Recently Bereaved?
If you have recently been bereaved following the loss of your spouse or civil partner, not only will you have to be coping with the loss of a loved one; you may also have the unsettling worry of how you may have to cope financially, both in relation to the costs of the funeral and as a result of loss of income.
In such circumstances you should be aware of financial assistance which may be available to you subject to completion of an application form.
If you are on a low income and need financial help to pay for a funeral you're arranging, you may be able to get a one-off Funeral Payment from the Social Fund. You might have to repay some or all of it from the estate of the person who died, but you may be able to get a Funeral Payment depending on the benefits you are receiving, your relationship with the person who died and any other money that may be available to help with the cost of the funeral.
A Funeral Payment includes necessary burial or cremation fees, certain other specified expenses and up to £700 for any other funeral expenses, such as the funeral director's fees, the coffin or flowers. If the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan, you'll only get help for items not already covered by the plan.
After you are widowed you may be able to claim Bereavement Allowance, the taxable weekly benefit paid to you for up to 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner.
You may be able to claim Bereavement Allowance if all of the following apply:
you're a widow, widower or surviving civil partner aged 45 or over when your husband, wife or civil partner died
you're not bringing up children
you're under State Pension age (currently 60 for women and 65 for men)
your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions (NICs), or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease Finally, if your husband, wife or civil partner has died you may be able to get Bereavement Payment, a one-off, lump-sum payment of £2,000 that's tax-free. You may be able to claim Bereavement Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner had paid their National Insurance contributions (NICs) or their death was caused by their job and either:
you were under State Pension age (60 for women and 65 for men) when they died or your husband, wife or civil partner was not entitled to Category A state Retirement Benefit when they died.
The one-off Bereavement Payment does not generally affect your entitlement to other benefits. But your savings and Bereavement Payment may reduce the amount of means-tested benefits you get.
Assistance for the claiming of these benefits can be obtained from the Department of Work and Pensions, but it is most important that you seek to claim any entitlement as soon as possible as time limits do apply.
Amanda Perrotton
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