If your Universal Credit payment is due on a Saturday, you will generally receive it on the last working day before that date, which is usually the Friday. If that Friday happens to be a bank holiday, then the payment would be made on the last working day before the bank holiday, such as Thursday. This means Universal Credit payments are not paid on weekends or bank holidays but are instead paid early on the prior working day to ensure you get your money before the due date. This practice applies after your first payment, which is typically about five weeks after your claim is made, and payments then occur on the same date each month or the nearest previous working day if the date falls on a weekend or bank holiday.