The Christmas Bonus is paid to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments. The payment was made during the first week of December, at an estimated cost of €201 million and some 1.3 million persons comprising 940,000 recipients and 400,000 dependents benefited from the payment.
The focus of the bonus has always been on persons who rely on the social welfare system for financial support over the long term. Schemes which are essentially short-term in nature are not included. These are illness, maternity, health and safety, adoptive, and jobseeker's benefits, jobseeker's allowance (in respect of a continuous period of unemployment of less than 15 months), supplementary welfare allowance and family income supplement.
The bonus is payable to recipients of State pension (transition), State pension (contributory and non-contributory), pre-retirement allowance, widow's, widower's and invalidity pensions, blind pension, guardian's payment (contributory and non-contributory), one-parent family payment, carer's benefit, carer's allowance, disability allowance, long-term jobseeker's allowance, farm assist and to people in receipt of employment support payments.
The bonus is also payable to participants in the rural social scheme, which was introduced in 2004, and operates under the aegis of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.