If a surprise £10 appears in your bank account this December, there’s no need for alarm. It’s likely the tax-free, automatic ‘Christmas Bonus’ payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which should show as ‘DWP XB’ on bank statements.
The Christmas Bonus is an additional tax-free payment typically given to those claiming specific benefits during the ‘qualifying week’, usually the first week of December. This sum often lands in bank accounts before December 25, providing households with extra cash for the festive season.
For 2025, recipients of 24 different benefits are eligible for the forthcoming Christmas Bonus. Claimants must also be 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:
- 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
- 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
The DWP states that if you’re married, in a civil partnership, or cohabiting with a partner and both receive a qualifying benefit, you’ll each receive a Christmas Bonus. However, even if your partner or civil partner doesn’t receive a qualifying benefit, they could still be eligible for a Christmas Bonus, according to the Express.
This is provided that both of the following criteria apply:
- 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
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. »
Should you qualify for the Christmas Bonus, it will likely be deposited automatically into your account prior to December 25. This is typically paid into the identical bank account where your benefits, pensions, and allowances are received.
Nevertheless, if you haven’t received the Christmas Bonus by January 1, the DWP suggests contacting either the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus office, depending on who handles your payments.
For more information, you can also visit GOV.UK here.
