Bereavement Support Payment

Introduction

You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if your partner has died. It has replaced the following benefits:

  • Widowed Parent’s Allowance – if you already get this, your payments will continue until you’re no longer eligible
  • Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow’s Pension)
  • Bereavement Payment

Eligibility

Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested. This means what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get.

When your partner died, you must have been:

  • under State Pension age
  • living in the UK
  • married to your partner, in a civil partnership with them, or living with them as if you were married

Your partner must have either:

You can still make a claim if you’re not sure whether your partner paid enough National Insurance contributions. The Bereavement Service will let you know.

You cannot claim Bereavement Support Payment if you’re in prison.

When you need to make your claim

You usually need to make a claim within 21 months of your partner’s death.

If it’s been over 21 months since your partner’s death, you may still be able to make a claim if their cause of death was only recently confirmed. Call the Bereavement Service helpline for help.

How soon you make your claim can also affect how much money you’ll get. You usually need to make a claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the full amount of payments.

If your partner died before 6 April 2017, you may be able to get Widowed Parent’s Allowance instead.

If you were living with your partner as if you were married

Unless you’re applying for a backdated payment, one of the following must have applied when your partner died:

  • you were getting Child Benefit for a child that lived with you
  • you were told by the Child Benefit Office that you were entitled to Child Benefit for a child that lived with you, even if you chose not to get it
  • you were pregnant

If your partner was getting or entitled to Child Benefit instead, you’ll need to make a new claim for Child Benefit in your name before you can apply for Bereavement Support Payment.

How much is the Bereavement Support Payment

The amount of Bereavement Support Payment you can get will depend on:

  • your relationship to the person who died
  • when you make your claim
  • when you reach State Pension age

Your payments will be paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.

If you were married or in a registered civil partnership

You’ll get the higher rate if one of the following applied when your partner died:

  • you were getting Child Benefit for a child that lived with you
  • you were told by the Child Benefit Office that you were entitled to Child Benefit for a child that lived with you
  • you were pregnant

The most you can get is:

  • a one-off payment of £3,500
  • 18 monthly payments of £350

If you’re not eligible for the higher rate, you’ll get the lower rate instead.

The most you can get is:

  • a one-off payment of £2,500
  • 18 monthly payments of £100

If you were living together as if you were married

The most you can get is:

  • a one-off payment of £3,500
  • 18 monthly payments of £350

How to Claim

You can apply for Bereavement Support Payment online, by telephone on 0800 151 2012 or by post.

To apply, you’ll need:

  • your National Insurance number
  • your bank or building society account details
  • the date your partner died
  • your partner’s National Insurance number

You must claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the one-off payment and all 18 monthly payments.

If it’s been over 3 months but fewer than 12 months since your partner’s death, you can get the one-off payment but only some of the monthly payments.

If it’s been over 12 months but fewer than 21 months since your partner’s death, you cannot get the one-off payment but you can still get some monthly payments.

If it’s been over 21 months since your partner’s death, you usually cannot get any payments.

If you reach State Pension age

If you reach State Pension age within 18 months of your partner’s death, you may get fewer monthly payments.

If you get benefits

Bereavement Support Payment will not affect your benefits for a year after your first payment. After a year, money you have left from your first payment could affect the amount you get if you renew or make a claim for another benefit.

You must tell your benefits office (for example, your local Jobcentre Plus) when you start getting Bereavement Support Payment.

Last Updated on April 23, 2026 by Ashford Advice