HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued an important alert to families across the United Kingdom regarding a schedule change for Child Benefit payments. The tax authority has confirmed that payments due around the Christmas and New Year period will arrive later than usual because of the upcoming bank holidays.
Why Your Payment Is Late
In a statement, HMRC explained the reason for the shift. "If you receive Child Benefit, your payment may arrive later than usual due to the upcoming bank holidays and local bank closures," the announcement said. This is standard practice for HMRC, which adjusts payment dates when the scheduled day falls on a public holiday.
This means any household expecting their Child Benefit on Monday, 29 December 2025, will instead receive the funds on Tuesday, 30 December. Similarly, payments scheduled for Tuesday, 30 December will be moved to Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
Key Date Changes Across the UK
The schedule adjustments are not uniform across the nation and vary by region due to different bank holidays. HMRC has provided a detailed list of altered dates for the coming months.
In Scotland, a payment due on Monday, 5 January 2026, will be paid a day later on Tuesday, 6 January. A significant change affects Northern Ireland, where payments planned for Tuesday, 17 March 2026 (St Patrick's Day) will now be made on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
Further changes for 2026 include:
- Payments due on Monday, 6 April will be made on Thursday, 2 April.
- Friday, 1 May payments move to Monday, 4 May.
- Friday, 22 May payments shift to Monday, 25 May.
Summer and Winter Adjustments
The schedule changes continue through the summer. In Northern Ireland, a payment due on Monday, 14 July will be administered on Sunday, 13 July. Furthermore, payments set for Tuesday, 15 July in the region will be brought forward to Monday, 14 July.
Scottish claimants will see payments for Monday, 4 August and Tuesday, 5 August brought forward to the preceding Friday and Monday (3 August and 4 August) respectively.
Later in the year, a payment scheduled for Monday, 31 August will be paid on the preceding Friday, 28 August. Finally, the year ends with more adjustments: payments due on Monday, 28 December and Tuesday, 29 December 2026 will land on Wednesday, 24 December and Tuesday, 30 December respectively.
How to Manage Your Claim
HMRC has reminded claimants of the tools available to manage their Child Benefit. You can use HMRC's digital assistant to find information about claiming, the High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge, and reporting changes in circumstances that might affect your claim.
The official HMRC app is a central hub for managing your claim. It allows you to make a new claim, view your payment information, amend existing details, and update your personal information. If you cannot find the answer to a question within the app, HMRC advises calling them directly.
When calling, you will need your National Insurance number to hand. For security reasons, HMRC staff can only discuss the specifics of a claim with the claimant or an officially authorised representative. While a partner or other individual can seek general advice, they must have prior authorisation to discuss the details of any specific claim.
