Money Advice Hub - Bereavement Support Payment

Bereavement Support Payment

Overview

If your spouse or civil partner has died you may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment to help ease some of the financial worries you may be facing. These benefits are not means-tested, this means they are available to anyone regardless of their income level and can be paid whether or not you are working.

Eligibility

You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017.

You could be eligible if your partner either:

paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks
died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work

When they died you must have been:

under State Pension age
living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits

You cannot claim Bereavement Support Payment if you are in prison.

What will you get?

You will get a first payment and then up to 18 monthly payments.

There are 2 rates:

Higher rate:

First payment £3,500.00

Monthly £350.00

£350

Lower rate:

First payment £2,500

Monthly £100

If you get Child Benefit (or if you do not get it but are entitled to it), you will get the higher rate.

If you do not get Child Benefit, you will get the lower rate unless you were pregnant when your husband, wife or civil partner died.

You must claim within 3 months of your husband, wife or civil partner’s death to get the full amount. You can claim up to 21 months after but your payments will be less.

How is is paid?

Your payments will be paid into your bank or building society account.

If you get benefits

Bereavement Support Payment will not affect your benefits for a year after your first payment. After a year, any payment you have left over could affect the amount of benefit you’re eligible for.

You must tell your benefits office (for example, your local Jobcentre Plus) when you start getting Bereavement Support Payment.