Is it common to use the transitive of the verb "benefit"?
Someone wrote this sentence, "Keep working and benefiting others." It didn't feel right. So I looked it up and found that the verb can be used that way. I always used "benefit" to talk about receiving or gaining something. It never felt right to used the other way.

Question

Answer

Benefit can be used as a noun, a transivite verb, or an intransitive verb.

It is not often used as a verb in everyday conversations, but depending on the context, it might be.

As a noun: 
They offered him a free health insurance and other benefits.

As a transitive verb:
A health program can benefit everyone.

An an intransitive verb: 
I benefit from every mistake.

Hope that helps.

Answer

Yes, it is quite usual to use the verb with an object. But you can also use it intransitively, or, of course, as a noun.