DWP handing people living in these 13 places free Christmas 'bonus' payment

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to hand state pensioners and others living in 13 places a Christmas bonus. The DWP will once again deliver a Christmas bonus to millions of benefit claimants next month.

The tax free Christmas Bonus has been a thing since 1972, and it currently sits at £10 - which is the same as it was when it was first introduced over 50 years ago. To get it, you must live, or be “ordinarily resident” in the UK, so England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, Herm, Jethou, and Brecqhou), Isle of Man or Gibraltar, during the qualifying week, which this year is from December 2 to 8.

The bonus is given to people claiming certain benefits during the "qualifying week," which this year is from December 2 until December 8 - in just a few days. One of the most common misconceptions about the Christmas bonus is that all DWP and HMRC benefits get the money, but this is not the case.

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This means that if they want to receive the cash, they will need to check whether they are claiming one of the qualifying benefits by the end of next week. Universal Credit - which has around 6.7million claimants across the UK - is not part of the list so those claiming won't get the Christmas bonus.

The full list of 23 benefits benefits which qualify for the bonus include:

• Adult Disability Payment

• Armed Forces Independence Payment

• Attendance Allowance

• Carer's Allowance

• Carer Support Payment

• Child Disability Payment

• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid for industrial injuries or War Pensions )

• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance

• Disability Living Allowance

• Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate

• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)

• Mobility Supplement

• Pension Age Disability Payment

• Pension Credit - the guarantee element

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

• State Pension

• Severe Disablement Allowance

• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid for industrial injuries or War Pensions )

• War Disablement Pension at State Pension age

• War Widow's Pension

• Widowed Mother's Allowance

• Widowed Parent's Allowance

• Widow's Pension