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    1. Home
    2. Benefits and money
    3. Benefits and financial support
    4. On a low income

    Christmas Bonus

    The Christmas Bonus is a one-off tax-free £10 payment made before Christmas and paid to people who get certain benefits in the qualifying week. This is normally the first full week of December. You don’t need to claim - you should get paid automatically.

    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:

    • 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)
    • 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.

    If you get more than one Christmas Bonus, contact the office that deals with your payment.

    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, for example, 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
    • Employment and Support Allowance

    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

    More useful links

    • On a low income
    • Tax and allowances in retirement 
    • Nominating a helper to collect benefits or a pension for you 
    • Contacting 08 and 03 numbers
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    On a low income

    • Accommodation service charges and Universal Credit
    • Benefits for higher education students
    • Christmas Bonus
    • Claim Social Fund Budgeting loan
    • Claiming Universal Credit if you're a student
    • Cold Weather Payment
    • Energy saving grants
    • Extended payment of Housing Benefit/Rate Relief
    • Help to save
    • Help with health costs
    • Housing Benefit and Rate Relief for tenants
    • Income Support
    • Income Support with dependant's allowance - two child limit
    • Mortgage Interest Run On
    • Rates Housing Benefit and Rate Relief
    • Repaying your mortgage interest on a low income
    • Support for Mortgage Interest
    • Universal Credit

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    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

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