Benefit claimants and other DWP customers should be aware of some crucial dates in December concerning their payments. The festive season will impact some regular payment dates, and an important deadline is approaching for applications.
£10 Christmas Bonus – first week of December
Individuals on various benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit, receive this additional free cash towards their holiday bills. The payment will appear in your account with the code ‘DWP XB’.
The amount typically goes out during the first week of December, but it may arrive as late as January 1. To qualify for the cash, you must be present or ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week, which is usually the first full week of December.
To get the £10 payment, you need to be claiming one of these benefits:
- State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance.
- Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
- Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Pension Credit – the guarantee element
- Carer’s Allowance
- Child Disability Payment
- War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
- Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
- Widow’s Pension
- War Widow’s Pension
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
- Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- Mobility Supplement
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Carer Support Payment
- Adult Disability Payment.
Early benefit payment dates – December 24 and 31
This year, Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1) fall on a Wednesday, and the mid-week celebrations will affect some benefit payments. Most benefit and tax credit payments will go out on the usual dates, unless your normal date falls on either of these two days.
If you are due to receive a payment on either day, the funds will be paid into your account a day early, on December 24 for Christmas Day payments, and on December 31 for New Year’s Day payments.
£150 Warm Home Discount – from December 1
This one-off £150 payment is a discount off your electricity bill, with your supplier deducting the amount from your bill if they participate in the scheme. Those on the guarantee credit element of Pension Credit and those on a low income will qualify for the funds.
Those who are eligible will receive a letter between October 2024 and early January 2025, notifying them of the discount. The amount will be automatically deducted from your bill.
If you don’t receive a letter by early January 2025 but believe you’re eligible, you can contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme on 0800 030 9322. You must do this before February 28, 2025, to ensure you receive the discount.
All discounts should be applied by the end of March 2025. For more information about the qualifying criteria, visit the Government website.
£25 Cold Weather Payments – from December 1
These payments are activated when temperatures drop below zero, or are forecasted to do so, for seven consecutive days. Payments are determined based on local weather stations, meaning some areas may qualify while others don’t.
Payments can be triggered during cold spells from November 1 to March 31. Funds are distributed automatically, and you need to be claiming one of these benefits to qualify:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Support for Mortgage Interest.
£200 or £300 Winter Fuel Payment deadline – December 21
Most people eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment are paid in November or December. The eligibility criteria have recently changed – the payment used to go out to most people of state pension age, but now you also have to be claiming an eligible means-tested benefit, such as Pension Credit.
If you’re considering applying for Pension Credit, which can provide over £3,900 a year in additional income, now is the time. The latest you can claim the benefit and still qualify for the payment is December 21, if your claim can be backdated by the full three months to meet the qualifying week in September for the Winter Fuel Payment.
Pension Credit not only boosts your income but also offers access to a range of other Government support. This includes free TV licences for those over 75, assistance with medical costs and council tax discounts. Find out more about the benefit and the qualifying conditions here.