Funeral Planning

KNOWING YOUR BENEFITS IFYOU’RE on a low income and need help to pay for a funeral, you may be able to claim for a Funeral Expenses Payment. Who is eligible? You can get a Funeral Expenses Payment if you get certain benefits or tax credits, you meet the parent of a baby stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, the parent or person responsible for a deceased child who was under 16 (or under 20 and in approved education or training). Bereavement payment You may get Bereavement Allowance if all the following

Pension age, you’re entitled to Child Benefit for at least one child and your late husband, wife or civil partner was their parent, your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease You may also claim WPA if you’re pregnant and your husband has died, or you’re pregnant after fertility treatment and your civil partner has died. Bereavement payment, bereavement allowance and widowed parent’s allowance are available in England, Scotland and Wales only. Tell Us Once Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. When you register the death the registrar will let you know if the service is available in your area, give you the phone number, give you a unique reference number to use the Tell Us Once service online or by phone Details about all the benefits and advice available can be found on www.direct.gov.uk

the rules on your relationship with the deceased and you’re arranging a funeral in the UK, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. Benefits and tax credits You must get one or more of the following: Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, the disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit. You can still claim Funeral Expenses Payment if you’ve applied for these benefits and you’re waiting to hear about your claim. Relationship with the deceased You must be one of the following: the partner of the deceased when they died, a close relative or close friend of the deceased,

apply: your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017, you were 45 or over when your husband, wife or civil partner died, you’re under State Pension age, your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease. You can get Bereavement Allowance for up to 52 weeks from the date your husband, wife or civil partner died. The amount you get depends on the overall level of your husband, wife or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions and your age at the time of their death Widowed parent’s allowance You may get Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) if all the following apply: your husband, wife or civil partner died before April 6, 2017, you’re under State

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