DWP will pay out tax-free bonuses in just a few weeks’ time
Specific people may be eligible for an additional tax-free payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before the end of the year. Usually, qualifying Brits will automatically get this bonus, but you can also check your eligibility for this one-time payment below.
This free £10 payment, known as the ‘Christmas Bonus’, is typically given to people claiming specific benefits during the first week of December, referred to as the ‘qualifying week’. The bonus typically arrives in bank accounts before December 25, providing Brits with extra money for the holiday season.
This year, anyone receiving 24 benefits may be entitled to the upcoming Christmas Bonus. Claimants must also be either present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar during the qualifying week.
According to the DWP, the 24 benefits included in this are:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- War Widow’s Pension
- Carer’s Allowance
- Child Disability Payment
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
- Adult Disability Payment
- Disability Living Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
- Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Carer Support Payment
- Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
- Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
- Pension Credit – the guarantee element
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
- Widow’s Pension
- State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
- Attendance Allowance
- Mobility Supplement
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
The DWP explains that if you are in a married couple, civil partnership, or cohabiting with a partner and both receive a qualifying benefit, each person will get a Christmas Bonus. However, even if your partner or civil partner does not qualify for benefits, they might still be eligible for a Christmas Bonus.
This applies only if both of the following criteria are met:
- You are 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
One of the following must also apply:
- You are entitled to an increase in a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner
- The only qualifying benefit you’re getting is Pension Credit
According to the Express, the DWP’s online guidance has also added: “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.”
If you qualify for the Christmas Bonus, it’s usually credited directly to your bank account before December 25. This amount is typically paid into the same account that receives your benefits, pensions, and allowances, and it may appear as ‘DWP XB’ on your bank statement.
If you haven’t received the Christmas Bonus by January 1, the DWP advises contacting either the Pension Service or your local Jobcentre Plus office, based on who handles your payments.
For more information, you can also visit GOV.UK here.
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