Eligibility
To get a Christmas Bonus you must be present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week.
If you live in or are moving to a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland, find out about benefits for UK nationals in the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
You must also get at least one of the following benefits in the qualifying week - this is normally the first full week of December:
- 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
- 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 if over 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.
What you'll get
Christmas Bonus is a one-off payment of £10.
The Christmas Bonus payment won’t affect any other benefits you get.
How you are paid
All allowances, benefits and pensions are paid normally into an account, e.g. your bank account.
How to claim
You don't need to claim Christmas Bonus - you should get it automatically. If you think you qualify for the payment but haven't got it, contact the benefit office that deals with your payments.
- Jobs and Benefits offices
- Northern Ireland Pension Centre
- Disability and Carers Service
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Centre
- Incapacity Benefits Branch
- Industrial Injuries Branch
Further information
If you’re 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