State pension lateness of payment

angel4xx

My last state pension payment was dated 18th April and it's now 22nd May without receiving the May payment. Is this kind of thing normal? I can't find anything online about others being paid late. I only started receiving my payments about 6 months ago, so don't know whether it's appropriate to start trying to negotiate the phone enquiries system yet, which I always dread!

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SOLVED, see below

xylophone

Have you checked with your bank as to whether there was any problem?

Otherwise, I am wondering whether there was some postal communication which went astray and was returned to DWP and this has caused suspension of payment?

TadleyBaggie

Never happened to either my wife or I, always paid on the expected date (unless that happens to fall on a bank holiday and then they pay it early).

angel4xx

Thanks guys. I bit the bullet and made the dreaded phone call. Innumerable menu options to listen to and not knowing whether I'll be shoved into an endless loop drives me nuts! But apparently they sent me a letter last year which was returned to sender. So they stopped my payments in case my personal details had changed. Well I didn't return the letter. It seems this has been happening a lot because of the recent postal strikes.

sleepymans

Hopefully your phone call has resolved the delay in payments. Just a heads up….you can ask for weekly state pension payments? I did…..best thing I ever did!

angel4xx

Weekly payments sounds like a great idea! I didn't know you could do that - thanks!

xylophone

Weekly payments sounds like a great idea! I didn't know you could do that - thanks!

This has always been a choice (SP is in fact a weekly benefit) but DWP don't routinely offer it as a choice - those who know and want it specifically request it.

https://www.radiotimesmoney.com/retirement/pension-advice/state-pensions-can-be-paid-every-seven-days-says-paul-lewis/