Benefits that may be available

Funeral Payment – If you are finding it difficult to pay for a funeral, you may be able to get a Social Fund Funeral Payment from the Benefits Agency, if you or your partner receives one of the following:

Income Support
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Job Seekers’ Allowance (income based)
Disabled Person’s Tax Credit
Working Family’s Tax Credit

If you get a funeral payment, it will have to be paid back from any estate of the deceased person. The ‘estate’ means any money, property and other things like insurance policies that the deceased owned. A house or personal possessions that are left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner are not counted as part of the estate.

How much do you get – A Funeral Payment includes necessary burial or cremation fees, certain other specified expenses and up to £700 for any other funeral expenses, such as the funeral director’s fees, the coffin or flowers. If the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan you’ll only get help for items not covered by the plan.

Bereavement Payment – If your husband, wife or civil partner has died you may be able to get a Bereavement Payment, a one off lump sum payment of £2000 that is tax-free. A claim can be made if your husband, wife, or civil partner had paid their National Insurance contributions or their death was caused by their job and either: you were under state pension age when they died or your husband, wife or civil partner was not entitled to category A state retirement benefit when they died.

When you fill in the claim form you will be asked to give your late husband, wife or civil partner’s National Insurance number and details of their recent employment history. You will not get a Bereavement Payment if you were divorced or living with another person at the time of your husband, wife or civil partner’s death. You can order a Bereavement Benefits Pack over the telephone from your nearest Job Centre or Social Security office.