Over 4,500 individuals have signed an internet petition calling for the DWP Bonus to be elevated to round £171 according to inflation
The annual £10 for individuals on the State Pension or advantages launched over 50 years in the past in 1972 and has solely risen as soon as. (Picture: Getty photographs)
1000’s of individuals have backed an internet petition calling on the UK Authorities to lift the annual £10 Christmas Bonus fee in accordance with inflation.
The tax-free £10 sum has been distributed to hundreds of thousands receiving the State Pension or qualifying advantages since Ted Heath’s Conservative administration launched it in 1972.
The Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) points the fee to these claiming State Pension or advantages corresponding to Private Independence Fee (PIP) Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance – offered they fulfill the eligibility necessities throughout December’s qualifying window.
Petition founder David Angus Kirkwood contends that it has remained unchanged since its launch greater than 5 many years in the past, and adjusted for immediately’s values, it might quantity to roughly £171 – primarily based on calculations utilizing the composite value index from the UK Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS).
The ‘Modify the £10 DWP Christmas Bonus launched in 1972 to replicate inflation’ petition seems on the Petitions Parliament web site. Upon reaching 10,000 signatures, it might warrant a written response from the UK Authorities , stories the Each day Report.
The petition calls for the annual one-off fee ought to solely go to “British residents, who’ve been claiming advantages for no less than six months”. It provides: “Within the early Nineteen Seventies, £10 was a beneficial uplift for these with out revenue, to assist with the elevated prices related to Christmas time. It might have helped in the direction of paying for heating and electrical energy, meals and drinks or Christmas presents for youths.”
“It might have been the equal of roughly £180 immediately adjusted for inflation. £10 immediately will not even purchase a spherical of drinks, would not pay for a high quality Christmas pudding or purchase a field of respectable Christmas crackers. £10 fairly frankly is insulting.”
It is essential to notice that just about 24 million individuals throughout Nice Britain obtain not less than one profit – the State Pension is classed as a contributory profit – and of these round 15m are paid the £10 sum. This represents a UK Authorities expenditure of £150 million on the DWP Christmas Bonus.
DWP £10 Christmas Bonus
Some 24 advantages have been eligible for the 2025/26 £10 fee, nonetheless, 8.3m individuals claiming Common Credit score don’t qualify.
The DWP issued the fee in December.
To qualify for the Christmas Bonus you should be current or ‘ordinarily resident’ within the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, Gibraltar, through the qualifying week – usually the primary week in December.
Qualifying advantages
You should additionally get not less than one of many following advantages within the qualifying week:
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- Armed Forces Independence Fee
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Fixed Attendance Allowance (paid underneath Industrial Accidents or Battle Pensions schemes)
- Contribution-based Employment and Assist Allowance (as soon as the principle part of the profit is entered after the primary 13 weeks of declare)
- Incapacity Residing Allowance
- Incapacity Profit on the long-term fee
- Industrial Dying Profit (for widows or widowers)
- Mobility Complement
- Pension Credit score – the assure aspect
- Private Independence Fee (PIP)
- Scottish Grownup Incapacity Residing Allowance (SADLA)
- State Pension (together with Graduated Retirement Profit)
- Extreme Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
- Unemployability Complement or Allowance (paid underneath Industrial Accidents or Battle Pensions schemes)
- Battle Disablement Pension at State Pension age
- Battle Widow’s Pension
- Widowed Mom’s Allowance
- Widowed Mum or dad’s Allowance
- Widow’s Pension
Not everybody over State Pension age will get the fee, DWP steerage on GOV.UK explains: “If in case you have not claimed your State Pension and usually are not entitled to one of many different qualifying advantages you’ll not get a Christmas Bonus.”
Discover out extra concerning the Christmas Bonus on GOV.UK right here.
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