed to arrive in a claimant’s account, they should then contact the appropriate helpline on the government website.
When will pensions be paid in May?
In the same way as benefits, the basic state pension is paid directly into a claimant’s bank, building society or credit union account.
Pension payments are made on a four-week cycle, with the day on which it is paid dependent on the last two digits of a claimant’s national insurance (NI) number.
This is how NI numbers correspond to days of payment:
- 00 to 19: Monday
- 20 to 39: Tuesday
- 40 to 59: Wednesday
- 60 to 79: Thursday
- 80 to 99: Friday
For those who would normally receive their state pension on a Monday, the May bank holidays mean they will now receive pension payments on the first working day before each one which is either Friday 2 May for the first bank holiday or Friday 23 May for the second one.
If you discover a problem with your pension payments, a helpline is available here on the DWP website.
