Funeral Payment

If you have a low income and are currently entitled to receive certain benefits, you may be entitled to a Funeral Payment if you should need help covering the costs of a funeral. If you or your partner are currently claiming:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit

you may be entitled to a Funeral Payment. In some cases you can apply for a Funeral Payment when receiving Working Tax Credit, such as when you receive extra for a disability, and when receiving Child Tax Credit. You or your partner must be responsible for organising and paying for the funeral. The deceased must usually have been a UK citizen and the funeral must usually take place in the UK; however, in some cases you may receive a Funeral Payment for a funeral taking place in another country which is in the European Economic Area, or EEA, or in Switzerland. Your chances of receiving a Funeral Payment are affected by other family members of the deceased who are not currently receiving benefits, since it is assumed that they will be able to contribute to covering the funeral costs.

A Funeral Payment will cover the costs of basic funereal necessities, such as a burial plot, cemetery or crematorium fees, travel costs and up to £700 for other expenditures, such as flowers or a wake. If you receive a Funeral Payment it will not affect any other benefits to which you are entitled. Funeral Payments can be recovered from the deceased person’s estate, including property, savings and possessions. The items left to the deceased person’s surviving spouse or civil partner are not included when calculating the deceased person’s estate for purposes of Funeral Payment repayment.

If you consider that you might be eligible for a Funeral Payment, you should contact your local Jobcentre Plus for information and a claim form. You can contact Jobcentre Plus via the helpline 0800 055 6688. Claims must be made between the date of death of the relative in question and the three month anniversary of this date. If your claim is successful you will be sent a cheque made out to the funeral director, which they can use to cover the expenses of the funeral.