Bereavement allowance was a weekly benefit paid to widows, widowers, and surviving civil partners aged between 45 and State Pension age who had no dependent children. It closed to new claims on 6 April 2017, when the government replaced it with Bereavement Support Payment.
The benefit ran for exactly one year from the date of bereavement. Anyone who was receiving it when the rules changed was not moved onto the new scheme — payments continued under the old rules until they came to a natural end. Given that the allowance lasted only 52 weeks and that the youngest possible recipients from that final cohort would now be in their mid-50s, there are likely very few people still affected by bereavement allowance today. Some, however, may be dealing with the estate of someone who received it, resolving tax affairs, or simply trying to understand the history of bereavement support in the UK.
If your partner died on or after 6 April 2017, the benefit you need is Bereavement Support Payment — a different scheme entirely. If you had dependent children and your partner died before that date, see our guide to Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
What was bereavement allowance?
Bereavement allowance — also called widow’s pension in its earlier incarnation — was a contributory, taxable weekly payment made to surviving spouses and civil partners who were between the ages of 45 and State Pension age (then 60 for women, rising to 65 and then 66) at the time of their partner’s death.
The key condition that separated it from Widowed Parent’s Allowance was the absence of dependent children. If you had a child you were entitled to Child Benefit for, you would have received Widowed Parent’s Allowance instead. Bereavement allowance was specifically for those without that child dependency.
It was introduced in its modern form on 11 April 2003, replacing the old widow’s pension and widow’s allowance that preceded it. Those older benefits had their own rules — including a gendered eligibility structure that applied to women only. The 2003 reform extended rights to widowers and surviving civil partners on an equal footing.
The allowance was paid for 52 weeks from the date of death and then stopped. It was not an ongoing pension — it was a time-limited bridge payment. When Bereavement Support Payment replaced it in April 2017, one of the most significant changes was switching from 52 weeks of weekly payments to 18 months of monthly payments with an upfront lump sum.
(Source: gov.uk — Bereavement Support Payment, which replaced bereavement allowance)
Who received bereavement allowance?
To receive bereavement allowance, you had to meet all of the following conditions at the time of your partner’s death:
- You were married to, or in a civil partnership with, the person who died (cohabiting couples were not covered under the old rules)
- You were aged 45 or over but below State Pension age
- You had no dependent children — if you were entitled to Child Benefit for a child, you received Widowed Parent’s Allowance instead
- Your late partner had paid sufficient National Insurance contributions (Class 1 or Class 2, in at least one tax year since April 1975), or had died from a work-related accident or industrial disease
- Your partner’s death occurred on or after 11 April 2003 and before 6 April 2017 — deaths before or after that window were covered by different rules
You could not receive bereavement allowance if you were under 45 when your partner died. In that case, and if you had no dependent children, there was no bereavement benefit available to you under the old system — a gap that was widely criticised and was one of the reasons Bereavement Support Payment was designed differently.
How much was bereavement allowance?
The weekly rate was calculated by reference to the basic State Pension, with a built-in reduction for younger recipients. This age-related reduction was a feature of the old rules and is why the amounts varied by age at bereavement.
The formula, set out in section 39C of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, worked as follows:
- If you were aged 55 or over at the time of your partner’s death, you received the full rate — equivalent to the basic State Pension for that year
- If you were aged 45 to 54, your rate was reduced by 7% for each year below age 55
The table below shows how the reduction worked:
| Age at bereavement | Reduction applied | Percentage of full rate received |
|---|---|---|
| 55 or over | None | 100% |
| 54 | 7% (1 year × 7%) | 93% |
| 52 | 21% (3 years × 7%) | 79% |
| 50 | 35% (5 years × 7%) | 65% |
| 48 | 49% (7 years × 7%) | 51% |
| 45 | 70% (10 years × 7%) | 30% |
The full rate was tied to the basic State Pension rate in force at the time of payment, which was uprated annually. The benefit was paid weekly into the recipient’s bank account, and ran for exactly 52 weeks from the date of death.
(Source: Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, section 39C, as it stood before repeal)
What stopped bereavement allowance payments?
The 52-week payment period was the most common reason payments ended — the allowance was always time-limited. But payments could stop earlier if:
You remarried or formed a new civil partnership. Bereavement allowance ended immediately on remarriage. You had to notify the DWP promptly; failure to do so could result in overpayments that would need to be repaid.
You began living with a new partner as though you were married or in a civil partnership. Cohabitation had the same effect as remarriage for benefit purposes, even without a formal ceremony.
You reached State Pension age. If you reached State Pension age during the 52-week payment period, the allowance stopped at that point. You would then have moved to State Pension entitlement — either based on your own contributions or inherited entitlement from your late partner.
You were imprisoned. Payments were suspended during any period of imprisonment.
You became entitled to Widowed Parent’s Allowance. If you had a child and became entitled to Child Benefit during the payment period, you would move onto the higher Widowed Parent’s Allowance instead.
If you are currently dealing with a historic overpayment relating to bereavement allowance — for example, because your circumstances changed and payments were not stopped promptly — contact the DWP on 0800 151 2012 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).
Bereavement allowance and other benefits
Unlike Bereavement Support Payment, bereavement allowance was taxable income. It counted toward your total income for income tax purposes and would need to be declared on a self-assessment return if your total income exceeded the personal allowance.
It also counted as income for means-tested benefits:
- Universal Credit — bereavement allowance was treated as unearned income and reduced the UC award pound for pound above the work allowance threshold
- Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction — it was taken into account as income when assessing means-tested entitlements
- Pension Credit — once recipients reached 60, bereavement allowance was treated as income in Pension Credit calculations
If you received bereavement allowance alongside means-tested benefits, you were required to notify the relevant paying agency when your payments started, changed, or stopped.
The history of widow’s pension and bereavement benefits
Bereavement allowance had its origins in a longer history of UK widow’s benefits stretching back to the National Insurance Act 1946. The original widow’s pension was replaced in April 2001 by a modernised set of bereavement benefits, and then replaced again — along with the rest of the bereavement benefit system — in April 2017 when Bereavement Support Payment was introduced.
| Benefit | For deaths between | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Widow's pension / widow's allowance | Before 9 April 2001 | Closed; payments for surviving recipients have ended |
| Widowed mother's allowance | Before 9 April 2001 | Closed; payments for surviving recipients have ended |
| Bereavement allowance | 11 April 2003 – 5 April 2017 | Closed to new claims; payments ran for 52 weeks and will have ended |
| Widowed Parent's Allowance | 9 April 2001 – 5 April 2017 | Closed to new claims; existing recipients continue to receive payments |
| Bereavement Support Payment | On or after 6 April 2017 | Open; lump sum plus 18 monthly payments |
The shift to Bereavement Support Payment in 2017 represented a significant policy change. The old system had been criticised for excluding younger bereaved people (those under 45), for penalising those who remarried or cohabited, and for being more generous to those who were closer to pension age. The new system removed age bands, made payments tax-free, and extended rights to cohabiting couples with children.
If your partner died after April 2017
If your partner died on or after 6 April 2017, bereavement allowance is not the benefit you should be looking at. The relevant benefit is Bereavement Support Payment (BSP).
BSP is different in several important ways:
- It is paid as a lump sum plus up to 18 monthly payments — not a 52-week weekly allowance
- It is tax-free and does not affect your other benefits for the first 12 months
- The higher rate — for those with dependent children — amounts to up to £9,800 in total
- Cohabiting couples can qualify (subject to conditions), which was not possible under the old scheme
- There is no age reduction — younger bereaved people receive the same amount as older ones
You must claim within 21 months of the death, but claiming within three months ensures you receive the full amount.
For full details, see our guide to Bereavement Support Payment.
Contacting the DWP about historic bereavement benefits
If you have a query about a historic bereavement allowance payment — for example, to resolve an old overpayment, to check records, or to understand how it interacted with your tax affairs — the DWP Bereavement Service is the right contact point:
- Telephone: 0800 151 2012 (free from most landlines and mobiles, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
- Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 151 2012
- Welsh language: 0800 731 0453
- Post: Bereavement Service, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 1LA
If you are based in Northern Ireland, contact the Bereavement Service through nidirect.gov.uk.
For queries specifically about tax — whether bereavement allowance should have been declared, or how it affected your tax position in a past year — contact HMRC. You can call the income tax helpline on 0300 200 3300 or use your personal tax account at gov.uk/personal-tax-account.
Summary
Bereavement allowance was a time-limited weekly benefit for widows and widowers aged 45 to State Pension age with no dependent children. It ran from April 2003 to April 2017, lasted 52 weeks from the date of bereavement, and has since been replaced by the more comprehensive Bereavement Support Payment. Since the allowance lasted only one year, no one is still receiving bereavement allowance today — all payments will have ended by April 2018 at the latest.
If you are looking for bereavement financial support because someone you love has recently died, the relevant benefit is Bereavement Support Payment — call 0800 151 2012 or apply online at gov.uk.
For an overview of all the financial support available after a bereavement, see our bereavement benefits hub. If you are dealing with the deceased’s estate, our probate guide explains the process for administering it.
Information verified March 2026 from gov.uk — Bereavement Support Payment and legislation.gov.uk — Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, sections 39B and 39C.