People on state pension and 23 different advantages will get additional funds subsequent month
Those who are eligible will get the DWP cash ahead of a key date
State pensioners and other benefit claimants may be in line for an extra tax-free payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before the year is out. Those who are eligible will typically get this bonus automatically, but you may want to check your eligibility for the one-off payment.
The extra £10 payment, known as the Christmas Bonus, is usually awarded to those who are claiming specific benefits during the first week of December, referred to as the ‘qualifying week’. The bonus typically lands in bank accounts before December 25, providing claimants with additional funds for the festive season, reports the Mirror.
This year, anyone receiving 24 benefits may be entitled to the Christmas Bonus. Claimants must be either present or ‘ordinally resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar during the qualifying week.
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According to the DWP, people claiming these 24 benefits may be eligible:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- War Widow’s Pension
- Carer’s Allowance
- Child Disability Payment
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- War Disablement Pension at State Pension age.
- Adult Disability Payment
- Disability Living Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment.
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
- Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Carer Support Payment
- Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
- Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
- Pension Credit – the guarantee element
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
- Widow’s Pension
- State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
- Attendance Allowance
- Mobility Supplement
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
The DWP explains that if you are in a married couple, civil partnership, or cohabiting with a partner and both receive a qualifying benefit, each person will get a Christmas Bonus. However, even if your partner or civil partner does not qualify for benefits, they might still be eligible for a Christmas Bonus.
This applies only if both of the following criteria are met:
- You are both over state pension age by the end of the qualifying week
- Your partner or civil partner was also present (or ‘ordinarily resident’) in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland during the qualifying week.
One of the following must also apply:
- You are entitled to an increase in a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner
- The only qualifying benefit you’re getting is Pension Credit.
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Guidance on the DWP website explains: “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.”
Should you meet the criteria for the Christmas Bonus, it will normally be paid straight into your bank account prior to December 25. This sum is generally deposited into the same account where you receive your benefits, pensions, and allowances, and it may show up as ‘DWP XB’ on your bank statement.
Should you not have received the Christmas Bonus by January 1, the DWP recommends getting in touch with either the Pension Service or your local Jobcentre Plus office, depending on who manages your payments. Visit the Government website for more information.
