Christmas Bonus
A once-off double week payment made in early December to people on a long-term social welfare payment. You do not apply — it is paid automatically if you qualify.
- Type
- Not means-tested
- Paid
- No fixed amount or schedule
- Taxable
- No
- Administered by
- Department of Social Protection
How much is Christmas Bonus?
100% of your weekly payment, minimum €20
In 2025 the Christmas Bonus was 100% of your normal weekly payment, with a minimum of €20. The Bonus is announced in each Budget and is not guaranteed from year to year — the 2026 Bonus has not been confirmed at the time of writing. If an Increase for a Qualified Adult is paid directly to your partner, they get their own Bonus. If you hold two eligible payments, you get a Bonus on both.
Who can get Christmas Bonus
- You must be getting a qualifying long-term social welfare payment.
- Short-term payments such as Illness Benefit do not usually qualify.
- You do not need to apply — it is paid automatically with your usual payment.
- It is normally paid in the first week of December.
Is Christmas Bonus means tested?
The Christmas Bonus is not separately means-tested. It follows whatever qualifying payment you already get.
Things people get caught by
- If you get two eligible payments — for example One-Parent Family Payment plus half-rate Carer's Allowance — you get a Bonus on both.
- The Bonus depends on a Budget decision each year. It has been paid at 100% in recent years but that is a political choice, not an entitlement.
What else you might get
Payments interact. These are the ones that commonly go with Christmas Bonus.
- Fuel Allowance
Runs over the same winter period.