Social welfare payments to double next week as thousands receive Christmas bonus

The Christmas Bonus was announced as a cost-of-living measure in Budget 2025 and will be paid out from Monday, December 2 to those who receive long-term social welfare payments.

There’s no need to apply for the bonus as those who qualify will automatically receive it.

This year’s Christmas Bonus is 100pc of social welfare recipients’ weekly payment with the minimum bonus amount set at €20.

For those whose Increase for a Qualified Adult payment gets paid directly to their dependent spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant, the Christmas Bonus will also be paid directly to them.

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

Welfare recipients who are eligible for two payments, such as a One-Parent Family Payment plus the Domiciliary Care Allowance, will get the Christmas Bonus for both payments.

Those who have been receiving VTOS or Youthreach training allowance for at least 12 months will also receive a Christmas bonus. If you were getting a qualifying payment (see list below) immediately before your training allowance, this time can be combined to reach 12 months.

However, Fuel Allowance is not a qualifying payment for the Christmas Bonus.

Full list of eligible social welfare payments:

• Back to Education Allowance or Back to Work Enterprise Allowance – people coming from jobseeker’s payments must be in receipt of the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days) but may be able to use their time on the jobseeker’s payment to help 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 for 12 months or more
• 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 (364 days or more)
• Tús
• Widow, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
• Work Placement Experience Programme (if your primary payment is a qualifying social welfare payment)