Bereavement Support Payment Eligibility: Who Qualifies and How to Claim

Missing the three-month deadline for Bereavement Support Payment could cost you thousands of pounds in lost benefits. Yet many surviving partners don't even know BSP exists until weeks after a death, when a friend mentions it or they stumble across it on GOV.UK.

What Is Bereavement Support Payment?

BSP replaced the older Bereavement Allowance in April 2017. It provides a tax-free lump sum plus 18 monthly payments to surviving spouses, civil partners, and — since February 2023 — eligible cohabiting partners with dependent children.

The payment comes in two rates:

• Higher rate (if you have dependent children): £3,500 lump sum plus £350 per month for 18 months — totalling £9,800
• Standard rate (no dependent children): £2,500 lump sum plus £100 per month for 18 months — totalling £4,300

BSP is non-means-tested, so your income, savings, and other benefits don't affect eligibility. It also doesn't count as taxable income.

Who Qualifies?

You can claim BSP if all three conditions apply:

1. Your relationship qualifies. You were married to, in a civil partnership with, or cohabiting with the deceased. Cohabiting partners only qualify if they were pregnant or receiving Child Benefit for a child living with them at the time of death.

2. You're under State Pension age at the date of death. If you've already reached State Pension age, BSP isn't available — though you may be able to inherit part of your late partner's State Pension instead.

3. The deceased's National Insurance record qualifies. They must have paid Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks in any single tax year since April 1975. Alternatively, if the death resulted from an industrial accident or prescribed occupational disease, the NI requirement is waived entirely.

The Three Deadlines You Must Know

BSP operates on a sliding scale that punishes delay:

• Within 3 months of death: You receive the full lump sum plus all 18 monthly payments
• Between 3 and 12 months: You keep the lump sum but lose the monthly payments for each month you were late
• Between 12 and 21 months: No lump sum, and only the remaining monthly payments
• After 21 months: The claim is entirely invalid — no payments at all

That first three-month window is critical. If your partner died and you haven't claimed yet, this should be your next phone call.

How to Apply

You can apply online through GOV.UK or by completing form BSP1 and posting it to the DWP. You'll need:

• Your partner's death certificate
• Your marriage or civil partnership certificate (or evidence of cohabitation with children)
• Your National Insurance number and your late partner's NI number
• Your bank or building society details for payment

Processing typically takes a few weeks. If you're already receiving Universal Credit or other DWP benefits, BSP won't affect those payments.

The 2023 Cohabitation Extension

Before February 2023, unmarried cohabiting partners were completely excluded from BSP — regardless of how long they'd lived together. A landmark legal challenge changed this, but the extension comes with strict conditions.

You qualify as a cohabiting partner only if:

• You were living with the deceased as though you were married or in a civil partnership
• You were either pregnant or receiving Child Benefit for a dependent child living with you at the time of death

Cohabiting partners without children remain excluded. This is one of the most common points of confusion — and heartbreak — in the current system.

What If Your Claim Is Denied?

If the DWP refuses your BSP application, you have one month from the date on the decision letter to request a Mandatory Reconsideration. You must clearly explain why you believe the decision is wrong and provide supporting evidence.

If the reconsideration is unsuccessful, you can escalate to an independent First-tier Tribunal. Late reconsideration requests (up to 13 months) may be accepted if you can demonstrate "good reason" for the delay — such as hospitalisation or severe grief that prevented you from responding in time.

BSP and Other Benefits

BSP sits alongside other survivor support, not instead of it. While you're claiming BSP, you may also be eligible for:

• Funeral Expenses Payment if you're on qualifying benefits
• Council Tax exemptions on the deceased's property
• Guardian's Allowance if you're raising children whose parents have both died
• Inherited State Pension entitlement (separate from BSP)

The England Survivor Benefits Navigator maps all available benefits against your specific circumstances, with deadline trackers and eligibility checklists so nothing falls through the cracks during the most overwhelming period of your life.

See more England guides →