Overview
- Benefit payments that would fall on December 25 or 26 will be issued earlier due to the Christmas and Boxing Day bank holidays.
- The Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free £10 paid automatically into the usual account and may appear on statements as 'DWP XB'.
- To qualify, claimants must be on an eligible benefit in the qualifying week, which is normally the first full week of December.
- Qualifying benefits include Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, State Pension and the Pension Credit guarantee element.
- People who receive only Universal Credit are not eligible, and critics continue to argue the unchanged £10 amount is too low.