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

This cash aid is a tax-free payment of £10 to help people over the festive period and has been offered to certain groups since 1972. But how do you know if you’re eligible?

Payment is made to people benefiting from State pension or those claiming certain other benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Care allowance and carer’s allowance.

As reported by Daily check-inthey must meet the eligibility criteria during a specific eligibility period, which is generally the first full week of December.

No one needs to ask for the extra £10 as it should automatically be transferred to the account you usually receive your benefits from or State pension. It will display 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 increased or increased since its launch over fifty years ago and, in today’s money, it would be worth around £165 – calculated according to the published Composite Price Index. speak UK Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Who is entitled to the money?

To be eligible 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 scheduled to take place from December 2 to 8.

THE DWP will write to eligible claimants to let them know they will receive the £10 bonus in December, but sometimes this happens after payment has been made.

You must also receive at least one of the following benefits during the week of eligibility:

• Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only)
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Care allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment (Scotland only)
• Disabled Children’s Allowance (Scotland only)
• Constant Care allowance (paid under work injury or war pension schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claiming)
• Living allowance for disabled people
• Incapacity benefit at the long-term rate
• Industrial death benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility supplement
• Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland only)
• Pension credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State pension (including phased retirement benefit)
• Severe disability allowance (temporarily protected)
• Unemployability supplement or allowance (paid under work accident or war pension schemes)
• War disability pension State pension age
• War widow’s pension
• Widowed mother’s allowance
• Allowance for widowed parents
• Widow’s pension.

But not everyone is there State pension age will receive payment, DWP The advice on GOV.UK explains: “If you have not claimed your State pension and are not entitled to any of the other eligible benefits, you will not receive a Christmas bonus.

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

If your partner or civil partner does not benefit from one of the eligible benefits, they can still benefit from the Christmas bonus if the following two conditions apply:

• You’re both over State pension age at the end of the reference week
• Your partner or civil partner was also present (or “ordinarily resident”) in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, a European Economic Area (EEA) country or in Switzerland during qualifying week.

One of the following must also apply:

• You are entitled to an increase in a benefit giving entitlement to your common-law partner or civil partner
• The only eligible benefit you receive is pension credit.

You don’t need to claim the Christmas bonus: you should get it automatically. Learn more about the Christmas bonus at GOV.UK.