Universal Credit Message
The 53-week rent year – what it means for you
For most contract holders, rent is charged every week on a Monday. From 1 April 2024 to 5 April 2025, there are 53 Mondays for this financial year.
We want to let you know why this is, what it means for you, and what action you might need to take.
Why is this happening?
This happens every five or six years because there are 365 days in a year or 366 in a leap year. That breaks down to 52 weeks plus one day in a year or 52 weeks plus two days in a leap year. These extra days build up to an additional week to the year every five or six years.
Who does it affect?
This will impact any contract holder on a weekly contract. Contract holders on a weekly contract will need to pay to allow for an extra week’s rent charge on 31 March 2025.
If you receive Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions will not cover the extra week of rent – you will need to pay it.
What do I need to do if I’m on Universal Credit?
The Department for Work and Pensions only pays up to 52 weeks of rent per year for weekly tenancies, they work out the weekly rent by multiplying the weekly charge by 52 then divide by 12 for a monthly sum in their Universal Credit calculations.
Unfortunately, they’ve confirmed they won’t pay for the 53rd week. This is also the case if your rent is paid by UC directly to your rent account. This means you will need to pay for the additional week yourself. (If you already have an agreement in place and if you continue to keep to your agreement to pay this there is no need for you to take any further action at the moment).
If you’re unsure what to do, contact us on 0300 1112122 or email us on post@grwpcynefin.org so we can help you with the options.
Remember: You can check your rent account balance and/or make a rent payment 24/7 via ApCynefin.
There is useful information and advice here
Don’t forget for the majority of you that receive Universal Credit (UC) there is no change in your housing cost in April (Grŵp Cynefin review the majority of our rents for the 1st of October every year). However you might need to confirm your housing cost on your UC journal. Please contact us if you need any help.