In this section:
- When can you expect your first tax credits payment?
- How Child Benefit, tax credits and Guardian's Allowance are paid
- When is your next tax credits payment due?
- Getting proof of tax credits payments if you claim other benefits
When is your next tax credits payment due?
Your tax credits payments are made every week or every four weeks, depending on what you chose when you claimed. If your usual payment day falls on a bank holiday, you should get your payment earlier than normal.
On this page:
- How to check when your next payment is due
- Payments over bank holidays
- Bank holiday payment dates for 2009
- You haven't received your payment
- More useful links
How to check when your next payment is due
Your award notice tells you the date of your first payment. So you can use this to work out when your next payment is due - depending on how often you're paid.
Another way to find out is to look at your bank statement to check the date when your last payment went into your account.
If your usual payment day falls on a bank holiday, you'll get your payment earlier than normal.
Payments over bank holidays
From time to time, your normal payment day may fall on the same day as a bank holiday. This will often be a Monday, but not always. When this happens, you'll get your payment on the last working day before the bank holiday. So if the bank holiday is on a Monday, you'll get your payment on the Friday before.
This happens for all tax credits payments across the whole of the UK, even if a bank holiday only applies in one part of the UK. For example, Monday 13 July 2009 is only a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. All tax credits customers in the UK who are usually paid on a Monday will get their payment on Friday 10 July 2009.
You can check the table below to see if your payments will be affected by bank holidays. If they will be, you can see the date when you should get paid.
Bank holiday payment dates for 2009
| Month | Date of bank holiday | Date your payment will be made |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1 Jan 2009 (New Year's Day) | 30 Dec 2008 |
| 2 Jan 2009 (Scotland only) | 30 Dec 2008 | |
| March | 17 Mar 2009 (St Patrick's Day - Northern Ireland only) | 16 Mar 2009 |
| April | 10 Apr 2009 (Good Friday) | 9 Apr 2009 |
| 13 Apr 2009 (Easter Monday) | 9 Apr 2009 | |
| May | 4 May 2009 (early May bank holiday) | 1 May 2009 |
| 25 May 2009 (spring bank holiday) | 22 May 2009 | |
| July | 13 Jul 2009 (Battle of the Boyne - Northern Ireland only) | 10 Jul 2009 |
| August | 3 Aug 2009 (Scotland only) | 31 Jul 2009 |
| 31 Aug 2009 (summer bank holiday) | 28 Aug 2009 | |
| December | 25 Dec 2009 (Christmas Day) | 24 Dec 2009 |
| 28 Dec 2009 (Boxing Day) | 24 Dec 2009 | |
| 29 Dec 2009 (Northern Ireland only) | 24 Dec 2009 |
You haven't received your payment
If you haven't been paid you should double check your bank account. Sometimes electronic banking systems aren't completely up to date. So it's possible that your payment is just a bit late.
If you need more help you can call the Tax Credit Helpline which is open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The numbers you can ring are:
- Tel 0845 300 3900
- Textphone 0845 300 3909 - if you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment
If you're outside the UK you can also call on Tel + 44 289 053 8192.
More useful links
Check online to find out when your next Child Benefit payment is due
Checking your tax credits award notice
Find out why your tax credits payments have stopped or gone down
