The annual £10 payment is automatically deposited into the bank accounts of those eligible, typically in December.
Katie Timms Head of Content and Courtney Eales
16:12, 12 Nov 2025
Thousands of DWP benefit claimants across the UK are set to receive a one-off payment(Image: PA)
Thousands of benefit claimants across the UK are set to receive a one-off payment from the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) ahead of Christmas. The annual £10 payment is automatically deposited into the bank accounts of those eligible, typically in December.
Nearly 24 million people across Great Britain are claiming at least one benefit from DWP. However, many may not be aware of the Christmas Bonus payment, designed to ease the financial strain of the festive season, reports the Liverpool Echo.
To qualify for the bonus, you need to be receiving eligible benefits during the ‘qualifying week’, usually the first week of December. The payment will typically appear in bank accounts with the reference ‘XB’ or ‘DWP XB’.
Eligibility extends to recipients of any of the following:.
- Adult Disability Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Carer Support Payment
- Child Disability Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
- Disability Living Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
- Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
- Mobility Supplement
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Pension Credit – the guarantee element
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
- Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
- State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
- Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
- War Widow’s Pension
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Widow’s Pension
Claimants must also reside in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the first full week of December to be eligible.
If you’re married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, and both you and your partner receive one of the qualifying benefits, you’ll each receive a Christmas Bonus payment.
Even if your partner doesn’t receive any of the required benefits, they may still be eligible for the £10 payment if you are both over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week.
However, the DWP has stated that if you have not claimed your State Pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits, you will not receive a Christmas Bonus.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) advises that if you believe you’re eligible for a payment but haven’t received one, you should contact your local Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service. You should automatically receive the payment before 1 January 2026.
Benefit claimants may find their payment dates affected around Christmas and New Year. This year, Christmas falls on a Thursday and Boxing Day is on a Friday, both of which are bank holidays.
New Year’s Day, also a bank holiday, could potentially disrupt payments as well.
The DWP states that if your payment date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, you’ll typically be paid on the previous working day. However, this might differ for Child Benefit.
DWP benefits are usually paid once a month, every four weeks, or every two weeks, depending on the specific benefit claimed.
These changes could affect individuals claiming a range of benefits, including Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and many others.
