What is Bereavement Support Payment and who qualifies for it?

Full answer

Bereavement Support Payment replaced several older bereavement benefits in 2017, simplifying the system but also changing both the amounts available and, significantly, how long the payments last compared with some of the older benefits it replaced. **Who can claim** To claim, your spouse or civil partner must have died, and at the date of death you must have been under State Pension age, and either your late spouse/civil partner must have paid sufficient National Insurance contributions in a relevant tax year, or their death must have been caused by their employment (an industrial accident or disease), in which case the contribution condition is waived. Unmarried cohabiting partners, however long the relationship, are NOT eligible for Bereavement Support Payment, regardless of shared children or financial interdependence -- this remains a significant gap that has faced legal challenge over the years but has not been extended to cohabitees for this specific benefit as things currently stand. **The two payment rates** There are two rates: a higher rate for claimants who were receiving Child Benefit (or were entitled to claim it) at the date of their partner's death, or who were pregnant at that date, consisting of a larger initial lump sum followed by higher monthly payments; and a lower rate for claimants without dependent children, consisting of a smaller lump sum and lower monthly payments. **Payment structure -- lump sum then monthly payments for up to 18 months** Bereavement Support Payment consists of an initial lump sum paid shortly after a successful claim, followed by up to 18 further monthly instalments -- once the 18 months of payments (or the point at which a late claim reduces the number of payments available, see below) have been made, the benefit stops entirely, regardless of ongoing financial hardship, which is a notable difference from some of the older, longer-lasting bereavement benefits Bereavement Support Payment replaced. **The critical time limit for claiming** Claims should ideally be made within 3 months of the death to receive the full amount (lump sum plus all 18 monthly payments) -- claims made later than 3 months can still be accepted up to 21 months after the death, but the number of monthly payments actually received reduces for each month of delay beyond the initial 3-month window, meaning a late claim can significantly reduce the total amount received, and no claim at all can be made more than 21 months after the death. **Not means-tested, but affects other means-tested benefits** Bereavement Support Payment itself is not means-tested (your income, savings or a new partner's earnings do not affect eligibility or the amount), but the LUMP SUM element is generally disregarded as capital for other means-tested benefits (such as Universal Credit) for a set period, while the ongoing MONTHLY payments are typically treated as income for means-tested benefit calculations, potentially reducing entitlement to Universal Credit or similar benefits while they are being received. **Worked example** A widow with two dependent children whose husband recently died, and who was receiving Child Benefit for them at the time of his death, claims Bereavement Support Payment within 2 months of the death (within the 3-month window). She receives the higher-rate initial lump sum, followed by 18 monthly payments at the higher rate. If she had instead waited 8 months to claim, she would still be able to claim (since this is within the 21-month absolute limit), but would only receive the lump sum plus the remaining monthly payments from the point of claiming onwards (effectively losing several months of payments that would have been available had she claimed within the initial 3-month window). **Practical tip** Claim Bereavement Support Payment as soon as possible after a partner's death, ideally well within the first 3 months, since delaying the claim directly and permanently reduces the total amount that can ultimately be received, with no way to reclaim the lost monthly payments later.

Try the calculator