Thousands of benefit claimants will receive a Christmas bonus from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) this winter. This annual payment is set at £10 and is paid automatically to qualifying individuals before Christmas.
2025 DWP Christmas Bonus: Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Christmas bonus, claimants must receive specific benefits during the qualifying week. This week typically falls in the first full week of December.
Eligible Benefits
Claimants must be receiving one of the following benefits:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Carer Support Payment
- Child Disability Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit (long-term rate)
- Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
- Mobility Supplement
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Pension Credit (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
- War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
- War Widow’s Pension
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Widow’s Pension
Couples, including married partners and those in civil partnerships, will both receive the Christmas bonus if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Payment Details and Key Dates
The bonus will appear in bank accounts labeled ‘XB’ or ‘DWP XB’. In 2025, payments traditionally scheduled for Christmas Day or Boxing Day will most likely be issued on Christmas Eve.
While the £10 bonus has remained unchanged since 1972, calls for an increase have surfaced. This amount has lost significant value due to inflation over the years. Currently, there are no official plans to adjust the bonus amount.
Eligible claimants must reside in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar to receive this bonus. Ensure to stay updated with announcements from the DWP as the holiday season approaches.
