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EERC

Bereavement Support

June 3rd, 2024

You might be able to claim some money if someone has died. What you can claim depends on your circumstances and what your relationship was to the person who died.

Bereavement Support Payment

You can only claim Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017. You can’t claim if you and your partner weren’t married or in a civil partnership. You need to have been under your State Pension age when your partner died.

It doesn’t matter what your income is, if you have any savings or if you’re working. Your husband, wife or civil partner must have either:

  • paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year

  • died because of an accident at work, or a disease caused by their work

When you apply, the DWP will check to see if your partner paid enough National Insurance contributions.

What you will get

If you don’t have children (dependants), you can get a lump sum payment and monthly payments for up to 18 months.

You should try and fill in the form within 3 months of your husband, wife or civil partner’s death to get the full amount of money. After 3 months, the DWP will count your application as late. You’ll lose one monthly payment for every month your application is late. To get the lump sum, your application must reach the DWP within 12 months of your husband, wife or civil partner’s death. If your application arrives after 12 months, you won’t get the lump sum.

You won't have to pay tax on any of the payments, including the lump sum. Your monthly payments won’t affect your other benefits. If you still have some of the lump sum left after a year, it could affect the amount of other benefits you can get.

You must tell your benefits office (for example, your local Jobcentre Plus) when you start getting Bereavement Support Payment.

 How do you claim?

Fill in the claim form and send it to: 

Bereavement Support Payment  
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 2BS  

Or take it to:  your nearest Jobcentre Plus office.