The payment date for national pension benefits during the Obon period has been decided.
Payment dates will change over the Christmas period as banks and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) offices will be closed.
Millions of people across the country will be paid earlier than usual this month, and some will have to wait a little longer until their next payment date in January.
More than 12.6 million people are enrolled in the national pension system, of which 3.2 million are enrolled in the new national pension scheme introduced in April 2016.
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If your payment is due on Monday, December 25th, 26th, or 27th, you will be paid as early as Friday, December 22nd.
For those whose payment date was due on Thursday, December 28th or Friday, December 29th, there will be no change and they will be paid as usual.
If your payment date is January 1st, you will be paid on Friday, December 29th.
If a payment is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2nd, it will be paid on Friday, December 29th or Tuesday, December 2nd.
Latest developments:
Important dates for this year’s Christmas pension are:
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People with low incomes in retirement could be eligible for a boost from the pension credit, with 1.4 million people claiming the top-up and the DWP campaigning to increase the amount they receive.
Pension payment dates vary depending on your National Insurance Number. The last two digits determine when the cash will be deposited into your account.
Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt announced an 8.5% increase, building on pay growth figures from earlier this year.
Other DWP and HMRC benefits will be reduced by 6.7%.
National pension payments are never made over the weekend, although some banks may deposit into your account on a Saturday or Sunday.
This comes after Mr Hunt announced an increase to Universal Credit as part of his Autumn Statement.
The full basic state pension for men born after April 1951 and women born after April 1953 is £203.85 per week.
Wages are rising at 8.5% and are set to rise to £221.17 per week next April.
