Ahead of the winter holidays, many pensioners in Spain traditionally look forward to an extra payment timed to Christmas. However, not all pension recipients will be eligible for this bonus in 2025. The reasons lie in the specific rules for calculating certain types of pensions and in the policies of banks responsible for transferring these funds.
Among those who won’t see a Christmas bonus in their accounts are recipients of disability pensions, as well as survivors or dependents receiving pensions due to occupational illness or workplace accidents. For this category of pensioners, the bonus is already included in their monthly payments and distributed evenly over the year. Therefore, there is no separate December payout for them.
In addition, those whose pensions were granted after November 30, as well as individuals whose payments were suspended during the period covered by the bonus, will not receive this extra amount. For other pensioners whose payments are not linked to occupational risks, there are fourteen payments per year, including two extra ones—in summer and winter.
When to expect the payment
The timing of the Christmas bonus payment depends on the bank where the pensioner’s account is held. In 2025, most banks will start transferring funds from November 21. For example, clients of Unicaja, Bankinter, and Caja de Ingenieros will be able to receive money on this day. CaixaBank and Santander plan to transfer payments on November 24, while BBVA, Ibercaja, Banco Sabadell, Kutxabank, Abanca, and Cajamar will do so on November 25. In some cases, funds may arrive as late as the 26th, depending on the bank’s internal procedures.
It is important to remember that pensioners receiving payments due to disability, loss of a breadwinner, or orphanhood—if the reason is not an occupational disease or work accident—will receive all fourteen payments throughout the year, including the Christmas bonus. Those entitled to a gender gap supplement will also receive it; this is paid together with the basic pension and depends on the number of children.
What to do if you haven’t received your payment
If the expected amount does not appear in your account on the specified dates, it is advisable to check the status of your pension and payment terms with your bank. Sometimes delays are due to technical reasons or individual payment procedures. In most cases, pensioners will be able to access the additional funds by the end of November to prepare for the holidays.
