What is Bereavement Support Payment?

Bereavement Support Payment is a benefit paid to widows, widowers, surviving civil partners or cohabiting partners who are bereaved on or after 6 April 2017.

It replaces Bereavement Allowance, Widowed Parent's Allowance and Bereavement Payment for people whose partner died on or after 6 April 2017.  

It consists of an initial lump-sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments depending on your eligibility. 

If your partner died before 6 April 2017, you may be able to claim  Widowed Parent's Allowance instead.

The law has changed and cohabiting partners can claim Bereavement Support Payment now. Applications are open and will be backdated to 30 August 2018. See 'Can I get Bereavement Support Payment?' guide for more information.

Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Age rules: You must have been under State Pension age when your partner died

Type of benefit: Non means tested

Taxable: No

Administered by: Jobcentre Plus

Updated: February 2023
 

Can I get Bereavement Support Payment?

If your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner died on or after 6 April 2017, you may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment.

If your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner died before 6 April 2017, you may be able to claim Widowed Parent's Allowance instead.

Married or in a registered civil partnership

You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if the following applies to you:

• You must have been under 66 when your partner died
• Your partner paid national insurance contributions or died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by their work, their national insurance contributions might not matter

You cannot get Bereavement Support Payment if you were divorced or your civil partnership was dissolved when your husband, wife or civil partner died.

Living as though you were married (Cohabiting partnership)

If you were co-habiting with someone and had children together but weren't married (cohabiting partnership), the law has changed and you can get Bereavement Support Payment now.

To apply as a surviving cohabiting partner:

• You must have been under 66 when your partner died
• You must have been under 66 on 30 August 2018
• When your partner died, you must have been getting or been entitled to Child Benefit or have been pregnant.

You cannot get Bereavement Support if you were no longer living with your partner or if you were living with someone else when your partner died.

Updated; February 2023

How much Bereavement Support Payment will I get?

There are two rates of Bereavement Support Payment: A higher rate and a standard rate. You receive one or the other.

Higher Rate Bereavement Support Payment

You are entitled to the higher rate:

• if you were pregnant at the time your late spouse or civil partner or cohabiting partner died; or 
• you were entitled to Child Benefit at the time your late spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner died; or
• since your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner died, you became entitled to Child Benefit for a child or young person who was living with you or your late spouse or civil partner or cohabiting partner immediately before they died.

If you are entitled to the higher rate, you will receive an initial lump sum of £3,500 followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £350. 

If you were living as though you were married (Cohabiting partnership)

What you will get if your cohabiting partner died before or after 30 August 2018:

• Partial payment up to 18 months and no initial lump sum if your cohabiting partner died before 30 August 2018 and you make a claim before 8 February 2024
• Initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly payments if your cohabiting partner died between 30 August 2018 and 9 February 2023, and you make a claim before 8 February 2024

For example, if your cohabiting partner died on 17 July 2019 and you make a claim on 18 August 2023, you will be eligible for up to 18 months of Bereavement Support Payment.

Make sure you apply by 8 February 2024 to not miss any payments mentioned above. If you claim after this date, you will receive less than what you would have originally been entitled to. If you claim after 8 November 2024, you will not receive any payments. 

What you will get if your cohabiting partner died after 9 February 2023:

• Initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly payments if you make a claim within the time limits. See 'When will my Bereavement Support Payment claim begin?' section.

Standard Rate Bereavement Support Payment

If you are a widow, widower or surviving civil partner and not entitled to the higher rate, you receive the standard rate instead. Cohabiting partners aren't entitled to the standard rate. 

The standard rate is an initial lump-sum payment of £2,500 followed by up to 18 monthly instalments of £100.

How much Bereavement Support Payment you could get depends on when you claim Bereavement Support Payment.

If you claim within three months of your husband, wife or civil partner's death, your claim will be backdated to the date of the death. If you claim more than three month's after the death, your claim will be backdated by three months. However, this might mean you miss out on some entitlement. For example, someone who claims six months after their husband dies will only get a total of 15 months Bereavement Support Payment. 

To get the initial lump sum, you have to claim within 12 months of your husband, wife, civil partner's death. 

If you reach 66 within 18 months of your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner's death, you may get fewer monthly payments. 

Bereavement Support Payment and Other Benefits

Bereavement Support Payment is ignored as income for working out entitlement to other benefits. If you claim as a cohabiting partner and your partner died before 9 February 2023, any Bereavement Support Payment you receive will be treated as capital and disregarded for a year.

Benefit Cap

Bereavement Support Payment will not be included as income for the Benefit Cap.

How do I claim Bereavement Support Payment?

England, Scotland and Wales

Telephone claim

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Bereavement Service:

 Tel: 0800 151 2012

 Textphone: 0800 731 0464

 Tel: 0800 731 0453 (Welsh)

 Textphone: 0800 731 0456 (Welsh)

Using the Video Relay Service for people who use British Sign Language (BSL).

Paper claim

Download a Bereavement Support Payment claim form from the Gov.UK website

Northern Ireland

Telephone claim

Northern Ireland (NI) Bereavement Service: 0800 085 2463

Using the video relay service for people who use British Sign Language (BSL) or Irish Sign Language (ISL).

Paper claim

Download a Bereavement Support Payment claim form from the NI Direct website

What documents will I need to claim Bereavement Support Payment?

You must send originals of the following documents to support your claim (or show them at your local Jobcentre Plus office):

• Your marriage or civil partnership certificate

• Your husband's, wife's, civil partner's or cohabiting partner's certificate of registration of death.

 If you do not have this evidence, you should not delay claiming. 

When will my Bereavement Support Payment claim begin?

Your claim will start on the date your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner died if your claim is received at the benefit office within three months from the date you are bereaved.

If three months or more have passed since your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner died, the date of claim will be backdated three months from the date your form is received at the benefit office.

If more than 21 months have passed since your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner has died and you have not made a claim, you will not be entitled to receive a Bereavement Support Payment.

If your cohabiting partner died before 30 August 2018 and you claim before February 2024, your claim can be partially backdated but you cannot get the initial lump sum.

If your cohabiting partner died after 30 August 2018 and before 9 February 2023 and you claim before February 2024, you can get backdated payment up to 18 months.

Change of circumstances

Payment will continue even if you remarry, enter a civil partnership or start cohabiting.

You must report changes in your circumstances which might affect your entitlement to this benefit.

Updated: February 2023