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If you want more information about Bereavement Benefit, or any other benefit, please get in touch with your social security office. You can find the phone number and address on the advert in the business numbers section of the phone book. Look under 'Benefits Agency'.
The DSS use 'bereavement benefit' to mean any of the following:
- Bereavement Payment,
- Widowed Parent's Allowance,
- Bereavement Allowance.
They are all based on the spouse's National Insurance (NI) contributions.
The term 'spouse' means the man or woman you were legally married to when they died.
For people who live in Scotland ...
Legally married has a broader meaning in Scotland than it has in England and Wales. Please get in touch with your local Department of Social Security (DSS) office if you live in Scotland and you are not sure if you were legally married.
You may be able to get bereavement benefit if your spouse had paid enough NI contributions.
You cannot get bereavement benefit if:
- you were divorced from your spouse when they died, or
- you were living with them as if you were married, or
- you got married again, or
- you live with another man or women as if you are married to them.
The information in these notes will help you see if you are able to get any of the bereavement benefits.
You can find out more about bereavement benefits in leaflet NP45 'A guide to bereavement benefits'. You can get this leaflet from any DSS office.
But if you are still not sure if you can get bereavement benefit, claim anyway.
Answer these 3 questions to find out if you may be able to get a Bereavement Payment.
- Were you under state pension age when your spouse died? Yes/No
- Was your spouse under state pension age when they died? Yes/No
- Was your spouse over state pension age when they died and not getting a basic pension based on their own contributions? (The DSS call this a category A pension.) Yes/No
You may be able to get a Bereavement Payment ...
- if you have answered Yes to at least one of these questions, and
- if your spouse had paid enough NI contributions.
If you are entitled to a Bereavement Payment, it will be paid as a lump sum.
You may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance or Bereavement Allowance as well as a Bereavement Payment.
Please answer these questions to find out if you may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance. If you are a man, you do not need to answer question 3.
- Are you getting Child Benefit for one of your children or one of your spouse's children? Yes/No
- Was your spouse getting Child Benefit? Yes/No
- Are you expecting your husband's baby? Yes/No
You may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance ...
- if you have answered Yes to at least one of these questions, and
- if your spouse had paid enough NI contributions.
But if you have answered no to all these questions, you may still be able to get Bereavement Allowance.
If you are entitled to Widowed Parent's Allowance, the amount that you can get is based on your spouse's NI contributions. It may include an Additional Pension based on their earnings since 1978.
You can usually get Widowed Parent's Allowance as long as you are getting Child Benefit.
If you stop getting Child Benefit within 52 weeks of the death of your spouse, you may be able to receive Bereavement Allowance for the remainder of the 52 weeks. This does not apply to you if you are a man whose wife died before 9th April 2001.
Answer this question to find out if you may be able to get Bereavement Allowance.
1. Were you aged 45 or over when your spouse died? Yes/No
You may be able to get Bereavement Allowance ...
- if you have answered Yes to this question, and
- if your spouse had paid enough NI contributions.
If you were aged 55 or over, you will get the full rate of Bereavement Allowance. But if you were aged under 55, you will get less than the full amount.
Bereavement Allowance cannot include any Additional Pension and is paid at the basic rate only.
You can usually get Bereavement Allowance for 52 weeks. It will stop if you become entitled to state Retirement Pension before the end of the 52 weeks. You can become entitled to Retirement Pension when you are aged 60 or over for women, 65 or over for men.
If you were getting Widowed Parent's Allowance for less then 52 weeks and it stops because you are no longer entitled to Child Benefit, you may be able to get Bereavement Allowance which is paid at the basic rate only for the remainder of the 52 weeks, or until you are entitled to retirement pension whichever comes first.
How to claim
Just fill in claim form BB1.
Bereavement benefit is based on your spouse's NI contributions.
If you have any difficulty filling in the claim form, someone else can do it for you. You can ask a friend, relative or an advice centre. Or ask at your local DSS office.
When to claim
Send claim form BB1 to the DSS without delay. Your benefit may be affected if you delay claiming.
- Are benefits for widows and widowers affected by earnings?
No — if you work, your bereavement benefit will not go down because of the money that you earn.
- Are benefits for widows and widowers taxable?
Bereavement Payment — This benefit is paid as a lump sum and is tax-free.
Widowed Parent's Allowance/Bereavement Allowance — These benefits are taxable. If you have to pay tax, they are counted as part of your income when tax is worked out.
- What happens if you are also entitled to incapacity benefit?
The DSS will normally pay any Widowed Parent's Allowance and Bereavement Allowance rather than Incapacity Benefit.
If you choose to be paid Incapacity Benefit and the amount that you get is less than your bereavement benefit entitlement, you will not lose money. The DSS will pay you an amount of bereavement benefit to make up your full entitlement.
If you wish to be paid Incapacity Benefit, please tell the DSS in Part 6 of claim form BB1.
Incapacity Benefit is not taxable for the first 28 weeks of incapacity.
Short-term Incapacity Benefit can be paid for a maximum of 52 weeks and can continue after age 60 for a women and age 65 for a man if the incapacity started before then.
- Voluntary organisations that may be able to advise you — Cruse, Bereavement Care, 126 Sheen Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1UR. Phone: 0870 167 1677
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