Easter money mess: Your benefits are coming early (and why I nearly missed mine last year)

By HOAR Team 14 April, 2025 5 mins read 117 Views

God. I hate bank holidays sometimes. Don't get me wrong - I love a long weekend as much as anyone, but they always throw my budget into complete chaos. Just found out all our benefits are landing early because of Easter, and I'm already dreading stretching that money an extra few days.

Last Easter I completely forgot about the payment date change. Spent 45 minutes on hold with DWP in a panic thinking my Universal Credit had vanished into teh digital void. My partner just laughed at me. "This happens literally every holiday," she said. I feel stupid now, but I bet I'm not the only one who gets caught out.

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The whole "getting paid early" thing isn't actually a bonus

Let's be crystal clear about something. Getting your money early sounds great in theory. Woo-hoo, early cash! But it's actually a bit of a trap. You're not getting EXTRA money - you're getting the same amount earlier, and then waiting longer until the next payment.

That's a recipe for trouble if you're already stretching every pound.

Back in 2018, I learned this lesson the hard way. Got my payment early before Christmas, blew through it faster than usual (because, you know, Christmas), and then had to survive on beans and rice for about 10 days. Never again.

Which benefits are affected? (Pretty much all of them)

So here's the deal. If you normally get paid on Good Friday (April 18) or Easter Monday (April 21), you'll get your money on Thursday, April 17 instead. This applies to a bunch of different benefits:

Attendance allowance, Carer's allowance, Child benefit, Disability living allowance, Employment and support allowance, Income support, Jobseeker's allowance, Pension credit, Personal independence payment, State pension, Tax credits, and Universal Credit.

My neighbor Tony gets his PIP on Fridays normally. His response when I told him about the date change: "already updating my resume." (He wasn't serious... I think).

Wait... what if my money doesn't show up?

If Thursday comes and goes with no payment, don't do what I did last year and silently panic for hours. Just call the DWP helpline: 0800 328 5644.

They're actually surprisingly helpful. I spent $4K fixing my car last month and was terrified I'd miss my payment window because of all the paperwork chaos. The woman on the phone sorted it in like 5 minutes.

The government's playing musical chairs with benefits

Listen. While we're on the topic of benefits, there's some other stuff happening you might want to know about.

The government announced last month they're merging jobseeker's allowance and employment allowance. Apparently people who've worked will get more money under the new system.

They're also changing PIP eligibility rules. Currently you can qualify by racking up points across different daily living activities. Starting next year, you'll need at least 4 points in ONE specific activity to get that £105 weekly payment.

My editor bet me £20 that half the people affected by this change don't even know it's coming. I didn't take the bet because... well, he's probably right.

The April benefit boost (that doesn't feel like much)

Oh, and benefits did go up this April to "keep pace with inflation." Single people over 25 on Universal Credit saw their standard allowance rise from £393.45 to £400.14.

An extra £6.69 a month. Revolutionary.

Joint claimants where one or both are 25+ now get £628.09 instead of £617.60. I'm sure that extra tenner will cancel out the rising cost of... absolutely nothing.

But hey, at least we get our money early for Easter... right?

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According to a Gallup poll, 56% of Americans report that their financial situation is better than it was a year ago.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends about $1,500 per year on coffee.
Research by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that individuals who receive financial education are 25% more likely to save than those who do not.
In 2020, the average retirement savings for Americans aged 60 to 69 was approximately $195,000, according to Fidelity.
As of 2021, the median household income in the U.S. was approximately $67,521, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The average return on investment for the S&P 500 over the past 90 years is about 10% per annum.
A report by Bankrate indicated that only 29% of Americans have a written financial plan.
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