Social welfare recipients who receive their payments at post offices are being warned of a five-day closure.
Post offices across Ireland will close at lunchtime on Christmas Eve and not open again until December 30. They will also be closed on January 1, 2, and 3.
The Department of Social Protection has said payments were made as usual this week.
As post offices and banks will be closed on January 3, any payments due that day will be given out on December 31.
Here's all you need to know about opening hours and payment changes over Christmas:
Weekly Payments to Post Offices and Banks
Payments that were due on December 23 were available for collection on December 22.
Any payments due on December 24 were also available from December 23.
Post Offices and banks will also be closed on January 3 as well, so any payments due that day will be given out on December 31.
Meanwhile, those who are in receipt of welfare payments or the state pension will notice a double payment arriving in their account at some point this week.
This advance payment will be in place of the payment due in the week beginning December 27 and therefore there will be no regular weekly payments in that week.
Monthly payments
Anyone who receives their welfare benefits or pension monthly will notice the following changes:
- Any payments due on December 23 should have arrived as planned
- Unlike payments due on December 27 and 28, they will be given out early on December 23, in advance of banks and post offices being closed.
- The final two changes will come for those who are due their sum on December 29 or 30, whose payment should arrive on December 24.
Finally, for anyone specifically on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, no payment will be made on December 28, as an advance payment should have arrived on December 21. The next payment will be on January 4.
