The Christmas Bonus: Who Gets It and When It's Paid

If you have ever spotted a small extra payment in your bank account in early December and wondered what it was, it was probably the Christmas Bonus. In the UK it is £10. In Ireland it is a whole extra week of your payment. Same name, very different amounts, and in both countries you do not have to ask for it. 💚

This guide explains who gets the Christmas Bonus in the UK and in Ireland, when it arrives, and what to do if it does not.

1. Two payments with the same name

• UK: a one-off payment of £10, paid before Christmas to people on certain benefits, including the State Pension.
• Ireland: a double week payment. In 2026 it is 100% of your normal weekly payment, paid in the week starting 7 December.

Both are automatic. There is no form, no phone call and no deadline. If you qualify, the money comes in the same way your usual payment does.

The Netherlands has no Christmas Bonus. The nearest thing is the AOW holiday allowance, which the SVB pays in May.

2. The UK Christmas Bonus: who gets it

The £10 Christmas Bonus has been paid since 1972 and has never gone up, which is why some people do not notice it at all. You get it if you are on at least one qualifying benefit in the qualifying week, which is normally the first full week of December.

The qualifying benefits most relevant to people in their 60s and 70s are:

• State Pension, including Graduated Retirement Benefit
• Pension Credit, the guarantee element
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer's Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance
• Widow's Pension and War Widow's Pension

The full list is on Gov.uk. You also need to be in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week, or meet the rules for UK pensioners living in the EEA or Switzerland.

The £10 is tax-free and does not affect any other benefit you get. It usually shows up on your bank statement as DWP XB.

💡 Tip: If you have deferred your State Pension and get none of the other qualifying benefits, you will not get the Christmas Bonus that year. It is a small sum, but worth knowing if you are wondering why it did not arrive.

3. The Irish Christmas Bonus: a double week

In Ireland the Christmas Bonus is far more valuable. In 2026 it is 100% of your normal weekly payment, paid with your usual payment in the week starting 7 December. The minimum is €20.

You get it if you are on a long-term social welfare payment. For people over 60, that includes:

• State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory)
• Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds
• Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit, including half-rate Carer's Allowance
• Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension
• Bereaved Partner's Pension

Some payments only count once you have been getting them for 12 months, including Jobseeker's Allowance and Illness Benefit. The Fuel Allowance does not qualify on its own.

Example: Bridget gets the full State Pension (Contributory) of €299.30 a week. In the week starting 7 December she receives €598.60. She also gets half-rate Carer's Allowance for looking after her husband, so she gets a second bonus on top, equal to one week of that payment too.

A few other rules are worth knowing:

• If you get two qualifying payments, you get a bonus on each.
• If an increase for your spouse or partner is paid directly to them, their share of the bonus is paid to them as well.
• If you live in a nursing home under the Fair Deal scheme, the bonus is not counted as income.

The full list of qualifying payments is on Citizens Information.

4. If it does not arrive

In the UK, give it until 1 January. If it has still not appeared, contact the office that pays your benefit. For the State Pension or Pension Credit, that is the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. If you are paid it twice by mistake, tell them too.

In Ireland, check your payment for the week starting 7 December first, since the bonus is paid on your normal payment day. If it is missing, contact the section of the Department of Social Protection that pays your benefit, or call Citizens Information on 0818 07 4000 for help working out who to ask.

Simple action: Look at your bank statement in early December and find the payment. It is the quickest way to confirm your records are in order before the new year.

5. Using the Christmas Bonus to check what else you are owed

The Christmas Bonus is a good reminder that some money only reaches you if your records say you qualify. If you are not getting it, the reason is often that you are not on a benefit you could claim.

In the UK, Pension Credit is the one most often missed. Claiming it brings the Christmas Bonus with it, along with help towards heating costs and more. In Ireland, carers who qualify for half-rate Carer's Allowance on top of a State Pension often do not realise they can claim it, and that payment carries its own bonus.

Nobody gets rich on £10, and a double week in Ireland is welcome but soon spent. What matters more is what the bonus tells you: that your payments are set up properly and the system knows who you are. If it arrives, good. If it does not, that is worth a phone call before Christmas. 💛

Check the full list of qualifying benefits on Gov.uk or Citizens Information.

If you are in the UK, our guide to Pension Credit explains who qualifies and how to claim, and our guide to Attendance Allowance covers another payment that brings the bonus with it. Our checklist of free benefits for over-60s in the UK runs through the rest. In Ireland, our guide to the Irish State Pension explains how to check your record, and our guide to half-rate Carer's Allowance covers the second payment many carers miss. Browse more Una guides for plain English help with money and benefits in later life.