Changes to the benefit system
Some welfare benefits have changed over the past few years. Find out how they've changed and if this affects you....
Bereavement Support Payment
If your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner (provided you have a child or children) has died, you may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment to help ease some of the financial worries you may be facing.
- What is Bereavement Support Payment?
- Can I claim BSP if I'm not married or in a civil partnership?
- How much Bereavement Support Payment could I get?
- Am I eligible to claim Bereavement Support Payment?
- How do I claim Bereavement Support Payment?
- How will the changes affect my existing Widowed Parent's Allowance?
What is Bereavement Support Payment?
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a benefit that you may be able to claim if your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner (provided you have a child or children) died after 6 April 2017.
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.
Can I claim BSP if I'm 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.
The law changed, extending BSP to cohabiting partners (provided the claimant has a child or children), on 9 February 2023.
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.
If your partner died before 9 February 2023 you can make a claim now and you'll be paid some or all of the benefit that you would've received.
Make sure that you before 8 February 2024 so that you don’t lose any benefit.
How much Bereavement Support Payment 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.
Am I eligible to claim Bereavement Support Payment?
You can claim BSP if:
- the bereavement happened on or after 6 April 2017
- you were under State Pension age when your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner 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).
Are you entitled to extra money?
Do you know what benefits you are entitled to? Our Benefits Calculator can help you, quickly and easily, to find out what you could be claiming.
How do I claim Bereavement Support Payment?
There are several ways that you can claim BSP.
You can:
- call the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 151 2012
- (this is a trial service, so it only allows a small number of daily applications)
- contact to have a form sent to you by post.
You should claim Bereavement Support Payment within three months of the death to get the full amount. For every month later that you claim after this, you'll receive one fewer monthly payment.
If your partner died before 6 April 2017 and you weren't married or in a civil partnership, you should make a new claim for Widowed Parent’s Allowance. To apply, you need to download the claim form and apply by post.
How will the changes affect my existing Widowed Parent's Allowance?
If you're currently receiving Widowed Parent’s Allowance you'll continue to do so at the rate of £139.10 as long as you're still receiving Child Benefit.
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