Bereavement Support Payment UK: who qualifies, how much, and how to claim

Bereavement Support Payment is a tax-free benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions for people whose spouse, civil partner, or cohabiting partner has died. It replaced three older bereavement benefits in April 2017: Widowed Parent's Allowance, Bereavement Allowance, and Bereavement Payment. The rates are unchanged for 2026/27.

There are two rates. The higher rate is for claimants with dependent children. The standard rate is for everyone else who qualifies.

You have to claim it. It's not paid automatically. The amount you receive depends on how quickly you claim.

How much Bereavement Support Payment pays in 2026/27

RateLump sumMonthly paymentsMaximum totalHigher rate (with dependent children)£3,500£350 × 18 months£9,800Standard rate (no dependent children)£2,500£100 × 18 months£4,300

Both rates remain frozen for 2026/27. There is no inflation uprating.

The 18-month duration has drawn criticism from bereaved families who argue the support is too short. A parliamentary petition is currently open to extend it. The government's position is that the payment is for the immediate financial impact of bereavement, not long-term income replacement.

Who qualifies in 2026

You can claim Bereavement Support Payment if all of the following applied at the time of your partner's death:

• You were the husband, wife, or civil partner of the person who died, or were living with them as a couple

• Your partner died on or after 6 April 2017

• You were under State Pension age

• You were living in the UK, or in a country with a UK social security agreement

• Your partner had paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in any single tax year, or died from an accident or disease caused by their work

Cohabiting partners can claim only if they have dependent children, or were pregnant at the time of the death. This rule changed on 9 February 2023 following the McLaughlin Supreme Court ruling and subsequent legal action. Before that date, only married couples and civil partners were eligible. A retrospective claim window for deaths between 30 August 2018 and 9 February 2023 ran until 9 February 2024 and has now closed.

There is no income test and no means test. Earnings, savings, and other benefits do not affect whether you qualify.

Who does not qualify

You cannot claim Bereavement Support Payment if any of the following are true:

• You were over State Pension age when your partner died (different benefits may apply)

• Your partner died before 6 April 2017 (older bereavement benefits may apply)

• You were divorced or separated by court order at the time of death

• You are in prison

• You were cohabiting but had no dependent children and were not pregnant

If your partner died before 6 April 2017, you may still qualify for Widowed Parent's Allowance or Bereavement Allowance under the older system, though these are closed to new claims under the post-2017 rules.

How to claim

There are three ways to claim Bereavement Support Payment:

1. Online at GOV.UK

2. By phone, using the DWP Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 151 2012 (Welsh language 0800 731 0453, textphone 0800 731 0464)

3. By post, using form BSP1, which you can download from GOV.UK or pick up at a Jobcentre Plus

You'll need:

• The death certificate or registration reference

• Your National Insurance number and your partner's National Insurance number

• Your bank or building society account details

• Your Child Benefit reference number if you're claiming the higher rate

Getting the bank details right matters. An incorrect sort code or account number is the most common reason for a delayed first payment. First payments usually arrive within a few weeks of a successful claim.

Claim within 3 months for the full amount

The most important rule about Bereavement Support Payment is the time limit.

Claim within three months of the death and you'll receive the full lump sum plus all 18 monthly payments. Claim between 3 and 21 months after the death and you'll still get the lump sum, but the number of monthly payments is reduced proportionally. Claim after 21 months and you usually won't receive anything, unless your partner's cause of death was certified later.

The DWP can also backdate a claim by up to three months from the date you apply, if you would have qualified earlier.

What Bereavement Support Payment does and doesn't affect

Bereavement Support Payment is tax-free. You don't need to declare it on a Self Assessment return.

It doesn't count as income for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, or other means-tested benefits, so receiving it won't reduce them.

The lump sum is treated as capital after 12 months. If your total savings then exceed the threshold for any means-tested benefit you receive, your entitlement could be reduced. This is the one trap families often miss: a lump sum sitting in a current account for over a year can start to affect Universal Credit.

Bereavement Support Payment continues if you start a new relationship after your first payment. You cannot make a fresh claim based on a previous partner once you are in a new relationship.

Claiming Bereavement Support Payment is a single conversation with one department. The wider admin, notifying banks, insurers, pension providers, and dozens of other organisations, is a separate task and not covered by Tell Us Once.

Why claims get delayed or refused

The most common reasons for delays are administrative:

• The applicant doesn't have the deceased's National Insurance number to hand

• The applicant didn't claim within the three-month deadline and lost monthly payments

• The deceased's NI contribution record was incomplete or shows gaps

• A cohabiting applicant cannot evidence Child Benefit eligibility at the time of death

• The cause of death has not yet been certified, which can delay processing

If your claim is refused and you think the decision is wrong, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration from the DWP. You have one month from the date of the decision letter to request this.