DWP benefits and pension payments dates for May 2025

Higher incomes for millions person been promised with the commencement of the new fiscal year – contempt the cost of living and ostentation continuing to bite.

Bills accrued for astir households successful April, making it indispensable to enactment connected apical of each the enactment you could beryllium receiving.

Households person gained from respective income boosts past month, for some those successful and retired of work. All DWP-administered benefits roseate 1.7 per cent arsenic the state pension roseate by 4.1 per cent successful enactment with the triple lock. The minimum wage besides accrued by an inflation-busting 6.7 per cent, giving millions of workers a bumper £1,400 wage rise.

But there’s immoderate atrocious news, too. Household bills person present seen large rises crossed the board, including energy, h2o and assembly tax.

Many volition besides beryllium disquieted astir Labour’s recently-announced changes to the payment system. Amounting to £5 cardinal successful cuts, these volition spot the rates for Universal Credit alteration adjacent year, followed by the criteria to assertion the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) tightening.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from millions of low-income households overgarment a bleak representation of the UK’s economical situation. Latest probe from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation recovered that much than 1 successful 5 radical successful the UK (21 per cent) were in poverty successful 2022/23 – 14.3 cardinal people. This comprised 8.1 cardinal working-age adults, 4.3 cardinal children, and 1.9 cardinal pensioners.

Against this hard economical backdrop, present is an overview of the fiscal enactment disposable to households this May and cardinal dates for payment and authorities pension recipients to look retired for:

Benefit outgo dates successful May

Benefit payments volition beryllium going retired arsenic mean successful May for the astir part, but determination are immoderate exceptions owed to the Bank Holidays.

That means that if you were owed to get your payment connected 5 May, you volition astir apt get it connected 2 May. If you were owed to get your payment connected 26 May, you volition astir apt get it connected 23 May.

Benefit payments include:

• Pension credit

• Child benefit

• Disability surviving allowance

• Personal independency outgo (PIP)

• Attendance allowance

• Carer’s allowance

• Employment enactment allowance

• Income support

• Jobseeker’s allowance

For much accusation connected however and erstwhile authorities benefits are paid, visit the government’s website.

The DWP is aiming to implicit the migration of each ‘legacy benefits’ to Universal Credit by January 2026. Those receiving tax credits, income support, jobseeker’s allowance, and lodging payment should person received a announcement astir moving to Universal Credit already.

A study from Policy successful Practice this twelvemonth shows that astir £23bn successful benefits goes unclaimed a twelvemonth – they offer a adjuvant calculator to enactment retired what you mightiness beryllium entitled to.

Have you been having issues with the DWP recently? Get successful interaction via email: albert.toth@independent.co.uk

Pension outgo dates successful May

The basal authorities pension is paid consecutive into slope accounts akin to however benefits are paid. It is usually paid each 4 weeks, with the nonstop time you person it corresponding to the past 2 digits of your nationalist security (NI) number.

Here’s erstwhile you should beryllium paid based connected those numbers:

• 00 to 19: Monday

• 20 to 39: Tuesday

• 40 to 59: Wednesday

• 60 to 79: Thursday

• 80 to 99: Friday

Have payment rates gone up?

In April, each benefits were uprated by 1.7 per cent, matching the September 2024 ostentation figure. The summation volition use to each working-age benefits, including cosmopolitan credit, PIP, DLA, attendance allowance, carer’s allowance, ESA and more.

Meanwhile, successful enactment with the triple lock, the State Pension has risen by 4.1 per cent – up £472 a twelvemonth – matching wage maturation successful 2024.

Things volition alteration somewhat for Universal Credit claimants adjacent twelvemonth pursuing Labour’s payment announcements. Everyone receiving the benefit’s modular allowance volition spot a one-off supra ostentation emergence by £7 a week from April 2026, taking it from £91 to £98.

However, the complaint of the further Universal Credit wellness constituent volition beryllium frozen from 2026 astatine £97 until 2029/30 (although those successful this radical volition person the accrued modular allowance).

Additionally, immoderate caller claimants for the wellness constituent aft April 2026 volition person a massively reduced complaint of £50 a week – astir £2,500 little than the existent level. This means it is simply a bully thought for anyone who thinks they mightiness beryllium eligible to apply arsenic soon arsenic they can.

Other assistance available

Budgeting beforehand loans

The authorities offers a ‘budgeting beforehand loan’ for radical connected Universal Credit who look an exigency deficiency of money. The indebtedness has a maximum repayment play of 2 years.

These loans are interest-free, and automatically deducted from Universal Credit payments. You tin get an ‘advance’ of up to:

• £348 if you’re single

• £464 if you’re portion of a couple

• £812 if you person children

Following the Labour Budget successful October, a caller headdress has been introduced connected the magnitude the DWP tin deduct from payment payments to repay loans and debts, including budgeting beforehand loans.

From April 2025, deductions from cosmopolitan recognition volition beryllium capped astatine 15 per cent of the modular allowance, down from 25 per cent.

Charitable grants

If you are struggling financially, you whitethorn beryllium eligible for definite charitable grants. There are a wide scope of grants disposable depending connected your circumstances.

However, these grants volition typically necessitate you to conscionable circumstantial criteria and lone beryllium capable to connection constricted funds.

Charitable grants are disposable for radical who are disabled oregon ill, carers, bereaved, unemployed, students – and galore more. The foundation Turn2us has an online instrumentality to hunt for grants which whitethorn beryllium disposable to you.

Energy supplier help

A fig of vigor suppliers connection assistance for those struggling with their vigor bills. These see Scottish Power, EDF, E.ON and Octopus. It is worthy contacting your vigor supplier to find retired if you are eligible.

British Gas besides connection a assistance of up to £2,000 to customers of immoderate vigor provider. You volition request to conscionable circumstantial criteria to beryllium eligible, and tin apply connected the British Gas Energy Trust website.

Council taxation reduction

If you conscionable definite criteria oregon are connected definite benefits, you whitethorn beryllium capable to use for a discount connected your assembly taxation discount of up to 100 per cent.

Your section assembly whitethorn inactive beryllium capable to connection you a discretionary simplification if you are capable to show you are facing terrible hardship and can’t spend to wage your assembly tax.

To use for a assembly taxation reduction, you tin interaction your section assembly via the government’s website.

Up to 30 hours of escaped childcare

All moving parents successful the UK are presently entitled to 30 hours of escaped childcare for children aged 3 to 4. From 1 April 2024, this entitlement expanded to see 15 hours of escaped childcare for 2-year-olds.

From 1 September, this was expanded again to see each children from the property of 9 months.

You indispensable use online and reconfirm your eligibility each 3 months, successful clip for each schoolhouse term. Working parents tin besides use for tax-free childcare, giving backmost 20p for each 80p you enactment towards childcare, up to a maximum of £500 a year.

The last enlargement to escaped childcare, coming successful September 2025, volition spot each children nether 5 eligible for 30 hours.

Energy Price Cap: Is it going up?

Ofgem’s energy terms cap has risen from £1,738 to £1,849 for April to June – an summation of 6.4. This marks the 3rd consecutive summation successful the figure, and volition mean an mean summation of £9.25 per period from the existent rate.

The vigor terms headdress is the maximum magnitude vigor suppliers tin complaint you for each portion of vigor if you’re connected a modular adaptable tariff. That includes astir households. It is expressed arsenic an yearly measure for an mean home.

Mental wellness support

• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans tin beryllium contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You tin telephone them for escaped connected 116 123, email them astatine jo@samaritans.org, oregon sojourn samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

• Mind runs a enactment enactment connected 0300 102 1234 which provides a harmless and confidential spot to speech astir however you’re feeling. There is besides an accusation enactment connected 0300 123 3393 for adjacent support, and a payment benefits enactment connected 0300 222 5782 to enactment the intelligence wellness of those navigating the benefits system.

• Disability foundation Scope has a forum wherever radical tin person supportive chats to others going done the aforesaid experiences.

• NHS England offers an online intelligence wellness triage service.