Christmas Bonus 2017 – Welfare and Pensions

This page was written about Christmas 2017.  You can find details of the Christmas Bonus in 2018 here.


As announced in Budget 2018 – A 2017 Christmas Bonus will be paid out again this year to eligible welfare and state pension recipients . The 2017 bonus of 85% will be paid to the majority of people along with their normal weekly payments  during the week beginning November 27th 2017.

Those people doing part time work and getting Jobseekers Allowance will usually get any Christmas Bonus in the following week (commencing 4th Dec.)

Anyone getting monthly payments will get any Christmas bonus due in their normal December payment.
If you are getting 2 eligible social welfare payments  you will get the Christmas Bonus in respect of both payments.

(Note: There will also be the usual “double week” of welfare and pension payments  just before Christmas .
More details about the double payment week here


About 1.3 million people  will benefit from the Christmas Bonus  (almost 900,000 recipients and an estimated 400,000 dependents) . Around €219 million Euro  will be paid out .

See the list at the end of the article for all the state pensions/benefits that are eligible for the Christmas Bonus 2017


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Some Sample Figures for the Christmas Bonus 2017

Single Pensioner (Contributory)  – Weekly Pension =  €238.30  . Christmas Bonus of €202.60
Pensioner Couple – Weekly payment = €451.80. Bonus will be  €384.10
Jobseekers  Single Person – Weekly payment = €193.  Bonus will be €164.10
Jobseekers – Couple + 2 children. Weekly payment =  €380.70. Bonus will be €323.60

You will get 85% of your normal weekly payment.
If you are not on the full weekly rate for any reason –  you will only get 85% of the actual rate you are paid.
(Christmas Bonus is paid on the  the Living Alone Increase, the Island Allowance and the Over-80 Increase).
The Christmas Bonus is not paid on the Fuel Allowance or Rent Allowance.

The minimum Christmas Bonus payment is €20 .


The following payment types are eligible for the Christmas Bonus in Ireland…

Back to Education Allowance (people coming from Jobseeker’s payments must have been on their payment and/or BTEA for 15 months)
Back to Work Family Dividend
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
Blind Pension
Carer’s Allowance and Benefit
Community Employment
Deserted Wife’s Allowance and Benefit
Disability Allowance
Disablement Pension
Domiciliary Care Allowance (85% of the weekly amount )
Farm Assist
Gateway
Guardian’s Payment (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
Invalidity Pension
Job Initiative
JobBridge (people coming from jobseeker’s payments must have been on their payment and/or JobBridge for 15 months)
Jobseeker’s Allowance (long-term only – over 390 days or 15 months unemployed on JB/JA)
Jobseeker’s Allowance (Transition)
Magdalen Laundry Payments
One-Parent Family Payment
Partial Capacity Benefit
Pre-Retirement Allowance
Rural Social Scheme
State Pension (Contributory), (Non-Contributory) and (Transition)
Supplementary Welfare Allowance (only – over 391 days or 15 months)
Widow, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
VTOS (people coming from jobseeker’s payments must have been on their payment and/or VTOS for 15 months)


People getting Blind Welfare Allowance, Mobility Allowance, and rehabilitative training allowances from the HSE  will also get the bonus.
Survivors of Thalidomide who get payments from the Department of Health will also get the Christmas Bonus in 2017.

The Christmas Bonus is also being paid to certain participants of Community Employment, Back to Education, Rural Social Scheme, Gateway, Tus and the Back to Work Family Dividend

It is also paid to most participants on Further Education and Training courses funded by SOLAS.  (you must have been getting your jobseeker’s payment and/or your training allowance for 15 months)

If you are not getting one of the payments listed – then you won’t get the Christmas bonus.
FIS is not eligible, nor is Illness Benefit or Maternity Benefit .  Please do not ask us why – we don’t set the rules.