The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) annual £10 Christmas bonus payment for pensioners and those on benefits began as a one-off payment to help during inflation in 1972.
Since then, it has become a recurring feather in the bank accounts of people on certain benefits — state pensioners included.
However, despite the enormous economic changes of the past five decades, this payment remains the same amount as it has always been, not rising in line with inflation and living costs.
When it was launched in 1972, the weekly pension was £6.75 and an extra £10 went a lot further than it does in 2024.
If inflation has been taken into account, that bonus should now be £165.36. And with pensioners already facing a cold Christmas with the Winter Fuel Payment scrapped, this measly amount won’t offer much comfort.
So should the DWP increase the Christmas bonus? Vote in our poll and join the debate in the comments below. Can’t see the poll? Click here.
To receive the £10 Christmas bonus in 2024, you need to be living in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the designated qualifying week — for 2024, this week runs from 2-8 December.
To get the Christmas bonus, you must be receiving at least one eligible benefit during the qualifying week.
You’ll typically qualify if you get the state pension or certain benefits, while some people are eligible while living in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
DWP will usually write to tell you that you’re eligible but you might get this letter after being paid — if you are eligible for the Christmas Bonus, you don’t need to apply for it.
