Minister Regina Doherty announces payment of Social Welfare Christmas Bonus
- Published on: 27 November 2017
- Last updated on: 21 October 2019
The Christmas Bonus will be paid to over 1.2 million social welfare recipients this week (commencing Monday 27th November), with payments totalling €219 million being made to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents, long-term unemployed people and many other recipients.
The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection welcomed the payment of the Bonus – paid at the rate of 85% of a person’s normal weekly payment – to over 630,000 pensioners and 580,000 other social welfare recipients.
The majority of customers will receive the Bonus this week.
“I am very pleased that the Christmas Bonus is being paid again this year,” Minister Doherty said. “Not only is it a welcome additional support for social welfare customers in the run-up to Christmas – in many cases, the money is spent locally and provides a real boost for local economies.”
Note for Editors
See Appendix 1 (attached) for a list of schemes for which the Christmas bonus will be paid and number of recipients
See Appendix 2 (attached) for examples of Christmas Bonus payments
APPENDIX 1
Recipient Numbers by Scheme
| Scheme | 2017 Numbers |
| State Pension Non-Contributory | 94,760 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance* | 132,040 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 39,100 |
| Widow(er)s' Pension (non-con) | 1,450 |
| Deserted Wife's Allowance | 130 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance* | 3,157 |
| Direct Provision Allowance | 2,900 |
| Farm Assist | 7,300 |
| re-Retirement Allowance | 140 |
| Community Employment | 21,740 |
| Rural Social Scheme | 2,890 |
| Tús | 6,630 |
| Job Initiative | 790 |
| Back to Work Enterprise Allowance | 10,470 |
| Back to Education Allowance* | 10,750 |
| Gateway | 75 |
| Back to Work Family Dividend | 8,075 |
| Disability Allowance | 134,030 |
| Blind Pension | 1,220 |
| Carer's Allowance | 75,640 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 34,530 |
| Guardian's Payment (non-con) | 500 |
| Magdalen Commission Scheme | 310 |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 413,580 |
| Widow(er)s' Surviving Civil Partners Pension (Con) | 123,780 |
| Occupational Injuries Death Benefit | 700 |
| Deserted Wife's Benefit | 6,340 |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 2,250 |
| Invalidity Pension | 58,550 |
| Disablement Benefit | 14,225 |
| Carer's Benefit | 2,850 |
| Guardian's Payment (Contributory) | 1,050 |
| Total | 1,212,550 |
APPENDIX 2
Payment by Family Type
| Payment & Family Type | Rate of Payment | Christmas Bonus 85% | |
| Pensioners | |||
| State Pension Contributory (SPC) Personal Rate - Single | €238.30 | €202.60 | |
| SPC Couple - Personal Rate with a Qualified Adult aged 66 or over | €451.80 | €384.10 | |
| SPC Couple - Personal Rate with a Qualified Adult aged under 66 | €397.10 | €337.60 | |
| State Pension Non-Contributory (SPNC) Personal Rate - Single | €227.00 | €193.00 | |
| SPNC Personal Rate - Couple (Both entitled in their own right to the SPNC) | €454.00 | €385.90 | |
| SPNC Couple - Personal Rate with a Qualified Adult aged under 66 | €377.00 | €320.50 | |
| Pensioner Couple - One in receipt of SPC and the other in receipt of SPNC | €465.30 | €395.60 | |
| Widow/er’s and Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension (WSCPCP) Personal Rate - aged under 66 | €198.50 | €168.80 | |
| WSCPCP Personal Rate (under 66) with 1 child | €228.30 | €194.10 | |
| WSCPCP Personal Rate (under 66) with 2 children | €258.10 | €219.40 | |
| WSCPCP Personal Rate (under 66) with 4 children | €317.70 | €270.10 | |
| Jobseekers | |||
| Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) Personal Rate - Single | €193.00 | €164.10 | |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and Qualified Adult (QA) Rate | €321.10 | €273.00 | |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and QA Rate with 1 child | €350.90 | €298.30 | |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and QA Rate with 2 children | €380.70 | €323.60 | |
| JA Couple - Personal Rate and QA Rate with 4 children | €440.30 | €374.30 | |
| One Parent Family Payment | |||
| One Parent Family Payment Personal Rate with 1 child | €222.80 | €189.40 | |
| One Parent Family Payment Personal Rate with 2 children | €252.60 | €214.80 | |
| One Parent Family Payment Personal Rate with 4 children | €312.20 | €265.40 | |
| Carers | |||
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 | €209.00 | €177.70 | |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 with 1 child | €238.80 | €203.00 | |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 with 2 children | €268.60 | €228.40 | |
| Carer's Allowance Personal Rate - Aged Under 66 with 4 children | €328.20 | €279.00 |