Bereavement Benefits
All benefits stop when a person passes away and it is the living relatives or friends that can make the claim.
Funeral Payments
If you're on a low income and need help to pay for a funeral you're arranging, you may be able to get a Funeral Payment from the Social Fund. You might have to repay some or all of it from the estate of the person who died.
Who is eligible?
You may be able to get a Funeral Payment but it depends on the benefits you're getting, your relationship with the person who died and any other money, other than your personal savings, that may be available to help with the cost of the funeral.
Benefits and tax credits
You may be eligible for a Funeral Payment from the Social Fund if you or your partner are getting any of the following benefits or tax credits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Working Tax Credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
- Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element
The term 'partner' is used here to mean:
- a person you are married to, or person you live with as if you are married to them
- a civil partner, or person you live with as if you are civil partners
Bereavement Allowance
After you're widowed you may be able to claim Bereavement Allowance, a taxable weekly benefit. It is paid to you for up to 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner.
Who can claim?
You may be able to claim Bereavement Allowance if all of the following apply:
- you're a widow, widower or surviving civil partner aged 45 or over when your husband, wife or civil partner died
- you're not bringing up children
- you're under State Pension age
- your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions (NICs), or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease
Bereavement Payment
If your husband, wife or civil partner has died you may be able to get Bereavement Payment, a one-off, lump-sum payment of £2,000 that's tax-free.
Who can claim?
You may be able to claim Bereavement Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner had paid their National Insurance contributions (NICs) or their death was caused by their job and either:
- you were under State Pension age when they died
- your husband, wife or civil partner was not entitled to Category A state Retirement Benefit when they die
