DWP could pay out an extra £10 ‘bonus’ to people claiming 24 benefits | UK | News
Some people might qualify for an extra tax-free payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before the end of this year. Usually, qualifying Brits will automatically receive this bonus, but you can also check your eligibility for this one-off payment below.
This free £10 payment, called the ‘Christmas Bonus‘, is usually given to people claiming specific benefits during the first week of December, known as the ‘qualifying week’. The bonus generally arrives in bank accounts before December 25, giving Brits some extra cash for the holiday season.
As of 2025, recipients of 24 benefits are eligible for the next Christmas Bonus. These claimants must also be either present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar during the qualifying week.
According to the DWP, the 24 benefits included in this are:
- 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
- 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
The DWP says that if you are in a married couple, civil partnership, or living with a partner and both receive a qualifying benefit, each of you will get a Christmas Bonus. However, even if your partner or civil partner does not receive a qualifying benefit, they might still be eligible for a Christmas Bonus.
This is provided that both of the following criteria apply:
- 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
The DWP‘s online guidance has also added: “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.”
If you qualify for the Christmas Bonus, it will likely be automatically deposited into your account before December 25. Typically, this is paid into the same bank account where benefits, pensions, and allowances are deposited. The Christmas Bonus may appear as ‘DWP XB’ on a bank statement.
However, if you do not receive the Christmas Bonus by 1 January, the DWP advises contacting the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus office – whichever handles your payments.
For more information, you can also visit GOV.UK here.
