How you could still get DWP’s Christmas bonus WITHOUT claiming benefits

THE Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hands retired a tax-free bonus to hard-pressed households up of Christmas.

If you conscionable the criteria, the money is usually paid into your slope relationship automatically, meaning you bash not person to apply.

If you are not definite if you person received the outgo before, cheque connected your slope statements for a codification which says "DWP XB".

To get the wealth you usually request to beryllium claiming benefits earlier the qualifying week, which is usually the archetypal week of December.

The afloat database of benefits which marque you eligible for the bonus include:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid nether Industrial Injuries oregon War Pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main signifier of the payment is entered aft the archetypal 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefits astatine the semipermanent rate
• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows oregon widowers)
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit - the warrant element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployability Supplement oregon Allowance (paid nether Industrial Injuries oregon War Pensions schemes)
• War Disablement Pension astatine State Pension Age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

If you conscionable the criteria, you volition get £10 from the DWP to assistance towards costs implicit Christmas.

It is not precisely wide erstwhile the wealth volition appear, but the DWP does accidental that if you deliberation you should get it and the wealth hasn’t travel done by January 1, you indispensable interaction your section Jobcentre Plus office.

It's besides worthy bearing successful caput that successful immoderate cases you could beryllium entitled to assertion adjacent if you are not claiming benefits.

This usually lone applies if you are successful a partnership, for illustration a marriage oregon civilian partnership, and are claiming the State Pension.

State Pension loophole

For example, your spouse whitethorn inactive get the £10 bonus if you are some implicit the State Pension property by the extremity of the qualifying week.

This usually starts connected the archetypal Monday of December, truthful this twelvemonth it volition statesman connected the 2nd of the month.

In this instance, 1 of you volition request to beryllium claiming a qualifying benefit, specified arsenic Pension Credit.

Both of you volition besides request to beryllium aged either 66 oregon supra by the commencement of December.

So, for example, a retired hubby whitethorn beryllium claiming Pension Credit and his woman is not, but his assertion makes them some eligible for the bonus.

However, you volition not get the wealth paid retired separately - alternatively a full of £20 volition beryllium paid successful 1 account.

And carnivore successful caput that your spouse who is claiming indispensable besides beryllium entitled to an summation successful their qualifying benefit.

So, for example, you tin beryllium entitled to an summation successful Pension Credit if you commencement surviving with your partner.

The payment tops up your play income to £213 if you’re azygous oregon your associated play income to £332.95 if you person a partner.

If an summation successful payment is paid for an big spouse that should beryllium shown connected the payment grant letters sent retired annually, oregon erstwhile the payment was archetypal claimed.

It volition usually accidental thing similar "extra magnitude paid for your partner" and springiness a figure.

If the payment is pension recognition the grant missive volition accidental thing similar "amount for you and your partner".

Other factors

To get the cash, you besides indispensable beryllium contiguous oregon a nonmigratory successful the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar oregon Switzerland during the qualifying week.

If you are acrophobic astir your spouse missing out, interaction with the DWP for help.

Samuel Thomas, elder argumentation advisor astatine anti-poverty charity Z2K, told The Sun: “Many radical are entitled to much fiscal enactment from the social security strategy than they realise.

"If you’re struggling financially, you should cheque whether you tin assertion immoderate further benefits oregon question autarkic advice.”

If you are disquieted astir costs this winter, marque definite you're alert of antithetic enactment disposable to you.

For example, councils are giving retired up to £500 successful currency and nutrient grants via the Household Support Fund.

How to cheque your eligibility?

For those who are unsure if they tin get entree to the bonus and different help, you tin usage an online benefits calculator.

These are free-to-use online tools which tin beryllium accessed astatine a fig of websites.

For example, the charity Turn2Us' has a benefits calculator that works retired what you could get.

Entitledto besides has a escaped calculator that determines whether you suffice for assorted benefits, including tax credits and Universal Credit.

You tin besides use Policy successful Practice's calculator to find which benefits you could person and however overmuch currency you'll person near implicit each period aft paying for lodging costs.

Your nonstop entitlement volition lone beryllium wide erstwhile you marque a claim, but calculators tin bespeak what you mightiness beryllium eligible for.

If you bash not privation to usage an online calculator determination are different options available.

For example, you tin besides cheque with a local benefits adviser to find retired what you could beryllium entitled to.

The website advicelocal.uk lets you participate your postcode and informs you of your nearest advisor and however you tin interaction them.

For example, if you participate connected the website that you unrecorded successful Wandsworth, London it volition springiness you the details of the nearest enactment successful the area.

In this instance, it was the borough's section Age UK and Citizens Advice.

You should beryllium alert that galore organisations bash not connection an open-door service.

If you are readying to interaction an organisation for assistance oregon proposal you mightiness privation to cheque their website for much accusation earlier doing so.