Thousands of social welfare recipients will begin receiving their Christmas Bonus payments in 11 days' time.
The annual cash benefit is given to people claiming a long-term social welfare payment.
The bonus is 100% of the normal weekly long-term social welfare payment which claimants receive, with the minimum amount being €20.
Some 23 payments are eligible for the bonus, meaning the majority of social welfare recipients will get the extra cash soon.
Claimants eligible for the payment will receive the bonus between December 6 and December 10, meaning it is less than two weeks until the additional funds are distributed.
While the extra cash is a valued additional benefit for many facing higher costs over the holiday period, there are two key rules that could see some claimants precluded from getting the Christmas Bonus.
These rules centre on normal and casual jobseekers claims.
According to the Department of Social Protection, if you are getting a jobseeker's payment, you will only be entitled to the Christmas Bonus if your claim has been in payment for 104 days or more or you have been in receipt of a combination of qualifying payments for 104 days.
And for casual job seekers, the total payment days must exceed 103 to qualify for the bonus.
For example – someone working three days and claiming jobseekers for two days a week would need 104 days of previous payments (about 52 weeks) to get the bonus.
If you get a bonus, it should be paid a week after everyone else.
The categories of social welfare claims eligible for the Christmas Bonus are:
- Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
- Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP)
- Blind Pension
- Carer's Allowance and Benefit (including half-rate Carer's Allowance)
- Community Employment
- Deserted Wife's Allowance and Benefit
- Daily Expenses Allowance, formerly called Direct Provision Allowance (long-term only - 15 months/over 455 days)
- Disability Allowance
- Disablement Pension and Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Farm Assist
- Guardian's Payment (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
- Invalidity Pension
- Job Initiative
- Jobseeker's Allowance (for at least 104 days)
- Jobseeker's Transitional payment
- Magdalene Laundry Payment
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Partial Capacity Benefit
- Rural Social Scheme
- State Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
- Tús
- Widow, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
The Christmas Bonus does not include Fuel Allowance.
