Bereavement Benefits

Funeral Support Payment

Funeral Support Payment helps pay for funeral costs if you live in Scotland.

You could be eligible if you live in Scotland, are on certain benefits and are responsible for the funeral.

Bereavement Support Payment

You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017.

You could be eligible if your partner either:

• paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks,
• died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work, or
• under State Pension age.

Bereavement Payment

If your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017 you may be eligible for a one-off, tax-free, lump-sum payment.

You may be able to get Bereavement Payment if, when your husband, wife or civil partner died, you were either:

• under State Pension age, or
• over State Pension age and your husband, wife or civil partner wasn’t entitled to a State Pension based on their own national insurance contributions.

Additionally, your husband, wife or civil partner must have:

• paid enough National Insurance contributions, or died because of an industrial accident or disease.

Bereavement Allowance

You can get Bereavement Allowance for up to 52 weeks from the date your husband, wife or civil partner died. The amount you get depends on:

• the overall level of your husband, wife or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions
• your age at the time of their death

You may get Bereavement Allowance if all the following apply:

• your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017,
• you were 45 or over when your husband, wife or civil partner died,
• you’re under State Pension age, and
• your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease.

Widowed Parent's Allowance

Widowed Parent's Allowance is a weekly benefit for widows, widowers, or surviving civil partners, and have a dependent child or are pregnant.

The amount you get is based on how much your late husband, wife or civil partner paid in National Insurance contributions.

You may get Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) if all the following apply:

• your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017,
• you’re under State Pension age,
• you’re entitled to Child Benefit for at least one child and your late husband, wife or civil partner was their parent, and
• your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease.

You may also claim WPA if you’re pregnant and your husband has died, or you’re pregnant after fertility treatment and your civil partner has died.

War Widow(er) Pension

You may be entitled to War Widow’s or Widower’s Pension if your wife, husband or civil partner died as a result of their service in Her Majesty’s (HM) Armed Forces or during a time of war.

Your claim can be considered under the War Pension Scheme PS if you are no longer serving and your disablement was caused as a result of service in the armed forces before 6 April 2005.

If your partner was injured, developed an illness or died as a result of service on or after 6 April 2005, you can claim through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Armed Forces Compensation Payment (AFCS)

The AFCS provides compensation for any injury, illness or death which is caused by service on or after 6 April 2005.

 You can claim under the AFCS where your illness or injury was caused as a result of service on or after 6 April 2005. You do not need to have left the Armed Forces before claiming.