The DWP is making early payments of up to £921 this Tuesday, or £705 for older state pensioners.
The DWP is giving out surprise early state pension payments this week (Image: Getty)
State pensioners will be handed a surprise payment of up to £921 on Wednesday this week. That’s because the DWP is changing payment dates again this week due to the New Year’s Day Bank Holiday.
Both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are official bank holidays. That doesn’t just mean that most people get the day off (though that’s nice), but as the name implies, it also literally means that the banks don’t open or trade.
That in turn means that regular payments, which are usually made on New Year’s Day this week, on Thursday, January 1, will instead be made on a different day.
For payments like mortgages or energy bills, it usually means the payment goes out later instead.
However, for benefits such as the state pension, it means your payment will be deposited into your account earlier than normal.
If you would normally be due to receive your state pension payment this Thursday, you will instead be paid on Wednesday, December 31, as confirmed by the DWP.
Currently, a post-2016 state pensioner with a full National Insurance record is eligible to get £230.25 per week. The pension is paid every four weeks (not monthly), which means that the payment will be worth £921 for a new state pensioner on a full NI record.
Older state pensioners with a full National Insurance record would get up to £705.80 instead, not including any Pension Credit boost for those eligible to top up their income that way.
But the downside of the early payments is that state pensioners will have to wait a few days longer for their next payments at the end of January, as the DWP does not move the following pension payment forward to account for the early New Year’s Day payments.
The DWP says: “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.
“Some payments will be made earlier if they’re due between December 24, 2025 and January 2, 2026. Tell the office that pays your benefit if you do not get your payment on the day it’s scheduled.”
