Bereavement Support Payment
If your husband, wife 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.
What is Bereavement Support Payment?
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a benefit you may be able to claim if your husband, wife or civil partner has died in the last 21 months.
These benefits are not means-tested, so they are available to anyone regardless of their income level and can be paid whether or not you are working.
Bereavement Support Payment has replaced Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow’s Pension), Bereavement Payment, and Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
Who can claim Bereavement Support Payment?
You may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment if you husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months. You must claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the full amount. You can claim up to 21 months after their death but you will get fewer monthly payments.
You could be eligible for Bereavement Support Payment if your partner either:
- paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year since 6th April 1975
- died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work
When they died they must have been:
- under State Pension age
- living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits
If your partner died more than 21 months ago (or their cause of death was confirmed more than 21 months after the death), you may still be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment.
If your partner passed away before 6th April 2017 and the cause of death has just been confirmed, you may be able to get Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
How much will I get?
If you are eligible for Bereavement Support Payment, you will get a first payment, and then up to 18 monthly payments. There are 2 rates:
Higher rate: First payment of £3,500, followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £350
If you get Child Benefit (or if you do not get it but are entitled to it), you’ll get the higher rate.
Lower rate: First payment of £2,500, followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £100
If you do not get Child Benefit, you’ll get the lower rate unless you were pregnant when your partner died.
You must claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the full amount.
How to claim Bereavement Support Payment?
The quickest way is to apply by phone. You can call the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 731 0469.
Alternatively, you can apply using a paper form. You can download a Bereavement Support Payment form or contact your nearest Jobcentre Plus to get one through the post.
What happens if I don't meet Bereavement Support Payment criteria?
If you aren’t sure if you qualify for Bereavement Support Payment, then the easiest thing to do is to order a bereavement support pack from the GOV.UK website. This has plenty of information on bereavement benefit eligibility, the payments you may receive and how to apply. You can also telephone the government’s bereavement support line on 0800 731 0469, where you can ask further questions and get advice on making a claim.
If you do not qualify for Bereavement Support Payment it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get support after the loss of a spouse. If you need help with funeral costs for a funeral you are responsible for arranging and get certain benefits, you might be eligible for a Funeral Expenses Payment.
If you live in England or Wales, you can check if you can get a Funeral Expenses Payment on GOV.UK.
If you live in Scotland, you may be able to apply for a Funeral Support Payment.
If your partner passed away before 6th April 2017 and the cause of death has just been confirmed, you may be able to get Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
Widowed Parent's Allowance
You can only make a claim for Widowed Parent’s Allowance if your husband, wife or civil partner did before 6th April 2017 and the cause of death has just been confirmed.
In order to qualify for Widowed Parent’s Allowance, all of the following must apply:
- You’re under state pension age
- You’re entitled to Child Benefit for at least one child and your late husband, wife or civil partner was their parent
- Your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease
The amount you may be entitled to is based on how much your late husband, wife or civil partner paid in National Insurance contributions. The maximum Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) is £122.55 a week.
Learn more about the Widowed Parent’s Allowance including information on how you can make a claim.
Arranging a funeral
If you are struggling to meet the costs of a funeral, we can help you to reduce funeral costs by up to 76% or £3,189* compared to the cost of the average funeral.
Our funerals start from just £995 and are available throughout the whole of mainland Great Britain. For help arranging a funeral for your loved one, contact us today. Our expert team of funeral arrangers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
*The average cost of a basic funeral in the UK is currently £4,184, SunLife (2021), Cost of Dying Report, https://www.sunlife.co.uk/costofdying2021/