Bereavement Support Payment
When someone close to you dies, it is natural to worry about how you will manage financially, especially if the person who died was your partner. This guide explains who can claim Bereavement Support Payment, how much you could receive, and the time limits that apply, so you can understand your entitlement at a difficult time.
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a benefit that may be available if your husband, wife or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017. Since February 2023, some unmarried partners can also claim. It is not means-tested, so it can be claimed regardless of your income, savings or employment status.
Who can claim: your relationship to the person who died
To qualify for BSP, the person who died must have been:
Your husband or wife
Your civil partner
Your cohabiting partner, but only if both of the following applied at the time of death: you were living together as if married, and you were entitled to Child Benefit for a child you were both responsible for, or you were pregnant
Age rules
You must have been under State Pension age when your partner died.
National Insurance conditions
The person who died must have either:
Paid Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in any one tax year, or
Died as a result of an accident at work, or a disease caused by their work
How much you could receive
BSP is paid at one of two rates. The higher rate applies if you were entitled to Child Benefit when your partner died, or you were pregnant. The standard rate applies if neither of these applied. Both rates are frozen for 2026/27.
Lump sum
£3,500 (higher rate) if you were entitled to Child Benefit or were pregnant
£2,500 (standard rate) if you were not
The lump sum must be claimed within 12 months of the date of death. It is usually paid alongside your first monthly payment.
Monthly payments, for up to 18 months
£350 per month (higher rate)
£100 per month (standard rate)
Monthly payments are made in arrears, usually on the same day of the month as the date of death. Where that date is the 29th, 30th or 31st, payment is made on the last day of the month.
Claiming in time
To receive the full amount, claim within 3 months of the date of death. You then receive all 18 monthly payments.
You can still claim after 3 months, but monthly payments can only be backdated by 3 months, so you may lose some of the earlier months.
Claims are accepted up to 21 months after the death, but you will receive less. After 21 months, you cannot normally claim at all.
Backdating is applied automatically when you claim.
Will it affect my other benefits?
Bereavement Support Payment is not counted as income for the benefit cap, and it can be paid alongside other benefits. For 12 months after your first payment, it does not affect your other benefits. After 12 months, any of the lump sum you have not spent may count as savings, which could affect means-tested benefits if it takes your savings above the threshold.
Is it taxable?
No. Bereavement Support Payment is tax-free.
Can payments stop?
Payments stop if you reach State Pension age, or if you are sentenced to prison or held on remand. If you are released after being on remand, payments can be reinstated.
What if I remarry?
Remarrying, forming a new civil partnership, or starting to live with a new partner does not affect your Bereavement Support Payment. Once awarded, it continues for the full period.