Financial support over the festive season
1. Benefit payment dates over Christmas
Financial pressures have increased for many people due to the cost of living, and with the Christmas period not far away, it's essential to know when money is coming in.
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Universal Credit (and other benefits)
Employment Support Allowance, Income Support and Jobseekers' Allowance are paid every two weeks, Pension credits are paid every four weeks, and Universal Credit is paid monthly. These are paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
If your benefits are due on 25 or 26 December, your benefits should be paid on Friday 22 December.
If your benefits are due on the first of the month (Monday 1 January), your benefits should be paid on Friday 29 December.
While Tuesday 2 January, is a bank holiday in Scotland, DWP payments due on that date will not change, but your bank may not process it straight away.
If your payment is late, check the payment date on your award notice and contact your bank before contacting DWP.
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Tax Credits
Working Tax Credit is provided to boost the income of working people who are on a low income, while Child Tax Credit is paid to help people with the costs of bringing up a child. Tax Credits are administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
This is when you will be paid Tax Credits if they are due on Bank Holidays over the Christmas period.
If your payment is late, check the payment date on your award notice and contact your bank before contacting HMRC.
- Due date: Monday 25 December 2023. Payment date: Friday 22 December 2023.
- Due date: Tuesday 26 December 2023. Payment date: Friday 22 December 2023.
- Due date: Wednesday 27 December 2023. Payment date: Friday 22 December 2023.
- Due date: Thursday 28 December 2023. Payment date: Wednesday 27 December 2023 (England and Scotland only).
- Due date: Monday 1 January 2024. Payment date: Friday 29 December 2023.
- Due date: Tuesday 2 January 2024. Payment date: Friday 29 December 2023.
- Due date: Wednesday 3 January 2024. Payment date: Tuesday 2 January 2024 (England and Northern Ireland only).
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Child Benefit
Child Benefit is awarded to most people responsible for bringing up a child who is either under 16 or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training.
This table shows when you will be paid Child Benefit if they are due on Bank Holidays over the Christmas period.
If your payment is late, check the payment date on your award notice and contact your bank before contacting HMRC.
For public holidays only in Scotland and Northern Ireland, HMRC will issue your payment on the normal date, but your bank may not process it straight away.
- Due date: Monday 25 December 2023. Payment date: Friday 22 December 2023.
- Due date: Tuesday 26 December 2023. Payment date: Friday 22 December 2023.
- Due date: Monday 1 January 2024. Payment date: Friday 29 December 2023.
2. Budgeting
Most benefits payments, if they fall on a weekend or a bank holiday, are paid early. This is good news. However, it does mean the money will have to last a bit longer until the next payment date. Having a clear budget will help you to see how much money you have coming in and what you're spending it on. Budget planners can show you how to make your money go further.
Most of us are feeling under pressure and tempted to spend money we cannot afford at Christmas. To help stay within budget, Consumer Council has put together a food and present planner. It’s a great way to reduce impulse buys – helping you to set a budget and stick to it.
3. Advance payments of Universal Credit - new claims or increases
Once you apply for Universal Credit, it can take five weeks for you to get your first Universal Credit payment.
If you think you won’t have enough money to live on while you wait, you can ask for an advance payment of Universal Credit while waiting for your first payment. You can also ask for an advance payment if your circumstances have recently changed, and you expect your Universal Credit payments to increase.
An advance payment has to be repaid, and your future benefit payments will be reduced until it is paid back in full – usually over a 24-month period.
Find out more about Universal Credit here.
4. Christmas Bonus
The Christmas Bonus is a one-off tax-free £10 payment made before Christmas, paid to people who get certain benefits in the qualifying week. This is usually in the first full week of December.
5. Cold Weather Payments
If you receive certain benefits, you’ll get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.
After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. The payment is made if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven consecutive days.
You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:
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Pension Credit
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Income Support
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Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
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Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
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Universal Credit
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Support for Mortgage Interest
Take a look at the precise eligibility rules.
In Scotland, you cannot get Cold Weather Payments. However, you might get an annual Winter Heating Payment instead. You’ll get this payment regardless of weather conditions in your area.
6. Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount Scheme can provide a one-off discount on electricity bills for those on a low income. The discount comes directly off your electricity bill, credited between November and March. The discount will not affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment. This year’s scheme opened on 16 October 2023.
7. Help with energy
If you need a little extra help from your energy company - including more support during a power cut - you can ask to be added to your electricity network priority services register.
If you are on home oxygen, you may be able to access a rebate on your energy costs to help with the higher energy bills an oxygen concentrator can bring. Speak to your oxygen provider for more details.
If you can’t afford to top up your prepayment meter, you can ask your local council or food bank for a fuel voucher, and they may be able to provide one. This is a code given to you in a letter or in a text message or email, which you can use at a PayPoint shop, Payzone shop or Post Office to add credit to your gas card or electricity key.
You can find more information about energy bills here. If you own your own property, you can also get advice on how to make your home more energy efficient here.
8. Emergency grants
Cystic Fibrosis Trust offers emergency grants of up to £150 to provide short-term support to children and adults living with CF and those who care for them when they are in immediate financial difficulty and/or an item or service is urgently needed to stop their health deteriorating.
These grants are processed weekly. The last day for applications for an emergency grant before Christmas, due to our office closures, will be Friday 15 December. Grants received after this date will be paid in the second week of January.
9. Other grants
The Trust also provides a range of welfare grants to support adults and children to live well with CF. We prioritise applications where the person living with CF would not otherwise be able to afford the item or service due to being in financial need.
10. Look after your mental health
Christmas is a time of year that often puts extra pressure on us. The Mental Health Foundation has produced a range of resources to help you to look after your mental health.
If you're in distress this Christmas and want someone to talk to, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123, or text 'SHOUT' TO 85258. These services are open 24/7, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
11. Our Helpline
0300 373 1000 or 020 3795 2184
[email protected]
Chat with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
Message us on WhatsApp on 07361 582053
Our confidential Helpline offers a listening ear, as well as information and support on any aspect of cystic fibrosis, including financial support such as benefits and our welfare grants.
The Helpline is currently open Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm.
The Helpline will close from 12pm on Friday 22nd December, and will re-open at 10am on Tuesday 2nd January.
If you need urgent advice, please check Advice Local for advice agencies in your area or speak to your CF team.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition which causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It affects more than 10,900 people in the UK. One in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes it, usually without knowing.
Since 1964, we've supported people with cystic fibrosis to live longer, healthier lives -and we won’t stop until everyone can live without limits imposed by CF.
If you’re struggling with any aspect of cystic fibrosis, we’re here to help. Contact our Helpline for support, a listening ear or just someone to talk to.
Here to help
Our friendly Helpline team are here if you need us - whether you're looking for information, support, or just someone to talk to