Christmas Bonus Payment

[emmie]

Have any of you received a £ 10 Christmas Bonus payment from the DWP. I did and wondered whether you have to reach a certain age, say Pension age, to receive it. As this is the first one as far as i can see that i have received. Even though i had been informed previous years i was eligible. It came today and is a separate payment from other benefits.

[davebro]

Yes, just got mine - it's payable to anyone in receipt of State Pension (OAPs) or a whole host of other "benefits".

[emmie]

its odd that i have never received it before, not as far as i am aware.

[emmie]

do you think i should ring the DWP and ask why it's not been paid before if i was eligible.

[naomi24]

Emmie, I thought you only qualified for state pension last birthday? If so that will be why you haven’t received it before.

What’s it for anyway?

[emmie]

don't know what it's for but it is a Christmas payment, and letters i have received in the past said it would be paid.

[naomi24]

I just looked on the government website. It says people in receipt of a pension or certain benefits so maybe you weren’t getting the qualifying benefits before pension age. I don’t think I could be bothered with the hassle of enquiring about a possible back payment of £10.

[emmie]

you are probably right, but its going back some years....

[naomi24]

There’s a list you could check of qualifying benefits on the government website. Sorry I can’t post a link.

[emmie]

ok thanks.

[emmie]

i meant to query it before in other years, but if its paid now because i have reached pension age then so be it. But it does seem odd that i had letters confirming i was eligible before... but didn't receive it. It stands out on my bank account as a one off payment.

[burlyshirley]

As far as I'm concerned, this £10 payment is weird ! I don't get it every year, but I got it last year. Am wondering whether or not I'll get it this year, not had my bank statement yet. I always thought it was a 'cold weather' payment which they paid if the temperature dropped below a certain figure, but I'm not sure.

[bhg481]

BS - the £10 is a Christmas present; the Cold Weather payment is a supplement to the annual Fuel payment, paid if the temperature drops to below freezing for a week (or something like that).

[emmie]

no its not a cold weather payment BS, that occurs when the temperature dips below a certain degree for a certain amount of days

[burlyshirley]

But the temperature did drop quite a bit recently.

[bobbinwales]

Yes its a good example of once you give something its not easy to take it away, or keep it going in real terms. Wasnt it introduced nearly 50 years ago so would probably need to be £100 a year at current price's but thats a lot. It sounds a mean amount now don't it- a bit like the extra 25p or whatever it is for over 80s.
Presumably for those who are taxpayers its taxable via tax code on other income???

[emmie]

i think it has to be consecutive days, where it's below freezing, see if i can find a link...

[bobbinwales]

//But the temperature did drop quite a bit recently.//
Yes but thats nothing to do with the £10 Xmas bonus, the cold weather payment is alot more (£100???) when it kicks in for those who get it

[emmie]

https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment

[emmie]

Bobb see link it gives you all the info on what you would get,

[naomi24]

I wonder how much this Christmas bonus costs the country? I bet most people don't need it.