Bereavement benefits

When someone close to you dies, money worries are often the last thing you want to think about, but acting promptly can make a significant difference. There are several forms of financial support available in the UK, ranging from one-off grants to ongoing monthly payments, and most have time limits on when you can claim. There is no longer a universal "bereavement grant" in the UK – the old Social Fund payment was replaced by Bereavement Support Payment in April 2017. This guide sets out what's available now, who can get it, and where to start.

Bereavement Support Payment

Bereavement Support Payment is the main benefit for people who have lost a spouse, civil partner, or cohabiting partner. To qualify, your partner must have been under State Pension age when they died and either paid enough National Insurance contributions during their working life, or died as a result of a workplace accident or disease. See our full guide to Bereavement Support Payment for eligibility details, current rates, and how to claim.

Current rates (2025–26)

The amount you get depends on whether you qualify for the higher or lower rate. Figures below are as of 2025–26 (confirmed unchanged for 2026–27), per gov.uk (last verified 23 May 2026).

Rate	First payment	Monthly payments	Who it applies to
Higher rate	£3,500	18 payments of £350	You have dependent children, were pregnant when your partner died, or are an eligible cohabiting claimant
Lower rate	£2,500	18 payments of £100	No dependent children and not pregnant when your partner died

Who qualifies

To claim Bereavement Support Payment, all of the following must apply (per gov.uk eligibility rules):

• Your spouse, civil partner, or cohabiting partner died on or after 6 April 2017.
• You were under State Pension age when they died.
• You were living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits.
• Your partner paid Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance for at least one tax year since 6 April 1975, or died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work.
• You are not in prison.

Cohabiting partners can now claim. If you were living together as if married but were not married or in a civil partnership, you can claim provided that, when your partner died, you were receiving Child Benefit for a shared child, were entitled to Child Benefit, or were pregnant. Eligible cohabiting claimants receive the higher rate.

The 21-month deadline matters. If you claim within three months of the death you receive the full first payment and all 18 monthly payments. Claim between three months and 12 months and you receive the first payment but fewer monthly payments. Claim between 12 and 21 months and you lose the first payment but can still get the remaining monthly instalments. After 21 months you can no longer claim at all, unless the cause of death was only recently confirmed. Call the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 (Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm) or apply online at gov.uk.

Effect on other benefits. Bereavement Support Payment is disregarded when calculating Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, and Income Support – so receiving BSP should not reduce those benefits. If the lump sum is still unspent after 12 months, it may be treated as capital and could affect means-tested benefit calculations. Source: gov.uk.

Bereavement Allowance (legacy benefit)

If you have searched for "bereavement allowance", it is worth knowing that this benefit no longer exists for new claims. Bereavement Allowance (previously called Widow's Pension) was a weekly taxable benefit paid to bereaved spouses and civil partners aged 45 or over who did not have dependent children.

It was replaced by Bereavement Support Payment for deaths from 6 April 2017, per gov.uk. You cannot make a new claim for Bereavement Allowance now. People who were already receiving it before that change continued to be paid until they were no longer eligible. If your partner died on or after 6 April 2017, the benefit to look at is Bereavement Support Payment instead.

Widowed Parent's Allowance (legacy benefit)

Widowed Parent's Allowance (WPA) was a weekly benefit for bereaved parents who were responsible for at least one child and entitled to Child Benefit. Like Bereavement Allowance, it has been replaced by Bereavement Support Payment, per gov.uk.

You can only make a new claim for WPA if your partner died before 6 April 2017. If you already receive WPA, your payments continue until you are no longer eligible (for example, if you stop being entitled to Child Benefit or you remarry or form a new civil partnership). For deaths on or after 6 April 2017, claim Bereavement Support Payment instead. If you are unsure which benefit applies to your situation, contact the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 or speak to a welfare rights adviser at Citizens Advice.

Funeral Expenses Payment

If you are on a means-tested benefit and are responsible for arranging a funeral, you may be able to claim a Funeral Expenses Payment to help with the costs. The payment is not a fixed grant – the amount depends on what the estate can contribute and what other resources are available – and it will not usually cover the full cost of the funeral.

To be eligible, you or your partner must be receiving one of the qualifying means-tested benefits at the time of the funeral: Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. If you have applied for a qualifying benefit and are awaiting a decision, you can still submit a claim. You must also be the closest responsible person – a partner, parent, or close friend if no closer relative exists. Per gov.uk eligibility rules.

The table below sets out what the payment does and does not help with. Figures are as of 2025–26, per gov.uk (last verified 23 May 2026). You must claim within six months of the funeral using form SF200 (available to download from gov.uk) or by phoning the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012.

What it covers	What it does not cover
Burial fees for a particular plot, or cremation fees including the doctor's certificate	The full cost of the funeral – it will not usually cover everything
Travel to arrange or attend the funeral	Anything already covered by a pre-paid funeral plan (only up to £120 towards items the plan does not cover)
Moving the body more than 50 miles within the UK	Costs that the estate or other resources can meet (these reduce the award)
Death certificates and other documents	Amounts beyond the £1,000 cap on other expenses
Up to £1,000 for other expenses such as the funeral director's fees, coffin, and flowers	–

Any payment may be recovered from the deceased's estate, though not from a home or personal belongings left to a surviving spouse or civil partner.

Scotland: Funeral Support Payment

Funeral Expenses Payment has been replaced in Scotland by Funeral Support Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland. It works in a similar way but the flat-rate amount for other costs is higher: £1,257.75, per mygov.scot (last verified 31 May 2026), compared with £1,000 in England and Wales. If there was a fully paid funeral plan this drops to £153.50. You apply through mygov.scot rather than gov.uk.

Northern Ireland: Social Fund Funeral Payment

In Northern Ireland the equivalent is the Social Fund Funeral Payment, administered by the Department for Communities. The qualifying benefits and the principle of the payment are broadly the same as the England and Wales scheme. See nidirect on Funeral Expenses Payment for eligibility and how to claim.

For the full eligibility criteria and the England and Wales claim form, see gov.uk on Funeral Expenses Payment.

Children's Funeral Fund

If a child under 18 has died, or you have had a stillbirth after the 24th week of pregnancy, the funeral does not have to cost you the burial or cremation fees. The Children's Funeral Fund for England covers those fees in full, and there is no income test – it is available regardless of how much the family earns or has saved. This is separate from Funeral Expenses Payment, and you can use it even if you would not qualify for any means-tested help.

The fund covers:

• Burial fees, or cremation fees including the cost of the doctor's certificate
• Up to £300 towards a coffin, shroud, or casket

In England, the burial or cremation provider usually claims directly from the fund, so many families never see a bill for these fees. If you arranged the funeral yourself without a funeral director, you can claim the costs back directly. Claims must be made within six months of the funeral. The child's burial or cremation must take place in England to qualify. See gov.uk on the Children's Funeral Fund (last verified 19 June 2026).

Scotland and Wales run their own schemes. In Wales, local authorities and the NHS waive burial and cremation fees for children directly. In Scotland, the cost of a child's funeral is covered under devolved arrangements – contact the local council, or apply for the wider Funeral Support Payment if you are also on a qualifying benefit. In Northern Ireland, support is available through the Department of Health. Many funeral directors also waive their own professional fees for a child's funeral as a matter of course – ask, because it is not always offered upfront.

How a death affects existing benefits

A death changes the benefits picture for two people at once: the person who died, and anyone who depended on them. Sorting this out early avoids overpayments turning into a debt against the estate later.

Benefits the person who died was receiving

Any benefits paid to the person who died – State Pension, Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance – stop on the date of death and must be reported. Tell Us Once handles most of this in a single step. If a benefit continues to be paid after the death, the Department for Work and Pensions can reclaim the overpayment from the estate, so it is worth confirming each payment has stopped. See our guide to notifying the DWP when someone dies and reporting a death to the State Pension service.

Your own benefits may go up – or change

If you were part of a couple claiming Universal Credit or Pension Credit jointly, your claim becomes a single claim, and the amount usually changes. With Universal Credit, a surviving partner keeps the joint rate for a 3-month bereavement run-on before moving onto a single award – see our guide to what happens to Universal Credit when someone dies for how the run-on works and how to report the death. Losing a partner's income can also mean you now qualify for help you did not before. It is worth running a free benefits calculator, such as the one provided by Turn2us or entitledto, after a bereavement. Bereavement Support Payment itself is disregarded for 12 months and does not reduce these benefits during that period.

If you have reached State Pension age

People over State Pension age cannot claim Bereavement Support Payment, but you may be able to inherit part of your late partner's State Pension or receive a higher Pension Credit award instead. The rules depend on whether your partner reached State Pension age before or after 6 April 2016. Contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469, and see our guide to what happens to a pension when someone dies.

Charitable grants and extra help

Beyond government benefits, thousands of charitable funds give one-off grants to people in financial hardship after a bereavement. Some are open to anyone in need; many are tied to a former occupation, an industry, a trade union, a regiment, or a particular illness. The grant search at Turn2us matches your circumstances to funds you may be eligible for, and it is free to use.

If the person who died served in the armed forces, the SSAFA and the Royal British Legion both offer grants and practical help to bereaved families. If money worries are pressing while the estate is being sorted out, a welfare rights adviser can also check whether you are claiming everything you are entitled to.

Bereavement leave

UK employees have two statutory rights relating to bereavement, and it's worth understanding the difference.

Parental bereavement leave applies if your child under 18 dies, or if you have a stillbirth after 24 weeks. You are entitled to two weeks' leave from day one of employment, taken as one block, two separate weeks, or a single week. Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay is £194.32 per week (2025–26 rate, or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower), and applies if you have been employed continuously for at least 26 weeks. You have up to 56 weeks from the date of death to take this leave. See gov.uk for full details.

Time off for dependants is a separate right that covers any employee dealing with an unexpected bereavement or family emergency. There is no statutory minimum number of days and it is unpaid unless your employer's policy says otherwise. Most employers also offer discretionary compassionate leave – check your contract or staff handbook.

If your employer does not honour these rights, you can raise a grievance or contact Acas for advice.

Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance

If you are now raising a child whose parents have both died, you may be entitled to Guardian's Allowance on top of Child Benefit. The current rate is £22.95 per week per child (2025–26, per gov.uk, last verified 19 June 2026). It is tax-free and does not count as income for Universal Credit or other means-tested benefits. You can backdate a claim by up to three months. Claim using form BG1, enclosing the child's birth certificate and both parents' death certificates.

If only one parent has died, you may still be entitled to Guardian's Allowance in specific circumstances – for example, if the surviving parent is in prison for at least two years or cannot be traced. See our full guide to Guardian's Allowance for the complete eligibility rules, how to claim, and how long payments last.

War widow's or widower's pension

If your partner died as a result of their service in HM Armed Forces, you may be entitled to a tax-free weekly war pension or a lump sum plus monthly payments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme – depending on when they served. Two separate schemes apply, with 6 April 2005 as the dividing line. Both are entirely separate from Bereavement Support Payment and can be claimed alongside it.

See our full guide to war pension and AFCS payments for eligibility, current rates, and how to apply through Veterans UK's freephone helpline.

Tell Us Once – notify government departments in a single step

Tell Us Once is a free government service that lets you report a death to most government organisations at the same time, rather than contacting each one individually. It is one of the most useful practical steps you can take after a death is registered.

Using Tell Us Once, you can notify:

• HM Revenue and Customs (for tax, Child Benefit, and tax credits)
• Department for Work and Pensions (for Universal Credit, State Pension, and other DWP benefits)
• The Passport Office and DVLA
• Local councils (for Housing Benefit, Council Tax reduction, and local services)
• Veterans UK and public sector pension schemes

The registrar will give you a unique reference number when you register the death. You have 28 days to use it – either online at gov.uk or by phone. The service covers deaths registered in England, Scotland, and Wales. It is not currently available for people who were living in Northern Ireland.

Important: Tell Us Once does not cover banks, building societies, private pension schemes, insurance companies, or utilities. You will need to contact those separately – see our company notification guides for step-by-step instructions for major providers.

Council Tax exemption after a death

If the person who died lived alone, their home may be exempt from Council Tax while the estate is being sorted out. This is known as the Class F exemption, and it is available to estates in England, Wales, and Scotland (individual councils administer it, though the rules are set nationally).

What the Class F exemption covers

The exemption applies where all of the following are true (per guidance from local authorities administering the national rules):

• The property is unoccupied.
• The person who was liable for Council Tax has died.
• The property is being held by the executors or administrators of the estate.

The exemption runs from the date of death and continues:

• Until probate or letters of administration are granted – there is no time limit on this phase.
• For up to six months after probate is granted – provided the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to a beneficiary.

If the property is occupied by someone else – for example, a family member moves in – the exemption ends for the period it is occupied (unless they are there for fewer than six weeks). The property must also not have been transferred into a beneficiary's name for the exemption to continue after probate.

How to apply

Contact the local council for the area where the property is located. Most councils have an online form or telephone service. You will usually need to provide a copy of the death certificate and, once granted, a copy of the probate or letters of administration. Ask specifically for the Class F council tax exemption – it will not be applied automatically.

Councils can differ slightly in how they apply these rules, so check with the relevant local authority. If you are unsure which council covers the property, use the gov.uk council finder.

Quick-reference guide to bereavement benefits

The table below gives a summary of every benefit covered on this page. For full eligibility rules and how to claim each one, follow the links in the "More detail" column.

Benefit	Who qualifies	Maximum amount	Deadline to claim	How to claim	More detail
Bereavement Support Payment	Spouse, civil partner, or eligible cohabiting partner (under State Pension age; NI contributions met)	£3,500 lump sum + 18 × £350/month (higher rate)	21 months – claim within 3 months for maximum	Online at gov.uk or call 0800 151 2012	Full guide
Funeral Expenses Payment	Person arranging the funeral who receives a qualifying means-tested benefit	Burial/cremation fees + up to £1,000 for other costs (England & Wales); £1,257.75 in Scotland	6 months after the funeral	Form SF200 (download from gov.uk) or call 0800 151 2012	Full guide
Children's Funeral Fund	Anyone arranging the funeral of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks (no income test)	Burial/cremation fees in full + up to £300 for a coffin (England; separate schemes in Scotland and Wales)	6 months after the funeral	Provider usually claims directly; or claim from gov.uk	See above
Guardian's Allowance	Person raising a child whose parents have both died (or one parent in specific circumstances)	£22.95 per week per child (2025–26)	Backdatable up to 3 months	Form BG1 (send with death certificates)	Full guide
Parental Bereavement Leave & Pay	Employed parent whose child under 18 dies, or who has a stillbirth after 24 weeks	2 weeks at £194.32/week (2025–26) or 90% of earnings if lower	Must be taken within 56 weeks of death	Notify employer; minimum 1 week's notice	Full guide
War pension / AFCS	Surviving partner where death resulted from armed forces service	Varies by scheme and circumstances	No strict deadline, but claim promptly	Veterans UK freephone: 0808 191 4218	Full guide
Council Tax Class F exemption	Estate of the deceased – unoccupied property left by someone who lived alone	Full Council Tax exemption	Apply as soon as possible after death; ends 6 months after probate	Contact the local council directly	See above
Widowed Parent's Allowance	Bereaved parent with dependent child – only where partner died before 6 April 2017	Up to £148.40/week (legacy benefit – no new claims)	No new claims for post-2017 deaths	Legacy: DWP; new claims: claim BSP instead	Full guide

Rates shown are 2025–26 unless stated. Sources: gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment, gov.uk/funeral-payments, gov.uk/guardians-allowance. Last verified: 23 May 2026.

Where to get free, independent help

You do not have to work any of this out alone, and you should not pay anyone for advice on claiming benefits. Several organisations offer free, confidential guidance from trained advisers:

• Citizens Advice – free help with benefit claims, debts, and dealing with the estate, in person, by phone, or online.
• MoneyHelper – the government-backed money advice service, with a dedicated bereavement section and a free helpline.
• Turn2us – a benefits calculator and a search tool for charitable grants you may qualify for.
• Cruse Bereavement Support – free emotional support and a helpline for anyone grieving (0808 808 1677).

A welfare rights adviser can review your whole situation and identify entitlements you might not know about, which often more than repays the time it takes to ask.

What to do first

The order in which you do things matters, because some benefits have strict time limits:

1. Register the death – you need the death certificate before you can do most things. Use Tell Us Once at the same time.
2. Check Bereavement Support Payment eligibility – claim as soon as possible, ideally within three months of the death, to receive the maximum amount.
3. If you're on qualifying benefits, claim Funeral Expenses Payment – you have six months from the funeral date.
4. Notify the DWP about any benefits the deceased was receiving – overpayments can become a debt against the estate. Tell Us Once handles most of this, but check.
5. Seek advice if you are unsure – Citizens Advice, MoneyHelper, and Cruse Bereavement Support all offer free guidance. A welfare rights adviser can help identify entitlements you might not be aware of.

For a fuller picture of what needs to be done after a death, see our guides on notifying organisations, probate, and what happens to assets.