Overview
- The one‑off, tax‑free payment is issued automatically to people on qualifying benefits during the qualifying week, with most payments landing in the first full week of December.
- Universal Credit on its own does not qualify, while benefits such as State Pension, Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance are eligible under DWP guidance.
- Eligibility also requires being ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week.
- Couples in which both partners get a qualifying benefit each receive £10, and a partner who does not get a listed benefit may still qualify if both are over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week.
- If the bonus does not arrive, claimants should contact Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service, and bank‑holiday schedules may move payments to the preceding working day.