What bereavement benefits can a parent get when partner dies?

If your partner dies and you are left to care for a child without them, the emotional loss from your bereavement is often followed by a financial one. You may have questions about what bereavement benefits you can claim such as bereavement support payments (which replaced widowed parent’s allowance).

Can a parent get bereavement benefits?

How do parents get bereavement benefits? If you are a parent whose partner has died, financial support from the government is available and you do not need to be married to claim it.

What is a Bereavement Support Payment? 

A Bereavement Support Payment is the main benefit available to you if your spouse, civil partner or partner that you lived with and had children with, died before you reached state pension age. It replaces Bereavement Allowance, Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Payment.

Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested, therefore how much you earn or have in savings will not affect the amount you receive. 

Am I eligible for a Bereavement Support Payment?

If your partner died after 6 April 2017 and you have dependent children, you can claim Bereavement Support Payment, which has replaced Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

To be eligible for a Bereavement Support Payment, you must have either been getting Child Benefit, be eligible for Child Benefit or pregnant when your partner died. You must also have been under State Pension age, living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits. You should have been married to your partner, in a civil partnership with them, or living with them.

In addition to this, your partner must have either paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year since 6 April 1975 or died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work.

How much is a Bereavement Support Payment?

Bereavement Support Payments are tax-free.

A Bereavement Support Payment is typically a one-off payment of either £3,500 or £2,500 followed by up to 18 monthly payments.

If you were married or in a registered civil partnership with your partner, and you were either receiving Child Benefit for a child that lived with you or were told by the Child Benefit Office that you were entitled to Child Benefit or you were pregnant:

you will receive:

• a first payment of £3,500.
• up to 18 monthly payments of £350.

If you were married or in a registered civil partnership with your partner but are not eligible for the rate above, you will receive:

• a first payment of £2,500.
• up to 18 monthly payments of £100.

• If you were living together as if you were married:

you will receive a maximum of:

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

You must claim within three months of your partner’s death to get the one-off payment and all 18 monthly payments. If you claim 12 months after your partner’s death you only receive monthly payments.  If it is over 21 months, you usually cannot get any payments.

How can I claim a Bereavement Support Payment?   

If you live in England, Wales or Scotland, parents can claim a Bereavement Support Payment online via www.gov.uk, by telephone or by posting a paper application form.

You will need:

• Your National Insurance number.
• Your bank or building society account details.
• The date your partner died.
• Your partner’s national insurance number.

For postal applications, you need to download the Bereavement Support Payment Claim form.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales and you want to apply via the telephone, call 0800 151 2012.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you can download Northern Ireland’s Bereavement Support Payment claim form

or apply via the telephone by calling 0800 085 2463.

Backdated bereavement payments

If your partner died before 9 February 2023, you may get backdated payments of Bereavement Support Payment if:

• Your partner died after 5 April 2017. 
• You were living together when your partner died.
• You were under State Pension age on 30 August 2018.
• You were pregnant or had a child living with you when your partner died.
• You got Child Benefit for that child between when your partner died and when you make your claim.
• You’ve been told by the Child Benefit Office that you were entitled to Child Benefit for that child between when your partner died and when you make your claim.

How much is Widowed Parent’s Allowance?

The maximum Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) is £148.40 a week.

The amount a widowed parent can get is based on how much a widowed parent’s partner paid in National Insurance contributions.

Am I eligible for Widowed Parent’s Allowance?

You can only make a new claim for WPA if your partner died before 6 April 2017 and you were married to your partner, in a civil partnership or living with them. 

To be eligible for Widowed Parent’s Allowance:

• You must be either pregnant or have a dependent child on the day your partner died.
• You are under the State Pension age.
• Your partner paid National Insurance contributions. You can claim if they did not pay NI contributions but died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work.
• You are entitled to Child Benefit for at least one child.

You do not qualify for Widowed Parent’s Allowance, if:

• You were divorced and no longer living with your partner when they died.
• You’ve remarried or are living with another person as if you’re married to them or as if you’ve formed a civil partnership.
• You’re in prison.
• You were over State Pension age when your partner died.  

How can I claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance?

If you live in England, Wales and Scotland, parents can claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance by post via a form downloaded from gov.uk or you can call the Bereavement Service Helpline on 0800 151 2012 to request the form.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you can download the Widowed Parent’s Allowance claim form. Send your completed form to: Dover Benefit Centre, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton WV99 1LA.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you can claim via the Bereavement Service in Northern Ireland and choose option 3. You can download Northern Ireland’s Widowed Parent’s Allowance claim form.

You must apply before 9 November 2024 to get any backdated payments.

What should I do if I think I am eligible for a bereavement payment?

If you think you may be eligible, seek expert welfare benefits advice to ensure a back payment will not impact any of your existing tax and social security entitlements.

Can I challenge a decision about a benefit payment?

If you are turned down when you apply for bereavement support, you can challenge the decision. If you disagree with a decision about benefits, tax credits or child maintenance, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again – this is called ‘mandatory reconsideration’. You can find out more here