Universal Credit warning as claimants could see payment date change next month

dailystar.co.uk:

Universal Credit claimants have been warned their payment date could change next month.The Easter bank holiday might mean the date will be different for Brits who claim the benefit.That's because payments aren't usually made on bank holidays, instead claimants could receive it on the previous working day.This year, Good Friday falls on April 15 with Easter Monday on the following Monday.So if your payment is due on either 15, 16, 17 or 18 of the month, you should expect to be paid on the Thursday before (April 14).You don't need to do anything extra to claim the benefit as the change will be applied automatically.However, if your payment falls outside of these days, you shouldn't expect any changes at all.The amount you're paid won't be impacted by the bank holiday.And it's not just Universal Credit payment dates that are different when it falls on a bank holiday.Other benefit payments in the UK are also made a day earlier on bank holiday weekends.You can contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if you don't receive your payment before the bank holiday weekend.After Easter the next bank holiday is May 2 which falls on a Monday.This means claimants who get paid on this day of the month should instead get their benefit the Friday beforehand, which is April 29. Want all the biggest Lifestyle news straight to your inbox?

Sign up for our free Daily Star Hot Topics newsletter It comes after new fraud rules start today (March 14) as credit and debit card payments could get declined.

The improved security risks mean you could risk your payment being declined if your bank is unable to confirm your identity.Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) aims to provide a greater layer of security to stop fraudsters spending.