DWP Christmas Bonus: Full list of benefits and payment window explained

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to distribute its annual Christmas bonus to millions of individuals on certain benefits. The bonus, valued at £10, is automatically paid, meaning there's no need to apply for it.

It's tax-free and won't impact any other benefits you're currently receiving. Typically, the bonus is disbursed to all eligible recipients at the beginning of December, although there's no specific date for its arrival.

However, it should be received by 31st December at the latest. If you haven't received your bonus by 1st January, the DWP recommends contacting your local Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service.

The bonus will appear as "DWP XB" on your bank statement. To qualify for the Christmas bonus, you must be claiming one of the following benefits during the "qualifying week" determined by the DWP:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• 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 Credit - the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• 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

To qualify, recipients must be present or “ordinarily resident” in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar during the first full week of December, known as the qualifying week, reports the Mirror.

For married couples, civil partnerships, or those living together, both can receive the Christmas bonus if each partner meets the criteria. However, if one partner does not receive one of the specified benefits, they may still be eligible if both partners are over state pension age and "ordinarily resident" within the specified regions—including EEA countries and Switzerland—provided they're entitled to an increase of a qualifying benefit for their spouse or have Pension Credit as their sole qualifying benefit.

Despite this provision, the Christmas bonus has been labeled an "insult" by some families, who point out that the bonus has never seen a substantial permanent increase since its introduction. Although it was temporarily raised to £70 in 2008 during the financial crisis, it was subsequently reduced back to the nominal sum of £10 the following year.