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Bereavement Benefits

 
The government introduced a new system of bereavement benefits for widows and widowers in April 2001. These will not affect those already receiving widow's benefits.
There are three bereavement benefits which replace the previous widows' benefits. To be entitled to the benefits, you must have been legally married and your late husband or wife must have paid National Insurance (NI) contributions. Your own NI contributions do not count. You cannot get the new bereavement benefits if:
  • You are divorced from your late husband or wife
  • you remarry
  • you are living with someone else as husband and wife without being legally married
  • you are in prison or being held in legal custody
1. Bereavement Payment
A one-off tax-free lump sum of £2,000 as soon as you are widowed, as long as you meet the conditions. These are that;
  • your late husband or wife paid their National Insurance contributions (NICs) or their death was caused by their job
and either:
  • your husband or wife was not entitled to Category A state Retirement Benefit when they died, or you were under the state pension age (60 for women and 65 for men) when they died
2. Widowed Parent's Allowance
If you're a parent who's husband, wife or civil partner has died and you have a dependent child or young person (aged 16 and under 20) for whom you receive child benefit, you may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance (WPA).  A taxable weekly benefit to a current maximum of £84.25 a week is available as long as you meet the following conditions; 
  • you're bringing up a child or young person under 19 (or under 20 in some cases) for whom you're getting Child Benefit
  • you're under State Pension age (60 for women and 65 for men)
  • your husband, wife or civil partner died
  • your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions (NICs) conditions
You may also claim WPA if:
  • your husband, wife or civil partner died as a result of their job - even if they didn't pay NICs
·         you're expecting your late husband's baby or your late civil partner's baby (with whom you were pregnant from fertility treatment) 
It's important that you tell your local Jobcentre Plus or Social Security office if your circumstances change, for example if you remarry or start to live with a partner as husband or wife or as if you have formed a civil partnership.

3. Bereavement Allowance
After you're widowed, you may be able to claim Bereavement Allowance, the taxable weekly benefit paid to you for 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner, if all of the following apply:
  • you're a widow, widower or surviving civil partner aged 45 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
The maxium weekly rate for 2006/07 ranges from £25.28 per week if widowed at 45 years old up to £84.25 to State Pension age.  The actual amount depends on the overall level of NICs, your age at the time of his/her death and if relevant, your age when Widowed Parent's Allowance stops.
All the relevant information is available on the government website www.direct.gov.uk
You can also order a Bereavement Benefits pack over the telephone from your nearest Jobcentre Plus or social security office.  The pack has help notes on how to complete the claim forms.
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