How much is the Christmas bonus, who is eligible, and when will people receive their benefits payments this Christmas?
The Christmas Bonus will be automatically credited to your account (Image: SolStock via Getty Images)
The festive season may bring about changes to payment dates for benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
If your benefit payment is scheduled to land in your account on a bank holiday, you should expect to receive it earlier.
Over the Christmas and winter periods, additional benefits are provided to help people cope with the financial demands of the season. These include a winter fuel payment for eligible pensioners, a warm home discount, and a cold weather payment.
Here’s all the information you need regarding the payment of DWP benefits this Christmas – including the precise dates for your payments, the amount of the Christmas bonus, and potential eligibility for other benefits such as the winter fuel payment, warm home discount, and cold weather payment, the Big Issue reports.
Will I receive my DWP benefits before Christmas?
Some people will get their DWP benefits slightly early, ahead of the Christmas bank holidays. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
The general rule is that if your benefits payment is due on a bank holiday or weekend, you’ll be paid on the last working day prior to the due date.
If your payment is due on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, you should receive it on December 24, which is the Wednesday before Christmas and the last working day before the bank holiday.
If your payment is due on New Year’s Day, it will be paid on Wednesday, December 31.
How much is the DWP Christmas bonus?
The DWP Christmas bonus is a one-time £10 payment for people receiving benefits to assist them during the festive season.
It is typically paid out during the first full week of December (this year, that falls on the week commencing Monday, December 1), so if you’re eligible, you’ll receive it automatically.
To qualify for the DWP Christmas bonus, you must be receiving one of the following benefits:
Adult or child disability payment
Armed forces independence payment
Attendance allowance
Carer’s allowance or support payment
Constant attendance allowance
Contribution-based ESA,
DLA
Incapacity benefit at the long-term rate
Mobility supplement
Pension credit – the guarantee element
PIP
State pension
Severe disablement allowance
Unemployability supplement or allowance
War disablement pension at state pension age
War widow’s pension
Widowed mother’s allowance
Widowed parent’s allowance
Widow’s pension
Industrial death benefit (for widows or widowers).
For more information about whether you might be eligible, visit the government’s website.
If you believe you’re entitled to the Christmas bonus but haven’t received it by January 1, you should get in touch with the Jobcentre Plus office handling your payments or the Pension Service.
