After a year of development, the Down to Earth team are pleased to launch a digital eligibility checker for the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment.
The checker is the first of its kind and guides people through the complex criteria for the benefit, which is available to some bereaved people from the Department for Work and Pensions (England and Wales) and Department for Communities (Northern Ireland).
Our front-line experience has taught us that the criteria for the Funeral Expenses Payment are complicated, and often exclusionary. For many, the resulting uncertainty means that calculating a budget for funeral arrangements is difficult. For the most vulnerable, this can mean a financial crisis.
We hope that the tool will help potentially vulnerable, recently bereaved people to avoid funeral related debt and give them space to grieve. You can use the tool by clicking on the button bellow.
Funeral expenses payment eligibility checker