Widowed parents are being urged to check whether they can claim backdated bereavement benefits before the deadline in February.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) extended the eligibility criteria to include cohabitating parents with dependent children, meaning many more families could be entitled to a payment, which could be worth thousands of pounds.
The Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance are designed to help parents with the financial impact of losing a partner. Previously these benefits were only available to eligible bereaved parents who were married or in a civil partnership, but the law was changed earlier this year to make it fairer to children.
DWP Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie said: “This is an important law change which extends support to many more bereaved families with children, regardless of whether parents were married or in a civil partnership.
“I would urge any parents eligible for backdated money to put in their claim now so they can benefit from this financial support as soon as possible.”
Taking to ITV’s Lorraine show, Financial Times journalist and host of the podcast, Money Clinic, Claer Barrett told viewers the support “could be worth up to £10,000” in some cases making it “worth looking into”.
When the DWP extended eligibility in February, it opened a 12-month window for cohabiting parents to backdate their claims. This means parents whose partner died before February 9, 2023, have until February 8, 2024, to claim.
After this, it will not be possible to claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance and parents will not get their full entitlement to a backdated payment of Bereavement Support Payment.
Who is eligible for support?
The benefit a parent is eligible for will depend on the date their partner died. If their partner died before April 6, 2017, they would need to claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
If a person’s partner died on or after April 6, 2017, they would need to claim Bereavement Support Payment, which has replaced Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
The earliest point payments can be backdated to is August 30, 2018, even if the person’s partner died before this date.
To qualify for either of these bereavement benefits, parents must be under the state pension age (currently 66), have paid a certain amount of National Insurance contributions and be either pregnant or having a dependent child on the day their partner died.
Alison Penny MBE, director of the Childhood Bereavement Network said: “It has been very moving to hear stories from parents who have received a backdated payment after years of being unable to access this lifeline benefit for them and their children.
“We think there are many others out there who could be in line for payment. We encourage anyone who thinks they might be eligible to look into this and seek specialist welfare benefits advice if they are in any doubt about the effects that a back payment could have on their wider tax and social security entitlements.”
Parents can claim Bereavement Support Payment online, over the phone or through a paper application form.
