Frequently asked questions
Do my savings or earnings affect the payment?
No. Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested. Your earnings, your savings, and the value of your home do not affect whether you qualify or how much you get. The only financial test is the National Insurance condition on your late partner's record, or a death caused by work.
Is the payment taxed?
No. Both the lump sum and the monthly payments are tax-free. They do not need to be declared as taxable income, and they do not affect your tax code.
What if I remarry or find a new partner?
Remarriage or a new partnership does not stop Bereavement Support Payment. This is a change from the older bereavement benefits, under which remarriage could end entitlement. Your monthly payments continue for the remainder of the 18 months, subject only to the State Pension age rule.
What if my partner died before 6 April 2017?
Bereavement Support Payment does not apply to deaths before 6 April 2017. The older benefits applied instead: Widowed Parent's Allowance for bereaved parents, Bereavement Allowance for bereaved spouses without dependent children, and the one-off Bereavement Payment. Existing Widowed Parent's Allowance awards continue while Child Benefit remains payable.
What if I was not married to my partner?
Since 9 February 2023, partners who were living together as if they were married can claim, subject to the Child Benefit or pregnancy condition explained on the children page, unless the claim is a backdated one. Before that date, cohabiting partners could not claim. If you were not married, not in a civil partnership, and not living together as if married, you cannot claim this benefit, although other benefits may be available.
What if I live abroad, or my partner died abroad?
You must have been living in the UK or in a country that pays bereavement benefits when your partner died. If you live abroad, claim through the International Pension Centre, as explained on the how to claim page. A death abroad does not automatically prevent a claim, but residence and contribution questions can be more complex, so ask the Bereavement Service or the International Pension Centre directly.
Can I claim if I am in prison?
No. GOV.UK states that you cannot claim Bereavement Support Payment if you are in prison, even if every other condition is met.
Does the payment affect my other benefits?
Not for a year after your first payment. After that year, money left from the lump sum could affect a means-tested benefit if you renew or make a new claim. You must tell your benefits office when the first payment arrives. See the other benefits page for the full explanation.
What happens when the 18 months end?
Payments simply stop. Nothing replaces them automatically. Check Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, and Child Benefit, and consider a free benefits check from Citizens Advice or Turn2us. Planning for month 19 during the payment period is far easier than starting from scratch when the last payment arrives.
Where can I get help that is not about money?
Cruse Bereavement Support, Samaritans, and local bereavement services offer free support that has nothing to do with benefits. Your GP can also help if grief is affecting your health. This site cannot provide bereavement counselling, and it does not try to: its job is only to explain the benefit clearly, so that money is one worry fewer at a painful time.
Where do I confirm the current rules?
On GOV.UK's Bereavement Support Payment pages, which are the primary source for this site and were checked on 25 October 2026. If anything on this site differs from GOV.UK when you check, follow GOV.UK and treat this site as out of date on that point.
Sources: GOV.UK, Bereavement Support Payment (eligibility, what you will get, how to claim), checked 25 October 2026; DWP Bereavement Support Payment claim notes; House of Commons Library, Bereavement Support Payment (CBP-7887).