Dealing with death: Bereavement Support Payment

The Bereavement Support Payment in the UK is a benefit designed to help people who have lost a spouse, civil partner or co-habiting partner.

Eligibility: You must be under State Pension age and the deceased must have paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks or died due to an accident at work or a disease caused by work. You do not need to have been married or in a civil partnership. If you were co-habiting and you have a child (or are pregnant), you may still be able to benefit.

Payment rates: There are two rates payable:

Higher Rate: If you have children or are pregnant, you receive a lump sum followed by monthly payments. This is currently £3,500 plus 18 monthly payments of £350.
Standard Rate: If you don’t have children, you receive a smaller lump sum and monthly payments. This is currently £2,500 plus 18 monthly payments of £350

Application deadlines: You must apply within three months of your partner’s death to receive the full amount. Applications can be made up to 21 months after the death, but payments will be reduced.

Tax and benefits: The payment is tax-free and does not affect other benefits for 12 months.

How to apply: Visit GOV.UK for more information.

Often overlooked, or not known about, the Bereavement Support Payment is something that you can apply for straight away, without the help of a solicitor. It can provide a critical cash injection to help with living expenses, or costs of the administration.

For a list of practical tips for what else needs to be done in the immediate period after death, see our previous blog, ‘Dealing with Death: What to do in the initial weeks after someone has died‘.

Daniel Church is a Partner in the Private Client team at Blake Morgan. If you require any support relating to an estate administration, please contact Daniel or a member of our Private Client team.