Glossary · UK
What is Funeral Support Payment?
A Scotland-only benefit from Social Security Scotland that helps people on low-income benefits with the cost of a funeral they are responsible for arranging.
Full Definition
Funeral Support Payment is a one-off payment from Social Security Scotland that helps towards the cost of a funeral for someone responsible for arranging it, where they or their partner are receiving a qualifying low-income benefit such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support or Child Tax Credit. It is the Scottish equivalent of the Funeral Expenses Payment (also called the Funeral Payment) available through the Department for Work and Pensions in the rest of the UK, and the two schemes are administered entirely separately depending on whether the applicant lives in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK. The payment covers a contribution towards costs such as burial or cremation fees, necessary travel to arrange or attend the funeral, and a set amount towards other funeral expenses (for example a coffin, flowers or a funeral director's fees), though it will rarely cover the full cost of an average UK funeral. An application must normally be made within six months of the funeral taking place, and any amount recovered from the deceased's estate, or from a pre-paid funeral plan, is deducted from what Social Security Scotland pays. As with other devolved Scottish benefits, exact payment amounts are uprated periodically -- check the current rates on mygov.scot.