Support for bereaved families

On behalf of my constituents, I wrote to HM Treasury to seek further information regarding government support for bereaved families at this difficult time. I was provided with the following response – I hope this information is of some help to those who have recently lost loved ones.

Support government provides for the bereaved:

To support distressed low income families suffering a bereavement, help is available through Funeral Expenses Payments to assist with the costs of a burial or cremation.

You are eligible for a Funeral Payment if it is reasonable for you or your partner to take responsibility for the funeral costs and you are getting means tested benefits such as Universal Credit.

The person who has died must have been ordinarily resident in the UK at the date of death and the funeral must normally take place in the UK

Full help may be given with certain funeral expenses including burial or cremation. Other expenses – such as funeral directors’ fees, the cost of a coffin, church fees and flowers – may be covered but only up to a maximum of £1000.

If you receive a Funeral Payment, it will have to be paid back from any estate of the person who died. The estate means any money, property and other things that the deceased person owned. A house or personal things that are left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner will not be counted as part of the estate.
More information on Funeral Expenses Payments is available here: https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is also available if your husband, wife or civil partner has died and they have a sufficient national insurance record. These benefits are not means-tested, so they are available to anyone regardless of their income level and can be paid whether or not you are working. BSP consists of an initial lump sum payment of £2,500 (or, if you have children, £3,500) and a further 18 monthly instalments of £100 (or, if you’re eligible for Child Benefit, £350).

More information on Bereavement Support Payment is available here: https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment