Bereaved

Benefits

Bereavement can make a big difference to how much money you have coming in. It would be a good idea to check to see if you’re entitled to any benefits.

To check what benefits you might be entitled to quickly and easily, you can use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator

To read more about the benefits available for people who are recently bereaved, select from the list below:

Bereavement Support Payment - if your husband, wife or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017 and you are under State Pension age, you may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment.

Widowed Parent's Allowance - if your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017, you are pregnant or have dependent children under the age of 19 (or 20 if getting Child Benefit for them) and you were married or in a civil partnership when your partner died.

England, Wales, Northern Ireland

Funeral Payment - if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you are (or your partner was) receiving certain benefits and you are responsible for funeral costs.

Scotland

Funeral Support Payment Scotland - if you live in Scotland, you are (or your partner was) receiving certain benefits and you are responsible for funeral costs.

Are you claiming a benefit which expects you to look for work?

If you’re claiming a benefit which expects you to look for work, you should tell your work coach about your bereavement. If the person who died was your partner or your dependent child, you shouldn’t be expected to look for work for a while. If the death has caused a big disruption in your life, you should tell your work coach and ask them to adjust your claimant commitment.

Related information

You may want to find out more about the Government's 'Tell us once' service which allows you to report a death to most Government organisations all in one go.

See also Funeral Costs I Can't Afford in our Emergency Help Information guide.

Grants

To find out what help may be available from grant giving charities, you can use the Turn2us Grants Search

Advice and Support

Turn2us is unable to offer advice on individual situations. To find an adviser in your area to discuss your situation with, you can use the Turn2us Find an Adviser

Further Information Resources

• Cruse Bereavement Care
• Fair Funerals tool from Quaker Social Action
• Money Advice Service information on wills and dealing with the money and possessions of the person who has died
• NHS resource area on bereavement
• Down to Earth (Quaker Social Action) - practical UK-wide support service to help people plan affordable funerals (where the funeral hasn't taken place)

Reviewed December 2021