Bereavement Support Payment

If your partner has died, you may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment to help ease financial worries. 

You can also qualify for Bereavement Support Payment if you weren't married or in a civil partnership, providing you were living with a partner and you have a child or children.

What is Bereavement Support Payment?

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a benefit that you may be able to claim if your spouse or civil partner has died. You can also claim BSP if a partner who you lived with died providing you have a child or children.

This benefit isn't means-tested, so you can make a claim regardless of your income or whether you're in work, but there are certain eligibility criteria. 

BSP has replaced the following benefits:

• Bereavement Allowance (which was previously known as 'Widow's Pension')
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Bereavement Payment.

Claiming BSP if you're not married or in a civil partnership

If you have a child or children and were living with your partner when they died, then you can claim BSP.

On 9 February 2023 the law changed, extending BSP to cohabiting partners (provided the claimant has a child or children). This law also applies to you if you could've claimed Widowed Parent’s Allowance, which was payable to bereaved parents whose partner died before 6 April 2017. The change doesn't apply to bereaved partners who don't have children. Contact the DWP Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 731 0464 to make a claim and request backdating of up to 3 months.

Am I eligible to claim and when should I apply?

You can claim BSP if:

• your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner has died
• you were under State Pension age when they died
• your partner paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in any single tax year since 1975
• you were living in the UK at the time of the death (or another country that pays bereavement benefits).

If your partner died due to a workplace accident or illness caused by work, you may still be able to claim BPS, even if they had not made the necessary National Insurance contributions.

You should claim Bereavement Support Payment within 3 months of the death to get the full amount. The monthly payments can be paid for up to 18 months following the death and your claim can be backdated for up to 3 months. This means if you make a claim over 3 months after the death of your partner you will lose some BSP. You qualify for the lump sum as long as you claim within 12 months of the death.

How much could I get?

There are two different rates of BSP:

• If you're not responsible for a child under the age of 20, you could get a lump sum payment of £2,500 followed by a further 18 monthly payments of £100.
• If you are responsible for a child under the age of 20, you could get a lump sum payment of £3,500 followed by 18 monthly payments of £350.

These payments aren't taxable and aren't included when calculating your entitlement to means-tested benefits or the benefit cap. 

How do I claim?

There are several ways that you can claim BSP. You can:

• call the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 151 2012. 
• download a claim form on GOV.UK and apply by post
• apply online from GOV.UK

Further information