Bereavement Support Payment

You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months.

You must claim within 3 months of your partner’s death to get the full amount. You can claim up to 21 months after their death but you’ll get fewer monthly payments.

Bereavement Support Payment has replaced Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow’s Pension), Bereavement Payment, and Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

Your partner

You could be eligible if your partner either:

• paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year since 6 April 1975
• died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work

When they died you must have been:

• under State Pension age
• living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits

You cannot claim Bereavement Support Payment if you’re in prison.

If your partner died more than 21 months ago

You may still be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner’s cause of death was confirmed more than 21 months after the death. Call the Bereavement Service helpline.

If your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017, you may be able to get Widowed Parent’s Allowance instead.