Thousands of benefits claimants are set to miss out on this year's Christmas bonus, despite the rising cost of living. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, around 22 million people are claiming some form of benefits in the UK.
In recent months the government has offered financial support to those most impacted by the cost of living crisis, including a cost of living payment worth £650 to people on means-tested benefits and an additional £150 payment for people claiming disability payments such as PIP and DLA reports Wales Online.
In addition to their usual monthly payments, millions of claimants will also receive a £10 Christmas bonus. This is a scheme that has run for several years, where people in receipt of state pension or certain DWP benefits receive the one-off and tax free payment.
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Those who receive the payment, must meet the eligibility during a specific qualifying period, which is typically the first full week of December. However, the criteria for this year's bonus means that some claimants could miss out.
People who claim universal credit alone, and none of the below benefits, are not eligible for the Christmas bonus. To qualify for the bonus, you must be living in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, any European Economic Area (EEA) country, or Switzerland during the qualifying week, which is expected to be December 5 to December 11, 2022.
The DWP will write to eligible claimants advising them that they will be receiving the £10 bonus early in December. However, to be eligible, claimants also need to get at least one of the following benefits in the qualifying week:
- 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 (PIP)
- State pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
- Severe disablement allowance (transitionally protected)
- Unemployability supplement or allowance (paid under Iindustrial 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 get the bonus, you must be claiming at least one of this benefits. This means many people, such as those who claim universal credit and none of the above, will not be eligible for the £10 bonus.
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