Bereavement

If you are recently bereaved, there may be benefits, grants or other financial support available to you. To find out more about the benefits available for people who are recently bereaved, select from the list below:

Bereavement Support Payment

Bereavement Support Payment is a benefit paid to widows, widowers, or surviving civil partners who are bereaved on or after 6 April 2017. You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months. To be able to claim the full amount available you need to claim within 3 months of your partner’s death. You can claim up to 21 months after their death but you’ll get fewer monthly payments.

You could be eligible if your partner either:

• paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year since 6 April 1975.
• died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work.
• When they died you must have been under State Pension age.

Find out more about Bereavement Payments, eligibility and how to claim.

Widowed Parent’s Allowance

Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) is being replaced by Bereavement Support Payment. You can only make a new claim for WPA if your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017 and the cause of death has just been confirmed.

Funeral Expenses Payment

If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you could get a Funeral Expenses Payment (also called a Funeral Payment) if you get certain benefits and need help to pay for a funeral you’re arranging. Funeral Expenses Payment can help pay for some of the costs it will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral. How much you get depends on your circumstances. This includes any other money that’s available to cover the costs, for example from an insurance policy or the deceased person’s estate. You do not have to repay a funeral payment, but if the person who has died left money or property the Funeral Payment might have to be paid back out of that.

If you live in Scotland, you can apply for a Funeral Support Payment. It has replaced Funeral Expenses Payment in Scotland. You can use the payment towards funeral costs for a baby, child or adult. This includes babies who were stillborn. It usually will not cover the full cost of the funeral, but it should help pay for some costs. It can be paid either to you or the funeral director who’s helping you plan the funeral.

Children’s Funeral Fund – England only

If you are paying for the funeral of a child under 18 or a stillborn child and the funeral took place in England, you may be able to get help from the Children’s Funeral Fund. You can still apply for a Funeral Payment for any additional costs that weren’t covered by the Children’s Funeral Fund. The Children’s Funeral Fund is not means-tested.

Dealing with bereavement is a difficult time, our team is here to offer you support and advice to help. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 0093 8543 or simply fill in the Services Contact Form and one of the team will be in touch.  

All advice is free and fully confidential.

The helpline is open 9am – 4.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Open 10am – 4.30pm on Wednesday. Excludes bank holidays.