The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is gearing up to disburse a one-off Christmas bonus for qualified recipients.

A modest sum of £10 will be paid by the government department as a top-up to those on certain benefits, offering additional support over the festive period. Among the benefits that count are Carer's Allowance, Pension Credit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), among others.

Set to be paid automatically, beneficiaries need not apply; the bonus is expected to hit accounts early in December, weeks before Christmas. Recipients should look for 'DWP XB' in their bank statement as an identifier for the payment.

If this festive booster hasn't appeared by the end of the year, the DWP has said people should get in touch from January 1 as all payments should have been made by then.

Who qualifies for the Christmas Bonus?

To be in line for the DWP Christmas Bonus, your main criteria are to be present or 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week, the first full week of December. Eligibility extends to various benefits recipients.

  • Pension Credit (the guarantee element)
  • Adult Disability Payment
  • State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
  • War Widow’s Pension
  • Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
  • Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Armed Forces Independence Payment
  • Disability Living Allowance
  • Pension Age Disability Payment
  • Mobility Supplement
  • Child Disability Payment
  • Widowed Mother’s Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
  • Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
  • Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
  • Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
  • Carer’s Allowance
  • Carer Support Payment
  • Widow’s Pension
  • Widowed Parent’s Allowance
  • War Disablement Pension at State Pension age

The DWP added a caveat: "If you have not claimed your State Pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits you will not get a Christmas Bonus."

Furthermore, couples who are married, in a civil partnership, or cohabitating, where each partner receives a qualifying benefit, should each expect a Christmas Bonus payment.

Could I get more than £10?

The Christmas Bonus is a one-off payment of £10. Recently, disgruntled benefit claimants have urged the government to raise this amount, arguing that a mere £10 handout is an 'insult' in the face of the ongoing cost of living crisis. It has been routinely argued that the Christmas Bonus would be worth much more now if it had risen with inflation since its inception in the 1970s, with some stating it should now be over £100.

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