Nearly 5,000 people have signed a petition urging the DWP to increase the payment
More than 4,680 people have backed an online petition calling on the UK Government to raise the annual £10 Bonus in accordance with inflation.
The tax-free £10 Christmas Bonus has been distributed to millions receiving the State Pension or qualifying benefits since its introduction by Ted Heath’s Conservative Government in 1972. The payment is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to those claiming State Pension or benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance – provided they satisfy the eligibility requirements during the qualifying window in December.
However, petition organiser David Angus Kirkwood contends that it has remained unchanged since its launch over 50 years ago, and if adjusted for today’s standards, it would equate to approximately £171 – based on the composite price index inflation rate of 3 per cent, as published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ‘Adjust the £10 DWP Christmas Bonus introduced in 1972 to reflect inflation’ petition appears on the Petitions Parliament website. Once it reaches 10,000 signatures, it will warrant a written reply from the UK Government, reports the Daily Record.
The petition proposes that the annual one-off sum should exclusively be granted to “British citizens, who have been claiming benefits for a minimum of six months”. The statement continues: “In the early 1970s, £10 was a significant boost for those without income, to assist with the increased costs associated with Christmas time. It would have contributed towards heating and electricity bills, food and beverages or children’s Christmas presents.
“In today’s money, adjusted for inflation, it would be roughly equivalent to £180. Nowadays, £10 won’t even cover a round of drinks, purchase a quality Christmas pudding or buy a box of decent Christmas crackers. Quite frankly, £10 is insulting.”
It’s important to note that nearly 24 million people across Great Britain receive at least one benefit – the State Pension is considered a contributory benefit – and around 15 million of these people receive the £10 payment. This equates to a UK Government expenditure of £150 million on the DWP Christmas Bonus.
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DWP £10 Christmas Bonus
For the 2026/27 period, 24 benefits will qualify for the £10 payment, however, the 8.3 million people claiming Universal Credit are not eligible. The DWP distributes the payment in December.
To be eligible for the Christmas Bonus, you must be present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar, during the qualifying week, which is typically the first full week of December.
Qualifying benefits
You must also be receiving at least one of the following benefits during the qualifying week:
- Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Carer Support Payment (Scotland only)
- Child Disability Payment (Scotland only)
- 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 Age Disability Payment (Scotland only)
- Pension Credit – the guarantee element
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
- 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
Not everyone over State Pension age gets the payment, DWP guidance on GOV.UK explains: “If you have not claimed your State Pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits you will not get a Christmas Bonus.”
Find out more about the Christmas Bonus on GOV.UK here.
