Payment clearing times for benefits

[yasmin32]

I would like to know what the clearing times are for payments made by the DWP.

 

I have heard some benefits are 5 days and others are 3. is this true?

 

I had a payment released on Wednesday by the DWP so I would reckon I would get that Tuesday, Unless someone can correct me.

 

I think this kind of information would be helpful to people here, The DWP are worse than useless at letting people know information like that. I'm sure someone here will have some knowledge about the process and I like many others will be grateful for the info.

[Nystagmite]

I thought it was 3 working days. I've been claiming benefits for a few years now and it has always taken 3 working days to come through.

[yasmin32]

is the 3 working days starting the day after it is released? (i.e released on a Wednesday 1st working day Thursday and the 3rd being the Monday for account credit on Wednesday)

[antone]

Benefit payments are released overnight. JSA, ESA, IB and IS should clear in three working days. Example:

 

You sign on for JSA on Monday. Overnight from Monday to Tuesday your payment is released by the computer system. The three working days are Tuesday, Wednesday and your payment will be available on Thursday.

 

If a processor presses the "Pay this person" button on Wednesday, the payment would be released overnight Wed to Thursday. So three working days are Thursday, Friday, with payment available to the customer on Monday. This is a function of the banking system, not the DWP.

[roberto2580]

That's interesting to know. In my case I was told my payment was released on tuesday 17th. But it wasn't in my account on friday. I was informed that monday is my payday and that will be when I will receive the payment.

[antone]

Which benefit do you receive?

[roberto2580]

I receive incapacity benefit.

[antone]

Ah. I was hoping you wouldn't say that, because I don't actually know how IB paydays work.

 

It does seem a bit strange that a payment released on Tuesday won't clear until the following Monday.

 

Perhaps a staff member got confused?

[roberto2580]

Well my payday is officially on a monday but for a long time I have been receiving it a day early in my post office account on a friday. Yesterday was different as it wasn't in so I called to see if there was a problem only to be told it was released on tuesday and that it appeared to the person I spoke to that it was released late. She also said that she had received a few calls about late payments or release dates. Previously when I have called I have been told that it gets released on a friday or a monday before I'm due a payment. So if I'm due on monday 23rd it has in the past been released on the 16th for payment.

 

Thanks for your replies

[dpick]

Hi I get IB and my payment is in the bank on a Monday.

 

dpick

[yasmin32]

I'm sure that antone can correct me if I'm wrong but paydays are linked to nino's. I have heard that IB takes 5 days to clear. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Nystagmite]

I thought it was linked to NINOs too. When I was on JSA (and DLA, still claim DLA) it was a Tuesday. ESA has been on a Thursday and a Monday. Odd.

[yasmin32]

Does anyone know if I'm wrong that IB takes 5 days to clear?

[antone]

I'm sure that antone can correct me if I'm wrong but paydays are linked to nino's. I have heard that IB takes 5 days to clear. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Unfortunately I don't know how IB works. The rules for ESA and JSA are linked to NI numbers, but that was a change made in the last few years - since IB is a "legacy" benefit the changes may not have been applied.

 

For ESA, you are paid on your Benefit Week End date. This is determined as follows:

 

NI number ends 00-19: Monday

20-39: Tuesday

40-59: Wednesday

60-79: Thursday

80-99: Friday

 

Since it's paid fortnightly, the specific week is based on whether the last two digits are odd or even. In the week starting on Sunday 22nd July, those whose NI numbers end with even digits will be paid (referred to as cycle 1 or cycle P). The following week, it will be those whose NI numbers end with odd numbers - cycle 2 or cycle R. The last two digits of my NI number are 86, so if I was on ESA I would expect my next payment on Friday 27th July.

 

For JSA, the rules are similar except that your BWE day is the day you sign, and you won't receive payment until three working days later. So if I was on JSA, I would be signing on 27th July, but I wouldn't receive my payment until the following Wednesday, the 1st August.

[Nystagmite]

Thanks Antone.

[roberto2580]

Well all I can say is there is some great information there that I didn't know before tonight. Thanks to you all.

 

I have been thinking about a few times in the past when I have been paid and if memory serves payments have always been released in my case on a Monday in the week before I get paid like I said if I was to be paid on the 23rd the payment is released on the 16th, that makes me think that it takes 5 days to clear Incapacity Benefit like yasmin32 seems to think.

 

In some cases the post office card account clears this payment a working day early. Other things I have read is that payments can take 4 days to clear. Either way hopefully the person I spoke to at the DWP on Friday is right and I should receive my payment on Monday. Sometimes the people at the DWP seem really clued up and others don't and they work in the departments that deal with the benefit that you receive. Either bad training or some just can't be bothered. I occasionally get the impression that they can't wait to get me off the call and onto their next, and then other times you can get the most helpful clued up advisor.

 

Is it just me or has this problem increased since they changed everything to 0845 contact centres and not the local centre.

[Nystagmite]

You have to remember that the 3 days doesn't include the weekend. However, I received an ESA payment this morning dated 23rd July.

[Pillow69]

The payment day for IB works the same as ESA and JSA...except that it seems to credit in the account 1 working day early. It's something to do with how the payment is issued, not really sure why. Mustn't be a BACS method?? Not sure, but anyway - If your payment is say due on a Friday, it will actually go in your account on Thursday - so you end up thinking Thursday is your payday! As far as I know IB is the only benefit this happens too....

[**Margaret**]

antone:

For so long as we still have them, incap payment days are linked to national insurance numbers. Can remember my payment day changing to align it with my number.

Margaret.

[yasmin32]

I agree with the thanks to all those that have replied with advice. Pillow69 is right that IB seems to credit early, I have it in my head that IB takes 5 days to clear because it is not a BACS method of payment. If in roberto2580's case his payment was released on Tuesday 17th July I would assumen this was released late but would still credit in time for his actual payday of Monday 23rd (assuming his NINO permitted the Monday payday) because it would clear a day early. The DWP must have clear expectation of the payment clearing in time.

 

Do the DWP often release payments late and do they ever actually credit late?

[**Margaret**]

Non contact centres more like:

 

Whatever happened to my local social security office?

 

My benefit delivery centre is Nottingham.

 

Last week I received a letter, in an Atos envelope, from Jobcentreplus in Wellingborough, with a pre-addressed envelope for the reply; to Derby benefit delivery centre!

 

Margaret

[Nystagmite]

 

Do the DWP often release payments late and do they ever actually credit late?

 

I've never known them to. If your payment is due over bank holiday, you'll get it early.

[antone]

The payment day for IB works the same as ESA and JSA...except that it seems to credit in the account 1 working day early. It's something to do with how the payment is issued, not really sure why. Mustn't be a BACS method?? Not sure, but anyway - If your payment is say due on a Friday, it will actually go in your account on Thursday - so you end up thinking Thursday is your payday! As far as I know IB is the only benefit this happens too....

 

Not only IB - this does happen with other benefits and, for that matter, with BACS based salary and wage payments. Once the payment is released by the DWP computer, it's up to the bank system when it actually shows up in your account. The DWP systems assume three working days to clear a payment, and issue it accordingly. There isn't intentional shenanigans about this, at least, not at the DWP. Late or missed payments are a serious hassle for processers, since they result in lots of angry people calling in and asking where the hell their money has gone. This takes up staff time. No processer would intentionally delay a payment just for fun.

[MIKEY DABODEE]

three working days for a BACS payment,

FP same day banking within three hours,

If a customer is due Monday then the payment should credit on a Monday, if they get it early well done.

IB payments take no longer to credit then I.S JSA or ESA payments.

The due date can be seen clearly on the processing screens, so if anybody enquires when there payment will credit we can tell them

If its due to go in late the we can recall it before 11.30 on the date its due to be credited any later can be a problem.

 

Much easier if the customer is paid on time, better of course for them if they get it early

[antone]

 

Do the DWP often release payments late and do they ever actually credit late?

 

Often? Not in the grand scheme of things, no, most payments are released on time. It's generally an automated process. Mistakes do happen, though. I recall one day at the BDC where I worked at the time, where a system error meant that no-one who signed on at Airdrie Jobcentre on one particular day got paid. Although the advisers at the JC had correctly entered their signing evidence (that is, recorded the fact that they had signed on) this somehow didn't make it through to the central server.

 

But as I said above, the last thing DWP staff want is people not to get paid. They spend ages clearing up the mess while other work goes undone.