If your partner has died, you may be entitled to Bereavement Support Payment — a government benefit that provides a lump sum followed by monthly payments for up to 18 months. It is not means-tested, not taxable, and claiming it will not reduce your entitlement to other benefits. Many eligible people never apply, either because they don't know the payment exists or because the paperwork feels impossible at the worst possible time. This guide explains who qualifies, what you could receive, and why the timing of your claim matters more than almost anything else.
What is Bereavement Support Payment?
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a government benefit for people who have lost a spouse, civil partner, or a cohabiting partner with dependent children. It replaced three earlier schemes — the Bereavement Payment, Bereavement Allowance, and Widowed Parent's Allowance. It applies only to deaths that occurred on or after 6 April 2017. If your partner died before that date, the older scheme rules continue to apply to any payments already in place.
The payment has two parts: a one-off lump sum when you first claim, followed by up to 18 monthly payments. Depending on your circumstances, the total can reach nearly £10,000. In England, Scotland and Wales, BSP is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In Northern Ireland, the Department for Communities handles claims.
Who is eligible?
Three conditions must all be met for you to claim:
- You were under State Pension age when your partner died.
- You were legally married, in a civil partnership, or living together as a cohabiting couple with a dependent child (or pregnant) when your partner died.
- Your partner had paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in any single tax year since 6 April 1975.
You must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK, or in a country with a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK, at the time of the death. If you were living abroad, contact the International Pension Centre rather than the standard helpline.
If you were married or in a civil partnership
You are eligible regardless of whether you have children, as long as the three conditions above are met. There is no income or savings threshold — BSP is not reduced by anything you earn or own. If your late partner was self-employed, or if there were gaps in their National Insurance record, it is still worth applying. The DWP will check their full NI history, and contributions paid as far back as 1975 count towards the 25-week threshold.
If you were in a cohabiting relationship
A landmark ruling in February 2023 extended BSP to unmarried couples — but with an important restriction. To qualify, you must have been receiving Child Benefit for at least one dependent child, or have been pregnant, when your partner died. Living together without children does not qualify under current law.
If your partner died before February 2023, you may still be entitled: some awards have been backdated to August 2018. Turn2Us and Citizens Advice can help you assess your eligibility and support a backdated claim. Don't assume the window has closed without checking.
How much will you receive?
The amount depends on whether you have a dependent child or children at the time of your claim.
Higher rate — if you have a dependent child
- Lump sum: £3,500
- Monthly payments: £350 for up to 18 months
- Maximum total: £9,800
Lower rate — if you do not have a dependent child
- Lump sum: £2,500
- Monthly payments: £100 for up to 18 months
- Maximum total: £4,300
All payments are completely tax-free. The lump sum is typically paid within six weeks of your claim being approved; monthly payments follow from there. These figures have been fixed since BSP launched in 2017, so check gov.uk for any changes when you come to claim.
The claim deadline — this matters more than you might expect
This is the most important part of this guide. Most people don't know that the 18-month payment window starts from the date of your partner's death, not the date you claim. Delaying your application does not pause the clock — it simply means you receive fewer payments.
- Claim within 3 months: You receive the full lump sum and all 18 monthly payments.
- Claim between 3 and 12 months: You receive the lump sum, but have already missed some monthly payments — however many months have passed since the death.
- Claim between 12 and 21 months: You lose the lump sum entirely and receive only whatever monthly payments remain in the 18-month window.
- After 21 months: The window closes completely. Nothing can be claimed.
To make it concrete: if your partner died in January and you claim in August — seven months later — you will receive the lump sum but have already missed six monthly payments. At the higher rate, that is £2,100 that cannot be recovered.
If you are in the early weeks of bereavement and this feels like one thing too many, please note the date and ask someone you trust — a family member, your GP's surgery, or a bereavement charity — to help you return to this when you are ready. The financial difference between claiming promptly and claiming late can be significant.
How to make a claim
There are three ways to apply:
- Online: At gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment. The form takes around 15 minutes and you can save your progress.
- By phone: Call 0800 151 2012 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). The Bereavement Service helpline can answer questions before you apply, and can take your claim over the phone.
- By post: Download Form BSP1 from gov.uk, complete it, and post it to your local Jobcentre Plus. Paper forms are also available at any Jobcentre Plus office.
You will need your own National Insurance number, your partner's National Insurance number, the date of their death, and your bank or building society details. Once submitted, the DWP aims to process claims within four to six weeks.
Other bereavement benefits worth knowing about
BSP is often the most significant payment available, but it is not the only support you may be entitled to. Depending on your circumstances, it is worth exploring:
- Funeral Expenses Payment: A means-tested grant toward funeral costs, available if you or your partner were receiving certain benefits at the time of the death.
- Council Tax discount: If you now live alone, you are entitled to a 25% single-person reduction. Contact your local council to arrange this.
- Universal Credit or other benefit reviews: Your household income has changed. It is worth checking whether you are now entitled to means-tested benefits you were not eligible for before.
- Late partner's workplace or personal pension: Many schemes include a death-in-service lump sum or a dependant's pension. Contact your partner's employer or pension provider directly.
The Bereavement Service helpline (0800 151 2012) can also run a benefit check across multiple DWP payments in a single call, which saves you having to contact each department separately.
Will BSP affect my other benefits or tax?
No. BSP is not taxable and does not count as income for Income Tax or National Insurance purposes. For means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit or Housing Benefit:
- The lump sum is disregarded as capital for 12 months from the date you receive it. After that, it counts as savings and may affect entitlement if it takes you above the capital threshold.
- Monthly payments are always fully disregarded — they will never reduce what you receive from other benefits, no matter how long you claim them.
If you are on Universal Credit and unsure how to declare the lump sum, contact your work coach before spending it. They can advise on how to report it correctly.
What if your claim is refused?
An initial refusal is not the end of the road. If the DWP turns down your application, you have the right to request a mandatory reconsideration — a formal review of their decision. If the reconsideration goes against you, you can appeal to an independent Social Security and Child Support tribunal.
Turn2Us and Citizens Advice offer free support throughout this process. If the refusal relates to your partner's National Insurance record, it is also worth checking with HMRC whether their contributions were recorded correctly. If you were in a cohabiting relationship and were refused before the February 2023 law change, it is particularly worth asking an adviser to review your position.
A note on the months ahead
No payment changes what has happened. But having some financial stability in the months after a loss means one less source of pressure while you find your footing, and that matters more than it might sound right now.
If you are supporting a recently bereaved friend or family member, helping them note the 3-month deadline is one of the most practical things you can do. So is being there for the quieter moments — knowing what to write in a bereavement card when words don't come easily, or understanding what the stages of grief actually feel like for someone in the middle of them, can help you show up in ways that genuinely help.
When you are ready to honour your loved one's life in a lasting way, Memoriance lets you create a memorial page that keeps their photographs, story and memories together in one place — for the price of a bouquet of flowers. A place that friends and family can visit, contribute to, and return to for years to come.