A campaign is demanding the government increase the annual DWP Christmas bonus from its current £10 to roughly £180, bringing the payment in line with inflation since it was first introduced over five decades ago.
David Kirkwood, who launched the petition on the Parliament website, argues the unchanged sum has become meaningless for recipients struggling with festive costs.
A new online petition is urging the UK Government to increase the annual £10 Christmas Bonus payment in line with inflation
The petition states: “In the early 1970s, £10 was a valuable uplift for those without income, to help with the increased costs associated with Christmas time. It would have helped towards paying for heating and electricity, food and drinks or Christmas presents for kids.
“It would have been the equivalent of approximately £180 today adjusted for inflation. £10 today won’t even buy a round of drinks, wouldn’t pay for a quality Christmas pudding or buy a box of decent Christmas Crackers. £10 quite frankly is insulting.”
The tax-free payment was established in 1972 and has mostly remained the same ever since.
During the 2008 financial crisis, the bonus was temporarily increased to £70 to provide additional support for vulnerable households, but this uplift proved short-lived.
The following year, the payment reverted to its original £10 level, where it has stayed for more than fifteen years.
According to calculations using the composite price index from the Office for National Statistics, the original 1972 amount would be worth approximately £169 in today’s money.
The petition requires 10,000 signatures to receive a formal written response from the government.
DWP urged to hike Christmas Bonus to £180
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GETTYThis week, approximately 15 million people receiving the state pension or other qualifying benefits will have the £10 payment deposited into their accounts.
The bonus is distributed to recipients of around 24 different benefits, including Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and Adult Disability Payment.
With nearly 24 million people across Great Britain receiving at least one benefit, the annual cost to the Treasury for this festive payment totals £150million.
The money arrives automatically and appears as ‘DWP XB’ on bank statements, requiring no application from eligible claimants.
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To qualify for the Christmas bonus, recipients must be present or “ordinarily resident” in the UK
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PATo qualify for the Christmas bonus, recipients must be present or “ordinarily resident” in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week, which runs from December 1-7.
The payment is made separately from regular benefit or pension payments, meaning it may arrive on a different day than expected.
Couples who are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting can each receive the £10 bonus provided both partners claim a qualifying benefit.
Where only one partner receives an eligible benefit, the other may still qualify if both are over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week and meet residency requirements.
Anyone who has not received their payment by January 1 should contact their Jobcentre Plus office or the Pension Service
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GETTYAnyone who has not received their payment by January 1 should contact their Jobcentre Plus office or the Pension Service.
Full list of benefits eligible for DWP Christmas bonus
Britons must get at least one of the following benefits in the ‘qualifying week’ – this is normally the first full week of December:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Carer Support Payment
- Child Disability Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
- Disability Living Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
- Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
- Mobility Supplement
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Pension Credit – the guarantee element
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
- Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
- State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
- Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
- War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
- War Widow’s Pension
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Widow’s Pension