Benefits for Bereaved People

Who qualifies for a Bereavement Payment?

You can get Bereavement Payment if your late partner paid appropriate National Insurance contributions, or if his or her death was caused by their job. If you are over the state pensionable age at the time of your partner's death, your deceased partner must not have been entitled to a category A Retirement Pension.

Bereavement Payment is £2,000 tax-free (April 2009 rate). Payment is usually made directly into a bank account, building society account, Post Office account, or National Savings account. You should claim within 12 months of your partner's death. When you claim, if entitled, you may also wish to claim for Widowed Parent's Allowance or Bereavement Allowance at the same time.

Who qualifies for Widowed Parent's Allowance?

You can get Widowed Parent's Allowance if:

• Your late partner paid appropriate National Insurance contributions, or if his or her death was caused by their job.
• And you have one or more children for whom you receive (or could receive) Child Benefit, or you are a woman expecting your late partner's baby.
• And you were under state pension age when your partner died.

The maximum rate at April 2009 is £95.25 per week. (It usually goes up each April.) It is a taxable income. In some cases the rate may vary depending on the earnings of your late partner and/or their National Insurance contributions, (unless their death was caused by their job). Payment is usually made directly into a bank account, building society account, Post Office account, or National Savings account.

Widowed Parent's Allowance is paid until you stop getting Child Benefit, or if there are certain changes in your circumstances (see below).

Who qualifies for Bereavement Allowance?

You can get Bereavement Allowance if:

• Your late partner paid appropriate National Insurance contributions, or his or her death was caused by their job.
• And you were 45 or over when your partner died, but below the state pension age.
• And you do not get Widowed Parent's Allowance.

Also, if you were getting Widowed Parent's Allowance but this is stopped within 52 weeks of your bereavement because you no longer get Child Benefit, you can switch to Bereavement Allowance.

Bereavement Allowance is paid for 52 weeks from the time of the bereavement (but only for part of this time if you reach state pension age before the 52 weeks is complete). Payment is usually made directly into a bank account, building society account, Post Office account, or National Savings account.

If you are aged 55 or over when you are widowed (but below state pension age), you will get the full rate. The full rate in April 2009 is £95.25per week. (The rate usually increases each April.) If you are aged between 45 and 54, you will only get part of the full rate, with a 'sliding scale' of payments, depending on your age. Bereavement Allowance is a taxable income.

What can affect entitlement to bereavement benefits?

You cannot get benefits intended for bereaved people if:

• You were divorced from your late partner.
• Or you remarry.
• Or you live with a new partner.
• Or you are in prison.

Entitlement to bereavement benefits are not affected by your savings or if you have a job.

Who qualifies for Funeral Payments?

A payment for the cost of a simple funeral may be made to someone on low income. This is usually to the surviving partner or the person who has died. It may be made to another person if there is no partner, and it is reasonable for them to accept responsibility for the funeral costs.

The rules include the following:

• The person who is to pay for the funeral, or their partner (NOT the deceased person) must be getting: Income Support, OR income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, OR income-related Employment and Support Allowance, OR Pension Credit, OR Housing Benefit, OR Council Tax Benefit. Some people getting Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit may also be eligible.
• The funeral must take place in the United Kingdom.
• The Funeral Payment is not a loan, but some or all of it may be recovered at a later date if the deceased person leaves an estate.

CAUTION: the Funeral Payment is not a fixed amount and there are precise rules about what expenses it can cover. So, do not commit yourself to a funeral bill you cannot afford without first checking what is allowed for.

You can claim Funeral Payment from the time of death and up to three months after the funeral.

How can I get claim forms for these benefits?

You can contact your local office of the Department for Work and Pensions (your local Jobcentre Plus office or 'social security' office) for a claim form. Find your local office in the phone book under 'Jobcentre Plus'. Or, download a copy of the claim form from the website of the Department for Work and Pensions - www.dwp.gov.uk ( www.dsdni.gov.uk in Northern Ireland). The website also gives contact details of their local offices.

Further information, help and advice

Directgov

Web: www.direct.gov.uk.
Directgov provides information from across UK government departments on topics ranging from travel safety and parental leave, to special educational needs, local NHS services, and benefits. The site also brings together an increasing number of online government services - including being able to download and/or complete certain benefit claim forms online.

Department for Work and Pensions

Their website provides a list of claim forms that you can download or fill in online for benefits, allowances, pensions, etc - www.dwp.gov.uk/eservice/
Contact details of their local offices (Jobcentre Plus offices and other 'social security' offices) can usually be found in the phone book under 'Jobcentre Plus'.
Or, find out about local offices and much more from the website www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL)

England, Wales and Scotland - Tel: 0800 88 22 00 Textphone: 0800 24 33 55
Northern Ireland - Tel: 0800 220 674 Textphone: 0800 243 787
For people with disabilities, their carers and representatives. It is part of the Department for Work and Pensions. BEL offers confidential advice and information on benefits and how to claim them. In addition they can also send out an extensive range of leaflets and claim packs, and help you to complete a claim form over the phone.

Citizens Advice Bureau

Provides independent advice on many issues including benefits. Listed in the phone book under 'Citizens Advice Bureaux'. Also, see their excellent website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk

References

• Financial help for the bereaved, Directgov