DWP breaks silence over hiking Christmas Bonus to £115 for 2025

DWP breaks silence over hiking Christmas Bonus to £115 for 2025
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The Department for Work and Pensions has broken its silence over raising the Christmas Bonus to £115 from £10 for 2026. Liberal Democrats MP Anna Sabine has reached out in the Commons to get an update over the paltry festive payouts.

Pensions minister Torsten Bell provided a response from the Labour Government. He said: "The Department has no current plans to make such an assessment. The Christmas Bonus was initially introduced as a one-off payment of £10 in 1972 and has not been uprated or increased on a yearly basis like some benefits."

The Christmas bonus is a one-off payment of £10 and is expected to be paid during the first week of December. In 2024, this will be 2-6 December. It will be paid automatically into the same account you receive the eligible benefit, but this may be on a different date to your usual benefit payment.

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If you receive Universal Credit as a stand-alone benefit, you will also need to be in receipt of one of the listed payments to be eligible for the bonus. If you are married or live with a partner and are both receiving one of the benefits listed on the government website, you’ll both be eligible for the Christmas bonus.

To be eligible for the Christmas bonus, you will need to be a resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar and be in receipt one of the following benefits during the qualifying week: Adult Disability Payment, Armed Forces Independence, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Child Disability Payment.

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Other qualifying benefits include Constant Attendance Allowance, Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate, Industrial Death Benefit, Mobility Supplement, Pension Credit – guarantee element and Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

State Pension, Severe Disablement Allowance, Unemployability Supplement or Allowance and War Disablement Pension at State Pension Age complete the list alongside War Widow’s Pension, Widowed Mother’s Allowance, Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Widow’s Pension.