25% Christmas Welfare Bonus:
It was announced in Budget 2015 that a “Christmas Bonus” of 25% of the rate of the weekly payment will be paid to all long-term welfare recipients in the first week of December 2014. (Dec 1st to 5th)
See Here For details of Christmas 2015 Bonus
For example the basic weekly state pension is €188 . Someome getting this amount will get a Christmas bonus payment of €47
This will cost a total of around €63 million.
The Christmas Welfare Bonus was abolished by the previous Government in 2009.
About 1.3 million people will benefit from this new bonus (almost 892,000 recipients and an estimated 400,000 dependents)
More here about other Christmas Arrangements for Welfare Payments
The Weekly social welfare payments that will be eligible for the Christmas bonus are :
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 Allowance
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (long-term only – over 391 days or 15 months)
Blind Pension
Carer’s Allowance and Benefit
Community Employment
Deserted Wife’s Allowance and Benefit
Disability Allowance
Disablement Pension and Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
Domiciliary Care Allowance
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)
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)
Tús
Widow, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
More here about other Christmas Arrangements for Welfare Payments
Hi!
Is there Gateway job activation scheme eligible to Christmas bonus payment?
Thanks!
I haven’t seen anything to note of people on illness benefit receiving the christmas bonus? Nor do they receive the winter fuel allowance scheme? The forgotten ones who have problems too
Illness benefit doesn’t get any Christmas bonus even though I’m on it over two years and am facing a lifetime of disability… Scrooge would be proud!!