In the United Kingdom, Bereavement Support Payments (also known as bereavement benefits) are paid to the husband/wife or partner of a person who has died in the previous 21 months. It replaced Bereavement Payment and Bereavement Allowance in April 2017, which had previously replaced
Widow's benefit in April 2001.
It is a
social security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
benefit that is designed to support people who have recently lost their spouse, and need some financial support to help them get back on their feet. A similar benefit is provided in Malta in accordance to the ''Widows and Orphans Pension Act'' of 1927.
The qualifying conditions are as follows:
* the deceased partner must have paid
National Insurance
National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famil ...
contributions for at least 25 weeks in one
tax year since 6 April 1975.
Bereavement Support Payment consists of 2 parts, firstly:
*a bereavement payment of £3,500 which is a one off tax free lump sum, provided the claimant was receiving
Child Benefit
Child benefit or children's allowance is a social security payment which is distributed to the parents or guardians of children, teenagers and in some cases, young adults. A number of countries operate different versions of the program. In most co ...
; otherwise the payment is £2,500
::::(formerly only payable if the deceased spouse met the
National Insurance
National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famil ...
contribution conditions, and was not receiving a Category A
State pension
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
).
Secondly:
*the succeeding benefit:
# a standard rate (equivalent to the former Bereavement allowance), which is payable to surviving partners without children. This runs for up to 18 months from the date of claim or until the claimant reaches retirement age (whichever is sooner).
# a higher rate (equivalent to the former Widowed parent's allowance). This is payable to surviving partners who have dependent children for whom they are in receipt of
child benefit
Child benefit or children's allowance is a social security payment which is distributed to the parents or guardians of children, teenagers and in some cases, young adults. A number of countries operate different versions of the program. In most co ...
. This allowance is payable for up to 18 months from the date of claim.
[
None of these benefits are payable if the claimant is over ]state pension
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
age. However, remarriage no longer affects any claim in payment. A person can move from the standard to the higher rate if they begin receiving Child Benefit after the claim has been made.[
Bereavement Support Payment does not affect other benefits for a year after the first payment. After a year, remaining money left from the first payment can affect claims for other ]means-tested
A means test is a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance or welfare, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do without that help.
Canada
In Canada, means tests are use ...
benefits.[
]
See also
* Funeral payment
Funeral payments are a social security payment in the United Kingdom that are part of the Social Fund. They are to help with the costs of a funeral. To be eligible for a funeral payment, a claimant or their partner must be in receipt of one of the ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
"Benefits and financial support when someone dies"
GOV.UK
gov.uk (styled on the site as GOV.UK) is a United Kingdom public sector information website, created by the Government Digital Service to provide a single point of access to HM Government services. The site launched as a beta on 31 January 2012, ...
Social security in the United Kingdom