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, per gov.uk (last verified 16 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 later and you lose some of the monthly payments. 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.

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 benefits: Universal Credit, Income Support, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. You must also be the closest responsible person – a partner, parent, or close friend if no closer relative exists.

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 16 May 2026). You must claim within six months of the funeral.

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: £1,327.75 as of 2025–26, per mygov.scot (last verified 16 May 2026), compared with £1,000 in England and Wales. If there was a fully paid funeral plan this drops to £162.05. 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.

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 £187.18 per week (2024–25 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 £22.10 per week per child (2025–26, per gov.uk). 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.

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.