Full list of people eligible for the 2023 Christmas bonus and when to expect it

Sophie Collins

Thousands of people will receive the 2023 Christmas bonus next week!

The Christmas Bonus is an extra payment for people who are in receipt of a long-term social welfare payment.

Those who are eligible will see a 100% boost on their usual payments which will be paid in the week beginning December 4th, 2023.

You don’t need to apply for the Bonus, so if you qualify you’ll automatically get it with your social welfare payment.

You are paid a Christmas Bonus if you are getting:

Back to Education Allowance – people coming from jobseeker’s payments need to be getting the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days), but you may be able to use your time on your jobseeker’s payment to help you qualify.
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance – people coming from jobseeker’s payments need to be getting the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days), but you may be able to use time on jobseeker’s payment to help you qualify.
Back to Work Family Dividend
Benefit payment for 65 year olds
Blind Pension
Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit (including half-rate Carer’s Allowance)
Community Employment
Deserted Wife’s Allowance and Deserted Wife’s Benefit
Daily Expenses Allowance, formerly called Direct Provision Allowance for 12 months
Disability Allowance
Disablement Benefit
Domiciliary Care Allowance
Farm Assist
Guardian’s Payment (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
Illness Benefit for 12 months or more
Invalidity Pension
Job Initiative Scheme
Jobseeker’s Allowance for 12 months (312 days or more)
Jobseeker’s Transitional payment
Magdalene Commission Scheme
Death Benefit Scheme (under the Occupational Injuries Scheme)
One-Parent Family Payment
Partial Capacity Benefit
Rural Social Scheme
State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory)
Supplementary Welfare Allowance for 12 months (312 days or more)
Tús
Widow, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
Work Placement Experience Programme

In 2023, the Christmas Bonus is 100% of your normal weekly payment (including the Living Alone Increase, the Island Allowance and the Over-80 Increase).

If an Increase for a Qualified Adult is paid directly to your dependent spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, the Christmas Bonus will also be paid directly to them.

An important thing to note is that if you are getting two eligible social welfare payments (for example, a One-Parent Family Payment and the Domiciliary Care Allowance or a half-rate Carer’s Allowance as well as your primary payment) you will get the Christmas Bonus for both payments.

For Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA), which is paid monthly, the bonus is 100% of the weekly DCA rate. The DCA portion of the bonus is calculated independently of other payments.

For more information, click here.