Overview
- The tax-free payment goes to people who receive one of 24 specified benefits during the qualifying week, which is normally the first full week of December.
- Eligibility also requires being present or ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during that week.
- The bonus should appear on bank statements as “DWP XB,” is paid before Christmas, and does not affect existing benefit entitlements.
- Claimants who have not received the payment by January 1, 2026 are advised to contact Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service.
- Universal Credit recipients may qualify if they also receive one of the listed benefits, and the DWP says there are no plans to change the long-standing scheme introduced in 1972.