As the cold weather rolls back in again, pensioners and those in receipt of Universal Credit, PIP and Child Benefits are among the millions eligible for a small cash boost from the DWP.
They will receive a £10 boost in the form of a Christmas bonus that will not need to be repaid and will not affect any other benefits.
You will be able to tell whether you have received the payment has before by looking for the code “DWP XB” on your bank statement.
Who is eligible for the DWP Christmas bonus?
To be eligible for the payment, you must be receiving one of the following benefits along with Universal Credit.
You will need to be receiving the relevant benefits in qualifying week, which will most likely be the first week of December.
A full list of eligible benefits includes:
- 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 guaranteed element
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- 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 at State Pension age
- War Widow’s Pension
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Widow’s Pension
To qualify for the payment, as well as receiving one of the above benefits, you will also need to be a resident of one of six areas.
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To receive the Christmas bonus you will have to live in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Switzerland or any other European Economic Area (EEA).
Calls to increase DWP Christmas bonus payment
The DWP is facing calls to increase its annual Christmas bonus from £10 to more than £100.
The Christmas bonus figure has stood at £10 since 1972, and now an online petition calling for it to be increased in line with inflation over those 52 years has reached more than 21,000 signatures.
If the bonus was increased in line with 52 years of inflation, it would take the payment to £114.75.
The petition reads: “Christmas is THE most expensive time of year! Pensioners, the vulnerable & people like myself, disabled, could do with an extra boost at this time of year, especially as the energy assistance has been axed.
“This isn’t asking for ‘just another handout’. This is for those of us that don’t have an option to earn anything extra.
“Then we respectfully ask that our Christmas bonus be raised in line with inflation please, or more.”
