Discover the 2025 Social Welfare Christmas Bonus Date and Eligibility Criteria
The Christmas Bonus is set to return for long-term social welfare recipients in 2025. This announcement was made during the recent Budget 2026 reveal. Approximately 1.5 million individuals will benefit from this double payment.
Christmas Bonus Details for 2025
The Christmas Bonus will be issued at the familiar rate of 100% of the regular weekly payment, amounting to a total allocation of €370 million. Although the Department of Social Protection has not yet confirmed the specific date, past trends suggest that payments typically occur during the first week of December. Eligible recipients can anticipate receiving their bonuses starting the week of December 1.
Eligibility Criteria for the Christmas Bonus
The following social welfare payments qualify recipients for the Christmas Bonus:
- Back to Education Allowance (12 months or more from jobseeker’s payments)
- Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (12 months or more from jobseeker’s payments)
- 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 Benefit
- Daily Expenses Allowance (12 months or more)
- Disability Allowance
- Disablement Benefit
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Farm Assist
- Guardian’s Payments (Contributory and Non-Contributory)
- Illness Benefit (12 months or more)
- Invalidity Pension
- Job Initiative Scheme
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (12 months 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 Non-Contributory)
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance (12 months or more)
- Tús
- Bereaved Partner’s Pension (Contributory and Non-Contributory)
- Work Placement Experience Programme (with a qualifying primary payment)
It is important to note that some payments, such as Child Benefit and the Fuel Allowance, do not qualify for the Christmas Bonus. Alongside the Christmas Bonus announcement, the Budget also introduced additional benefits, including a €10 weekly increase for various social welfare payments and expanded eligibility for the Fuel Allowance and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
For more updates on social welfare benefits and related topics, stay tuned to Emegypt.
