Bereavement Support Payment After a Death Abroad

The Benefits Nobody Tells You About

When a spouse or civil partner dies abroad, the surviving partner in the UK is often so consumed by the logistics — repatriation, death certificates, foreign probate — that they never think to check whether they qualify for UK government bereavement benefits. In many cases, they do. The fact that the death occurred in another country does not automatically disqualify you.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP)

Bereavement Support Payment replaced the older Bereavement Allowance and Bereavement Payment in April 2017. It is available to surviving spouses and civil partners under State Pension age whose partner had paid National Insurance contributions.

Eligibility when the death occurs abroad:

• You must have been married to or in a civil partnership with the deceased at the time of death
• The deceased must have paid NI contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year (or died as a result of an industrial accident/disease)
• You must be under State Pension age
• The death occurring abroad does not affect eligibility — the claim is based on the deceased's NI record and your relationship, not the location of the death

What you receive:

• A lump sum of either £2,500 or £3,500 (higher rate if you have dependent children)
• Monthly payments of £100 or £350 for up to 18 months

The catch: you must claim within 21 months of the death. Claims made within 3 months are backdated to the date of death. Claims made after 3 months lose the backdated payments for the months between the death and the claim.

When a death occurs abroad, the administrative burden of securing legalised death certificates and managing foreign estate procedures regularly pushes families past the 3-month backdating window. Filing the BSP claim early — even before you have the apostilled and translated death certificate — can protect any available backdating. Ask the DWP what evidence it will accept while you complete the legalisation process.

Funeral Expenses Payment

If you are on a qualifying means-tested benefit (Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or in some cases a Support for Mortgage Interest loan), you can apply for a Funeral Expenses Payment from the Social Fund to help with funeral costs.

Key rules for deaths abroad:

• The payment covers "necessary" funeral costs, but what counts as "necessary" when the funeral takes place in another country is assessed on a case-by-case basis
• If you choose to repatriate the body, the cost of repatriation is not automatically covered — the DWP assesses whether a local funeral abroad would have been a reasonable alternative
• The payment is recoverable from the estate if the estate has sufficient assets

Apply using form SF200, available online or by calling the DWP Bereavement Service. The claim must be made within 6 months of the funeral.

What About the State Pension?

This is not a benefit you claim — it is one you need to stop. The deceased's State Pension must be reported to the DWP immediately. Any payments made after the date of death are overpayments that the estate must repay, and the DWP will pursue recovery.

Call the DWP Bereavement Service on +44 191 218 1914 from Spain (or 0800 731 0469 within the UK) to report the death and ask about any benefit claim.

For a permanent resident of Spain, the UK's "Tell Us Once" service cannot be used. You must notify each department individually: DWP, HMRC, passport office, DVLA, and local council. If the person was abroad temporarily, check with a UK register office whether Tell Us Once can be used.

How to Claim Without the Final Death Certificate

The Spanish apostille may be issued instantly through the digital route or take up to 5 days by post; a sworn translation can take 24 hours to 5 days. You do not need to wait before contacting the DWP. Call the Bereavement Service, explain that the death occurred abroad, and ask what evidence it will accept while the legalised certificate is being obtained.

For a full walkthrough of the document legalisation process and UK notification checklist, see our UK dies in Spain guide.