The Christmas Bonus paid to some on benefits isn’t rising from £10 to £200

We’ve spotted several videos circulating online claiming that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is increasing the Christmas Bonus, paid to people on certain benefits, from £10 to £200 this year.

The videos claim the increase is a “sincere thank you” for people’s “hard work and contribution”.

But there is no increase this year. The Christmas Bonus for 2025 remains £10, although the DWP is offering larger amounts of money as part of other schemes to some people who get certain benefits.

What is the Christmas Bonus?

The £10 Christmas bonus was introduced in 1972 to provide some extra money to pensioners and some benefit claimants.

It was not paid for two years in 1975 and 1976, but was re-introduced in 1977. It has remained at £10 ever since, with a temporary one-off additional £60 paid in early 2009 after the financial crash as part of an economic support package.

The Christmas Bonus is tax-free and paid to people who get certain benefits such as the state pension or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in the qualifying week. This is normally the first full week of December. However, those claiming universal credit only are not eligible.

Despite calls to increase the bonus, it remains £10 for 2025.

Those who are eligible for the bonus should receive it automatically.

If two people are part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or living together as if they are and both get one of the qualifying benefits, they will each get the Christmas Bonus.

Fake audio

Some videos claiming the Christmas Bonus will go up to £200 this year use a voice that sounds like the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer’s, and show a clip of him between two flags, where his mouth does not align with the ‘announcement’. That clip actually comes from a statement he made on Gaza in July, where there was no mention of the Christmas Bonus.

Others ape the voice of a news presenter. In both examples, the unnatural intonation and even cadence mean we strongly suspect the audio has been generated using AI. However, given the challenges of spotting AI audio, as our guide details, we cannot rule out the possibility of it being created by an impersonator.

Some examples we've seen include the disclaimer: “This content is generated by AI and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The audio or text provided does not represent real events unless explicitly stated and should not be considered official or factual reporting. Always verify information from credible sources for accuracy.”

However, this disclaimer is not immediately visible in the caption without clicking a button to ‘see more’ and does not make it explicit that the content within the attached video is not true. Several commenters appear to think the claims are true, with one remarking, “which benefits do you have to be on to qualify?” and another asking, “is this for real?”

Other DWP payments this winter

There are some other ways someone on benefits could receive a £200 payment this winter from the government. For example, this year’s Winter Fuel Payment is between £100 and £300 for those born before 22 September 1959 and who live in England or Wales.

Those living in Northern Ireland may be eligible for a similar Winter Fuel Payment from the Northern Ireland Executive under the same criteria. People living in Scotland who were born on, or before, 21 September 1959 may instead be eligible for the Pension Age Winter Heating payment, which is worth between £101.70 and £305.10.

Most people are paid the Winter Fuel Payment automatically, like the Christmas Bonus, but in November or December if they’re eligible. HMRC will take the Winter Fuel Payment back if their income is over £35,000.

The DWP also provides a £150 Warm Home Discount for those in England, Wales and Scotland. For those who are eligible, such as people who get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or are on a low income, their electricity supplier will apply the discount to their bill—the money is not paid directly to them. Those eligible in Scotland because they’re on a low income will need to apply.

People living in Northern Ireland may be eligible for the Affordable Warmth Scheme instead, which provides grant aid to improve energy efficiency measures for people in low income households (among some other criteria).

People in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can also receive Cold Weather Payments if they’re getting certain benefits and the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days.

They will receive £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026.

Those living in Scotland and on qualifying benefits such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit may be eligible for an annual Winter Heating Payment of £59.75 instead, regardless of the weather conditions.

We’ve fact checked a number of similar videos recently, announcing a wide range of nonexistent policies, including £100 NHS ‘Access Cards’ to access healthcare, mandatory livestock reductions, and £1,000 grants to new parents. We wrote about this phenomenon in more detail in September.

Before sharing videos like this on social media, first consider whether they come from a trustworthy and verifiable source. Our Full Fact toolkit can help you do this.