DWP confirms August 2026 bank holiday benefit payment details and dates
Millions set to receive benefits on different dates in August, Department for Work and Pensions states
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has alerted millions of benefits claimants to the August payment being on a different date to usual due to the bank holiday.
Listen to this article
The summer bank holiday will be on Monday, August 31, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while in Scotland alone there is a holiday on Monday, August 3.
The change applies to pension credit, child benefit, disability living allowance, personal independence payment (PIP), state pension and universal credit.
The DWP has confirmed that payments will be made on the previous working day, which means that they will be received on:
- Friday, July 31, in Scotland,
- Friday, August 28, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
These will be the last Bank Holidays until Christmas, when December 25 and 26 are both days off.
Pip benefits earning more than minimum wage
The news comes as it has been revealed that teenagers claiming sickness benefits for conditions such as anxiety reportedly receive £100 a week more than part-time workers on a minimum wage.
Personal Independence Payment (Pip) is intended to help with everyday tasks and extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability.
The latest official figures earlier this year showed the number of people in England and Wales claiming the main disability benefit passed four million for the first time – roughly doubling since 2019.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled he could make it harder to claim benefits, saying the UK must “get really serious” about curbing the welfare bill.
He indicated ministers could tighten the conditions attached to receiving support, while insisting more should be provided to help people into work.
Pressed on whether he could remove or reduce benefits for current claimants, Mr Burnham said: “It’s about changing the nature of the support and making some of the support conditional upon people taking opportunities that are presented in front of them."