Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of paying benefits on 24 December 2024 on (a) access to banking and (b) time available for Christmas shopping for (i) pensioners and (ii) other claimants of benefits.

DWP pays benefits and pensions on the date a payment is due. DWP assesses the impact on benefit claimants and pensioners of interruptions to normal access to banking services.

This year, 24 December 2024 is a normal banking day and so customers will be able to access their payments as normal, including those paid through the Payment Exception Service. Customers that are due to receive their payments at weekends or on bank holidays receive them on the previous banking day. Therefore, customers with due dates falling on 25 or 26 December 2024 will receive their payment on 24 December 2024 when banking services are available.

These changes are communicated to customers so that they understand when their payment will be received to support financial independence and planning. New claimants who are waiting for their first payment and who may be experiencing hardship have the facility to request an advance of their payment.

Aside from these circumstances, making a payment of benefit or pension earlier than the due date risks increasing the vulnerability of customers, who will then need to make their payment last for a longer period until the next due date.