Bereavement Support Payment calculator
Bereavement Support Payment is up to £9,800 (higher rate) or £4,300 (lower rate). See what you get, and what a late claim loses.
Bereavement Support Payment is up to £9,800 at the higher rate (a £3,500 one-off payment then 18 monthly payments of £350) or £4,300 at the lower rate (£2,500 then 18 payments of £100), if your husband, wife, civil partner or, in some cases, the partner you lived with died on or after 6 April 2017 and you were under State Pension age. It is tax-free and not means-tested, but the date you claim changes what you get. Enter your dates to see what a claim pays.
Enter the date your partner died and press the button.
How much Bereavement Support Payment is
| Rate | One-off payment | Monthly payments | Most you can get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher rate | £3,500 | 18 x £350 | £9,800 |
| Standard (lower) rate | £2,500 | 18 x £100 | £4,300 |
The amounts are set in regulation 3 of the Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017 and are the same sums the regulations had when they were made in 2017. They do not rise with inflation each April: the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2026 (art 19) says each of the four sums "remains unchanged". gov.uk gives the same figures (what you'll get).
Each monthly payment is for a "monthly recurrence" of the day of the month your partner died. If they died on the 15th, the payments are for the 15th of each of the next 18 months. A death on the 31st recurs on the last day of shorter months, and a death on the 29th or 30th recurs on the last day of February (reg 3(7) and (8)). DWP's own example: a death on 31 October 2017 gave recurrences on 30 November, 31 December, 31 January and 28 February (Decision Makers' Guide 59032).
Higher or lower rate (reg 4): you get the higher rate if you were pregnant when your partner died, or were entitled to Child Benefit then, or afterwards become entitled to Child Benefit for a child or qualifying young person who was living with you or your partner immediately before the death. gov.uk adds that being told by the Child Benefit Office that you were entitled counts even if you chose not to be paid it. If the Child Benefit was in your partner's name, gov.uk says to make a new Child Benefit claim in your own name before you apply. Everyone else who qualifies gets the standard rate.
How a late claim reduces what you get
gov.uk puts it simply: claim within 3 months of the death to get the one-off payment and all 18 monthly payments; between 3 and 12 months you keep the one-off payment but get only some monthly payments; between 12 and 21 months you lose the one-off payment but can still get some monthly payments; after 21 months you usually get nothing (gov.uk).
The exact rule is in regulation 2. The payment period ends 18 months after the death. It starts on the date of death if you claim within 3 months; if you claim later, it starts 3 months before the day you claim, so your claim is backdated by 3 months and the payment dates before that are lost. A claim more than 3 months after the period ends (about 21 months after the death) gets nothing. The one-off payment needs a claim made 12 months or less after the death (reg 3(2) and (5)).
Because of the 3-month backdating, a claim made a few weeks after the 3-month point can still pick up every monthly payment: in DWP's example, a death on 14 May 2017 and a claim on 6 September 2017 gave a period starting 6 June 2017, before the first payment date of 14 June. Do not plan around that. Claim within 3 months, as gov.uk advises, and the question does not arise.
If more than 21 months have passed, gov.uk says you may still be able to claim if the cause of death was only recently confirmed: call the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012.
Worked examples: a death on 15 January 2026, higher rate
- Claim on 20 February 2026 (within 3 months): £3,500 plus 18 payments of £350, £9,800. At the standard rate the same claim pays £4,300.
- Claim on 1 September 2026 (7 and a half months): the period starts on 1 June 2026, so the payments for February to May are lost. £3,500 plus 14 payments, £8,400.
- Claim on 10 March 2027 (almost 14 months): no one-off payment, and the period starts on 10 December 2026. 8 payments, £2,800.
Computed by the calculator above from regs 2 and 3. Estimates only; DWP decides.
Who qualifies
Under section 30 of the Pensions Act 2014, you are entitled if all of these apply when your partner died:
- they were your husband, wife or civil partner, or your cohabiting partner (living together as if married or civil partners) and you were pregnant or entitled to Child Benefit, or later become entitled to Child Benefit for a child who lived with you or your partner just before the death (reg 4);
- you were under State Pension age. Payments also stop from the date you reach it (s.30(5)): in DWP's example, a death on 3 November 2017 and State Pension age on 12 January 2018 meant no entitlement from 12 January. Check yours with our State Pension age calculator;
- you were ordinarily resident in Great Britain or a "specified territory", which regulation 8 defines as any part of the Channel Islands not covered by a reciprocal agreement order. gov.uk puts it as living in the UK or a country that pays bereavement benefits; reciprocal social security orders modify the rules for some countries;
- the death was on or after 6 April 2017 (s.30(6); for an earlier death, gov.uk says you may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance instead); and
- your partner met the National Insurance contribution condition, below.
It is not means-tested: your earnings and savings do not matter, and you do not need to be on any other benefit. You cannot be paid for any period while you are a prisoner, meaning imprisoned or detained in legal custody in connection with criminal proceedings, or unlawfully at large (reg 6). If you are remanded in custody, payment is stopped only if you are later given a prison, detention or suspended sentence for the offence (reg 7). Only one person can get Bereavement Support Payment for one death. Where more than one person would qualify, the one who was a member of the same household as the person who died is entitled, with further tie-break rules if more than one was (s.30(1A) to (1D)).
The National Insurance condition
Your partner must, in at least one tax year of their working life, have actually paid Class 1 or Class 2 contributions giving an earnings factor of at least 25 times that year's weekly lower earnings limit (Pensions Act 2014 s.31(1)). In 2026/27 the weekly lower earnings limit is £129, so for this year that would be £3,225; earlier years use their own, lower, limits. gov.uk says the year can be any year since 6 April 1975. Class 3 voluntary contributions are not Class 1 or Class 2, so they do not count (see our voluntary National Insurance guide).
Contributions the law treats as paid count as "actually paid". An employee earning at least the lower earnings limit but not more than the primary threshold pays nothing but is treated as having actually paid a Class 1 contribution for that week, for contributory-benefit purposes (SSCBA 1992 s.6A(2) and (3)(c)). A self-employed person with profits at or above the small profits threshold is treated, for benefit purposes, as having actually paid a Class 2 contribution for each week of self-employment in the year (SSCBA 1992 s.11(5A) to (5C)).
The condition is treated as met if your partner was an employed earner and died as a result of an industrial accident or a prescribed industrial disease (s.31(3)). gov.uk: if you are not sure your partner paid enough, claim anyway and the Bereavement Service will tell you.
Unmarried partners: the 2023 change
Until 2023 only husbands, wives and civil partners could claim. After court rulings that excluding unmarried parents was incompatible with human rights law (the explanatory note names the Supreme Court's McLaughlin case and the High Court's 2020 Jackson case), the Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 added cohabiting partners. It was made on 8 February 2023, came into force on 9 February 2023, and its changes are treated as having had effect from 30 August 2018.
- Death on or after 9 February 2023: a cohabiting partner who was pregnant or entitled to Child Benefit gets the higher rate, and the payment period and one-off payment rules in the BSP Regulations (regs 2 and 3) apply as they do for a spouse. gov.uk applies the same claim time limits. The calculator covers this.
- Death from 6 April 2017 to 8 February 2023: special backdating rules applied, with a claim window of 21 months beginning 10 February 2023 (SI 2023/134 art 3(5)). That window has closed. The calculator does not model these claims; if you think you were affected, call the Bereavement Service.
An unmarried partner with no child and no pregnancy still cannot get Bereavement Support Payment. More on what unmarried partners can and cannot claim in our cohabiting partner rights guide.
Tax and other benefits
- Tax-free. Bereavement support payment is in Table B of ITEPA 2003 s.677, the benefits wholly exempt from Income Tax, and on gov.uk's list of tax-free state benefits. (Widowed Parent's Allowance, for older deaths, is taxable.)
- Other benefits. gov.uk: it will not affect your benefits for a year after your first payment; after a year, money left from the first payment could affect a renewal or a new claim. Tell your benefits office when you start getting it.
- Universal Credit. Bereavement Support Payment is not in the list of unearned income that reduces UC (UC Regulations 2013 reg 66), and the one-off payment is disregarded as capital for 12 months (Schedule 10 para 20).
How to claim, and where this applies
Claim online, by phone to the Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012, or by post on form BSP1. You need your National Insurance number, your bank details, the date your partner died and their National Insurance number (gov.uk how to claim). From abroad, call the International Pension Centre.
This page applies the law for England, Wales and Scotland (the Pensions Act 2014 and SI 2017/410). Northern Ireland has its own legislation, the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 s.29 and its own regulations; nidirect gives the same headline amounts and explains how to claim there.
Related: our step-by-step guide to the money side of a bereavement, help with funeral costs through a Funeral Expenses Payment, and, if you are working, Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay after the death of a child.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Bereavement Support Payment?
The higher rate is a £3,500 one-off payment and 18 monthly payments of £350, up to £9,800 in all. The lower (standard) rate is £2,500 and 18 monthly payments of £100, up to £4,300. You get the full amount only if you claim in time; a later claim pays less.
Who gets the higher rate of Bereavement Support Payment?
You get the higher rate if, when your partner died, you were pregnant or entitled to Child Benefit, or if you later become entitled to Child Benefit for a child who was living with you or your partner just before the death. Otherwise a husband, wife or civil partner gets the lower rate.
Can I get Bereavement Support Payment if we were not married?
Yes, if you were living together as if married or in a civil partnership and you were pregnant or entitled to Child Benefit when your partner died, or you later become entitled to Child Benefit for a child who lived with you or your partner just before the death. You then get the higher rate. This has applied since the Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023. Without a child or pregnancy, an unmarried partner cannot get it.
How long do I have to claim Bereavement Support Payment?
gov.uk says claim within 3 months of the death to get the one-off payment and all 18 monthly payments. Claim within 12 months to keep the one-off payment. After that only some monthly payments are left, and usually nothing is payable once 21 months have passed.
Is Bereavement Support Payment taxable?
No. It is listed in Table B of section 677 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, the list of social security benefits wholly exempt from Income Tax, and gov.uk lists it as a tax-free benefit. You do not put it on a tax return.
Does Bereavement Support Payment affect Universal Credit?
gov.uk says it will not affect your benefits for a year after your first payment. For Universal Credit the monthly payments are not counted as income, and the one-off payment is ignored as capital for 12 months. After that, money left from it counts as savings. Tell your benefits office you are getting it.
What National Insurance did my partner need to have paid?
In at least one tax year since 6 April 1975, enough Class 1 or Class 2 contributions to reach 25 times the weekly lower earnings limit for that year. Contributions the law treats as paid count too: an employee earning between the lower earnings limit and the primary threshold, and a self-employed person with profits at or above the small profits threshold. Voluntary Class 3 contributions do not count. The condition is treated as met if your partner was an employee and died from an accident at work or an industrial disease.