The Christmas Bonus is a one-off payment of £10 and it won’t affect any other benefits you get.

How you’re paid

All benefits, pensions and allowances are normally paid into an account, eg your bank account. It will usually show up as ‘DWP XB’ on your bank statement.

To get a Christmas Bonus you must be present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, any European Economic Area (EEA) country, or Switzerland during the qualifying week. The qualifying week is normally the first full week of December:

You must also get at least one of the following benefits in the ‘qualifying week’:

• Armed Forces Independence Payment

• Attendance Allowance

• Carer’s Allowance

• 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

If you haven’t claimed your State Pension and aren’t entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits you won’t get a Christmas Bonus

You should get it automatically.

If you think you should get it, but haven’t, contact the Jobcentre Plus office or pension centre that deals with your payments.

If you are part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or living together as if you are and you both get one of the qualifying benefits you’ll each get a Christmas Bonus payment.

If your partner or civil partner doesn’t get one of the qualifying benefits, they may still get the Christmas Bonus if both the following apply:

• you’re both over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week

• your partner or civil partner was also present (or ‘ordinarily resident’) in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland during the qualifying week

and either:

• you’re entitled to an increase of a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner

• the only qualifying benefit you’re getting is Pension Credit