News
Deadline Approaching For Parents To Claim Backdated Bereavement Support
05 - 02 - 2024
The deadline of 08 February 2024 for bereaved parents to claim backdated financial support is fast approaching.
From February 2023, cohabiting parents and carers have been able to claim the same bereavement benefits to help bring up their grieving children as if they had been married or in a civil partnership. It is also possible for to make retrospective claims as the previous eligibility criteria, which excluded unmarried couples, was found to be unlawful.
Bereaved
parents who lost their partner between 09 April 2001 and 08 February 2023 may
be eligible for a backdated support payment even if they no longer have
dependent children. The payments are intended to help with the financial impact
of losing a partner whilst raising children.
Claims must be
made by 08 February 2024.
The type of payment
that can be claimed depends on the date your partner died. If this was before
06 April 2017 you would need to claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance. For deaths occurring
from 06 April 2017 onwards you should claim Bereavement Support Payment (BPS).
Backdated Bereavement Support Payments may be claimed if your partner died
before 09 February 2023.
Eligibility
Criteria
When they
died, you and your partner must have either been:
- married or in a civil
partnership
- living together as though you
were married or in a civil partnership
All the
following must also apply:
- you’re under State Pension
age
- your partner paid National
Insurance contributions, or they died because of an accident at work or a
disease caused by work
- you’re entitled to Child
Benefit for at least one child
·
The maximum Widowed Parent’s
Allowance is £139.10 per week.
· The maximum Bereavement Support Payment is a one-off payment of £3,500 and 18 monthly payments of £350.00. This may also apply if you are making a backdated claim and your partner died on or after 30 August 2018. If your partner dies before 30 August 2018 you may get up to 18 monthly payments.
The amount you would receive would depend on your partner’s National Insurance contributions. Eligibility would usually cease when you were no longer entitled to Child Benefit or reached State pension age.
You can find
out more on how to claim here - https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment
