DWP Christmas bonus due today

Millions of households are set to receive a £10 one off payment today from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to help with extra costs and bills over Christmas.

The tax-free payment will be sent to people receiving certain benefits, such as carer’s allowance, adult disability payment, the state pension, pension credit and personal independent payment (PIP), in the ‘qualifying week’, which is usually the first week in December.

Households claiming universal credit won’t receive the payment, neither will people who haven’t claimed their state pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits.

There’s no need to apply for the payment as it will be sent out automatically to qualifying bank accounts. If there are two people in your household separately claiming benefits, then you’ll both receive £10 each and it won’t affect your benefits.

The £10 bonus was first introduced as part of the Pensioners’ and Family Income Supplement Payments Act in 1972.

Who is eligible:

The DWP will pay out the bonus to anyone living in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar who claim the following benefits:

• Adult disability payment
• Armed forces independence payment
• Attendance allowance
• Carer’s allowance
• Child disability payment
• 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)
• DLA
• 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
• Severe disability allowance
• 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