Bereavement advice

Bereavement Allowance is a regular payment which you can get if:You were 45 or over but below State Pension age when your husband, wife or civil partner died, and eitherThey had paid enough National Insurance contributions, orTheir death was caused by ...

The Bereavement Benefit Scheme was introduced on 9 April 2001, and applies to people widowed on or after this date. It also applies to people who became surviving civil partners on or after 5 December 2005. You may be able to get a Bereavement Payment ...

There are so many organisations that provide invaluable information and support to people affected by bereavement. Some serve a specific geographical area or people affected by a particular type of death. Please be aware that some of these organisations...

Administrator - The legal representative of a deceased person who has died without a Will and is usually one of the deceased's closest relatives; or the legal representative of a deceased person who has died with a Will but where there are no executors ...

Many of us find it difficult to know what to say or how we can help when we find out that someone we know has been bereaved. Depending on how well we know the bereaved person and whether we knew the person who died, there are many things we can do to ...

Before someone can be buried, you must have a Medical Certificate signed by a doctor. This is then given to the Registrar of Births and Deaths who keeps it and then issues the certificate for burial.You should find out if the person has already arranged...

No-one can be cremated until the cause of death is definitely known. The crematorium usually needs: An application form signed by the next of kin or executor, and either, Two cremation certificates (the first signed by the treating doctor and another ...

Check the will to see if the person who has died has given any instructions for their funeral. It is generally up to the executor or next of kin to decide whether to have a cremation or burial. The executor does not have to follow the instructions left ...

Friends, family, clergy or your doctor may be able to suggest a local company with a good reputation. If not, most local firms are listed in the Yellow Pages. Remember that charges can vary considerably from firm to firm.You may want to contact or ...

Many people choose to use a professional funeral director to organise a funeral. They do this partly because it is easier, at what is usually a stressful time.You can organise a funeral without the help of a funeral director, but you should ask the ...

Do not make final funeral arrangements until you are sure that you do not have to report the death to the coroner. This may affect the date when the funeral can be held.Find out if there is a will, as this may give details of what the person wanted for ...

You don’t claim for each benefit separately. To start your claim you can:Contact the DWP Bereavement Service. They will do a quick check of what benefits you may be able to get, and take your claim over the phone.Phone 0345 606 0265 (0345 606 0275 if ...

Widowed Parent’s Allowance is a regular payment you can get if:You’re under State Pension ageYour husband, wife or civil partner had paid enough National Insurance contributions, and eitherYou have at least one child you’re either getting Child Benefit ...

A Bereavement Payment is a tax-free lump-sum payment of £2,000 to help you at the time your husband, wife or civil partner dies. You can get a Bereavement Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner paid enough National Insurance contributions, or ...

The hospital may arrange the funeral of someone who dies in hospital if they cannot trace the person’s relatives, or if their relatives can’t afford to pay for the funeral. The hospital may make a claim on the person’s estate to pay for the funeral.If ...

We may pay expenses of £2,200 towards the cost of a funeral where a veteran dies and:Death was due to serviceWar Pensions Constant Attendance Allowance was being paid or would have been paid had the pensioner not been in hospital when they ...

You will need to fill in a claim form.Go to www.gov.uk/browse/benefits and download the claim form SF200. Then print it out, fill it in by hand and post it to us. For more information, please contact Jobcentre Plus.Also, you should contact the DWP ...

If you or your partner are on a low income and have to arrange a funeral, you may get some help with the costs. A Funeral Payment is a one-off, tax-free payment to help cover the necessary costs of a funeral. This includes: The necessary costs of a ...

There may be pensions or lump sums payable from a trade union, professional body or other association, or from a provident club which pays benefit when a member dies.If the person was getting a benefit before they died, there may be some of that benefit...

Many employers provide workplace pension schemes through work that pay a lump sum to help with funeral costs and sometimes pension benefits for a person’s surviving husband, wife, civil partner or even children. You should check to see if the person who...

There may be money to pay for the funeral from money the person has left behind (their ‘assets’) or through schemes and pensions that they paid into during their life.After someone dies, their bank account is ‘frozen’, unless it is a joint account. You ...

Funerals can be expensive. So remember to check where the money for the funeral will come from before making any arrangements. Otherwise, you may have to pay the bill yourself.Check first whether the person who has died had made any plans to pay for the...