Tax credits: why benefits were paid early in March 2020 following St Patrick’s Day bank holiday

If you’re a regular recipient of tax credits, you might have noticed that your payment has gone in earlier than usual in March 2020.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Why have my tax credits been paid early?

According to the Gov.uk website, “If it’s a bank holiday anywhere in the UK your payment may be early.”

St Patrick’s Day, which this year falls on Tuesday (17 March) is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, with payments due on this date.

Usually, tax credit payments are made every week or every four weeks.“You choose if you want to get paid weekly or every 4 weeks on your claim form. If you do not have a claim form, contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC),” the website explains.

In reply to someone who asked on Twitter why their payment had been made earlier than usual, HMRC Customer Support said: “If your query is about a tax credits payment that has gone in early. This is your normal payment. It has gone in early because of a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. It will be back to the normal day from next week.”

When the Twitter user then explained that they didn’t live in Northern Ireland, but elsewhere in the UK, HMRC responded: “The payments for all applicants are affected when there is a bank holiday in any of the countries of the UK.”

What are the bank holiday payment dates coming up?

Due date	Payment date
10 April 2020	9 April
13 April 2020	9 April
8 May 2020	7 May
25 May 2020	22 May
13 July 2020	10 July - Northern Ireland only
3 August 2020	31 July - Scotland only
31 August 2020	28 August
25 December 2020	24 December
28 December 2020	24 December
29 December 2020	24 December - Northern Ireland only
1 January 2021 4 January 2021	31 December 31 December - Scotland only

If your payment is late, you need to check the payment date on your award notice and contact your bank before calling HMRC.

Local holidays in Scotland

Your payment might be delayed because of local holidays if you live in the following places:

Glasgow and Aberdeen - local holiday on 28 September Edinburgh - local holiday on 21 September Dundee - local holiday on 5 October

For more information, contact your bank.