Millions on benefits to get a £10 cash boost this Christmas

Millions of people on universal credit and other benefits are set to get a £10 cash boost again this Christmas.

The annual ‘Christmas bonus’ is a one-off tax-free payment that’s normally paid out in the first full week of December, which falls between 4^th and 10^th December this year.

The bonus will be paid directly in to your bank account – it’ll show up as ‘DWP XB’ on your statement - and doesn’t affect any other benefits you get.

Who is eligible for the Christmas bonus?

You must get at least one of the following benefits in the ‘qualifying week’  which is usually the first full week of December:

• Adult disability payment
• Armed forced independence payment
• Attendance allowance
• Carer’s allowance
• Child disability allowance (paid under industrial injuries or war pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based employment and support allowance (one the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability living allowance
• Incapacity benefit and 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 disability allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployment supplement or allowance (paid under industrial injuries or war pension schemes)
• War disablement pension at state pension age
• War widow’s pension
• Widowed mother’s allowance
• Widowed parent’s allowance
• Widow’s pension