Millions of Britons are set to receive a one-off payment from the Department for Work and Pensions next month (DWP), although many may not even realize it. The annual Christmas bonus is due to be paid in the first week of December.

This cash boost is a £10 tax-free payment to help people over the festive period which has been offered to certain groups since 1972. But how do you know if you qualify?

Payment is made to the recipients State pension or those claiming certain other benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Attendance allowance and Carer’s Allowance.

As reported Daily recordingmust meet the eligibility criteria during a certain qualifying period, which is usually the first full week of December.

No one needs to claim the extra £10 as it should automatically go into the account where you normally receive your benefit payment or State pension. It will show as “DWP XB’ on bank statements and online accounts.

The £10 Christmas bonus was introduced by Ted Heath’s Conservative government in 1972. It has not been improved or increased since it was launched more than five decades ago, and in today’s money it would be worth around £165 of sterling – when calculated on the basis of the published composite price index. by United Kingdom Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Who is eligible for cash?

To qualify for the Christmas Bonus you must be present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, Gibraltar during the qualifying week. This year, the qualifying week is expected to be December 2-8.

The DWP will write to eligible claimants informing them that they will receive the £10 bonus in December, but it sometimes arrives after the payment has been made.

You must also obtain at least one of the following benefits during the qualifying week:

• Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only)
• Paying for Armed Forces Independence
• Attendance allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment (Scotland only)
• Disability Child Payment (Scotland only)
• Constant Attendance allowance (paid under occupational accident or war pension schemes)
• Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (once the main benefit phase is introduced after the first 13 weeks of claiming)
• Living allowance for disabled people
• Long-term disability allowance
• Industrial death benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility supplement
• Retirement Age Disability Payment (Scotland only)
• The pension credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State pension (including graduated retirement allowance)
• Severe disability allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployment allowance or allowance (paid under work injury or war pension schemes)
• War Invalidity Pension to State pension age
• Pension for war widows
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed parent’s allowance
• Widow’s pension.

But not everyone over State pension age will get paid, DWP the guide on GOV.UK explains: ‘If you have not claimed State pension and you are not entitled to one of the other eligible benefits, you will not receive a Christmas Bonus.”

The DWP The guidance explains that if you are a married couple, in a civil partnership or living together as if and you both get one of the eligible benefits, you will each receive a Christmas bonus payment of £10.

If your partner or civil partner does not receive one of the eligible benefits, they can still receive the Christmas Bonus if the following apply:

• You’re both done 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 qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner
• The only eligible benefit you receive is pension credit.

You don’t need to claim the Christmas Bonus – you should receive it automatically. Find out more about the Christmas bonus on GOV.UK.