Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about the Bereavement Support Payment.
Am I entitled to a Bereavement Support Payment?
You may be able to get a Bereavement Support Payment if you are under state pension age when your partner dies, if they have paid at least 25 weeks of National Insurance contributions in any one tax year since 6 April 1975, or if they have died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work. In Northern Ireland, the rule about National Insurance contributions is relaxed if the person who has died was unable to work throughout their working life due to disability.
If you don't have dependent children, you would need to have been married to, or in a civil partnership with, the person who has died.
If you were getting Child Benefit or were entitled to it for a child/children, or were pregnant, you can also get a payment if you were living together as if you were married.
You usually need to make a claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the full amount of payments.
How much will I get from the Bereavement Support Payment?
If you were getting Child Benefit, were entitled to it for a child/children, or were pregnant when your spouse or cohabiting partner died you will receive a one-off payment of £3,500 followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £350.
If you were not getting Child Benefit, and were not eligible to claim it, and were not pregnant when your spouse died you will receive a one-off payment of £2,500 followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £100.
You must claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the full payments. If you claim more than 3 months after your partner’s death you will receive less. If it has been more than 21 months since your partner’s death, you usually cannot get any payments.
If you reach State Pension age within 18 months of your partner’s death, you may get fewer monthly payments.
How do I claim Bereavement Support Payment?
You can phone the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 151 2012. You can also apply online or fill in a paper form and post it. For textphone, or video relay service for users of British Sign Language, visit the DWP’s website.
For answers to common questions about other ways to raise money towards funeral costs, and other topics, you can return to the main FAQ menu.
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