How to Apply for Bereavement Support Payment After Your Partner Dies

Who can claim Bereavement Support Payment?

Bereavement Support Payment is a Department for Work and Pensions benefit for some people whose partner died on or after 6 April 2017.

When your partner died, you must have been:

• under State Pension age;
• living in the UK or in a country that pays bereavement benefits; and
• married to your partner, in a civil partnership with them, or living with them as if you were married.

Your partner must also normally have either paid enough Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance contributions in at least one tax year since 6 April 1975 or died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work.

You can still submit a claim if you do not know whether your partner paid enough National Insurance. The Bereavement Service can check this.

Can an unmarried cohabiting partner claim?

Yes, but additional conditions apply. If you were living together as if married but were not married or civil partners, then, for an ordinary current claim, one of these must normally have applied when your partner died:

• you were receiving Child Benefit for a child who lived with you;
• the Child Benefit Office had told you that you were entitled to Child Benefit for a child who lived with you, even if you chose not to receive it; or
• you were pregnant.

If your deceased partner was the person receiving or entitled to Child Benefit instead, GOV.UK says you need to make a new Child Benefit claim in your own name before applying for Bereavement Support Payment.

Does your partner need to have paid National Insurance?

Usually, yes. The person who died must normally have paid a sufficient amount of Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance contributions in any one tax year since 6 April 1975.

There is an alternative route where the death resulted from an accident at work or a disease caused by work.

If you do not know your partner's contribution record, do not assume you are ineligible. DWP specifically says you can still claim and the Bereavement Service will tell you whether the condition is met.

Why should you claim within 3 months?

You should normally claim within 3 months of your partner's death to receive the one-off payment and all of the monthly payments for which you qualify.

The date you submit your claim directly affects the amount you can receive.

What happens if you claim after 3 months?

If more than 3 months but fewer than 12 months have passed since the death, you can still receive the one-off payment, but you will receive only some of the monthly payments.

What happens if you claim after 12 months?

If more than 12 months but fewer than 21 months have passed, you cannot receive the one-off payment, but you may still receive some monthly payments.

Can you claim after 21 months?

You usually need to claim within 21 months of your partner's death. After 21 months, you normally cannot receive Bereavement Support Payment.

There is a limited exception where the cause of death was only confirmed recently. GOV.UK advises contacting the Bereavement Service if this applies.

Who gets the higher rate?

If you were married or in a registered civil partnership, you can receive the higher rate if, when your partner died, you were:

• getting Child Benefit for a child who lived with you;
• entitled to Child Benefit for a child who lived with you, even if you had chosen not to receive it; or
• pregnant.

The maximum higher-rate award in 2026 is:

• a £3,500 one-off payment; and
• up to 18 monthly payments of £350.

Qualifying cohabiting partners receive the higher-rate structure because their eligibility itself depends on the relevant child or pregnancy conditions.

What is the standard rate?

If you were married or in a civil partnership but do not qualify for the higher rate, the maximum standard-rate award is:

• a £2,500 one-off payment; and
• up to 18 monthly payments of £100.

These rates remain in force for the 2026 to 2027 benefit year.

What if you reach State Pension age soon after your partner dies?

The amount you receive also depends on when you reach State Pension age. If you reach State Pension age within 18 months of your partner's death, GOV.UK says you may receive fewer monthly payments.

If you are approaching retirement and need to understand the separate pension process, Helpydo also explains how to claim your State Pension.

What information do you need to apply?

For a Bereavement Support Payment claim, GOV.UK says you need:

• your National Insurance number;
• your bank or building society account details;
• the date your partner died; and
• your partner's National Insurance number.

The current paper application is form BSP1, published by DWP.

Can you apply online?

Yes. Bereavement Support Payment can be claimed online through the official GOV.UK service.

There is no application fee.

Can you claim by phone?

Yes. In Great Britain you can contact the Bereavement Service to apply by phone.

The official Bereavement Service telephone number listed by GOV.UK is 0800 151 2012. A Welsh-language service and accessibility options are also available.

If you live in Northern Ireland, GOV.UK provides a different telephone and postal application process.

How do you claim by post?

You can download the current BSP1 Bereavement Support Payment claim form or ask the Bereavement Service to send one to you.

Complete the form and send it to the address printed on the current form. DWP updated the BSP1 form and accompanying notes in February 2026.

What if you live outside the UK?

You may still qualify if you were living in a country that pays bereavement benefits when your partner died and the other eligibility conditions are satisfied.

GOV.UK instructs people applying from abroad to contact the International Pension Centre rather than using the ordinary Great Britain telephone route.

Do earnings or savings affect your Bereavement Support Payment?

No. Bereavement Support Payment is not means-tested. Your earnings and the amount you already have in savings do not reduce the Bereavement Support Payment award itself.

Is Bereavement Support Payment taxable?

No. GOV.UK lists Bereavement Support Payment as a tax-free state benefit, so you do not pay Income Tax on these payments.

Will Bereavement Support Payment affect Universal Credit or other benefits?

GOV.UK states that Bereavement Support Payment does not affect your other benefits for one year after your first payment. You must still tell the relevant benefits office when you start receiving it.

After one year, money left from the Bereavement Support Payment can affect another means-tested benefit when you renew or make a new claim. Universal Credit guidance also confirms that Bereavement Support Payment is disregarded as capital for up to 12 months after receipt.

If your household income changes after your partner's death, you may separately need to check whether you can claim Universal Credit.

When can you not claim?

You cannot receive Bereavement Support Payment if you are in prison.

If your partner died before 6 April 2017, Bereavement Support Payment is generally not the applicable benefit. GOV.UK says you may instead be eligible for Widowed Parent's Allowance, depending on the circumstances.

What about older claims from unmarried partners?

Eligibility was extended in February 2023 to certain bereaved cohabiting parents. Special transitional backdating deadlines applied to people whose partners had died before that change.

Those special backdating windows have now expired, so they should not be confused with the normal current rule for a recent bereavement. For an ordinary current claim, the key timing rules are 3 months for the full available payment and usually 21 months as the final claim limit.

What happens after you apply?

DWP checks the eligibility conditions, including the deceased partner's National Insurance record where required, and decides whether you qualify for the higher or standard rate and how many payments remain available based on the claim date.

Approved payments are paid into the bank, building society or credit union account supplied with the claim.

DWP does not publish a fixed processing-time target on the current Bereavement Support Payment claim pages, so avoid delaying a claim in an attempt to collect information that DWP can verify itself, particularly National Insurance contribution history.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting more than 3 months and losing some of the monthly entitlement.
• Assuming you cannot claim because you do not know whether your partner paid enough National Insurance.
• For an unmarried partnership, overlooking the Child Benefit or pregnancy conditions.
• Forgetting to make a Child Benefit claim in your own name where the deceased partner was the person receiving or entitled to it.
• Assuming your wages or existing savings make you automatically ineligible.
• Using an outdated BSP1 form instead of the current DWP version.
• Failing to tell the relevant benefits office that you have started receiving Bereavement Support Payment.
• Confusing the expired special backdating rules for older cohabiting-partner cases with today's ordinary 21-month claim deadline.

What should you check before submitting the claim?

Check the date your partner died first. If you are still within 3 months, claim promptly so that a delay does not reduce the amount available.

Have your National Insurance number, your partner's National Insurance number, the date of death and your payment-account details ready. If you were living together but were not married or civil partners, also check the Child Benefit or pregnancy requirement before submitting the claim.