How and when your benefits are paid

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Payments

Benefits are usually paid straight into your bank, building society or credit union account.

If your payment date is on a weekend or a bank holiday, you’ll usually be paid on the working day before. This may be different for tax credits and Child Benefit.

How often you’re paid

	How often its paid
Attendance Allowance	Usually, every 4 weeks
Carer’s Allowance	Weekly in advance or every 4 weeks
Child Benefit	Usually, every 4 weeks – or weekly if you’re a single parent or you or your partner get certain benefits
Disability Living Allowance	Usually, every 4 weeks
Employment and Support Allowance	Usually, every 2 weeks
Income Support	Usually, every 2 weeks
Jobseeker’s Allowance	Usually, every 2 weeks
Pension Credit	Usually, every 4 weeks
Personal Independence Payment	Usually, every 4 weeks
State Pension
Tax Credits, such as Working Tax Credit	Every 4 weeks or weekly
Universal Credit	Every month

How your benefits are paid

You’ll be asked for bank, building society or credit union account details when you claim. You can only get paid in a different way if you have problems opening or managing an account.

If you cannot open or manage a bank, building society or credit union account

Contact the office that pays your benefit to find out how to get it paid.

If you receive Universal Credit, call the Universal Credit helpline.

If your benefits are paid to a Post Office card account

Benefit payments to Post Office card accounts are ending.

If you get Child Benefit, Guardian’s Allowance or tax credits, you’ll get a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about this.

If you get any other benefits, you’ll get a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

If you get a letter from DWP

Fill out the form that came with your letter or call HMRC to arrange for the payments to be transferred to your bank, building society or credit union account.

If you do not give HMRC your bank, building society or credit union account details by 5^th April 2022, your payments will stop.

If you get Child Benefit, you cannot transfer your payments to a:

• Nationwide Cashbuilder account (sort code 070030) in someone else’s name
• Payment Exemption Service account

HMRC – Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance

Telephone: 0300 200 3100

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Contact an advisor on webchat

Find out about call charges

HMRC – tax credits

Telephone: 0345 300 3900

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Contact HMRC’s online assistant

Find out about call charges

Paying back benefits

You can repay benefits and allowances you get but feel you do not need.

Write to the department that paid the benefit. Their address will be on any letter you’ve received from them.

Include a cheque made payable to the department, along with:

• Your National Insurance number
• Details of the payment, such as the date and the amount

You can only repay tax credits or Child Benefit if you’ve been overpaid.