No theres something wrong there !!! There shouldnt be any problem ! I would contact your MP … if you were married everyone should get it !!! Its not too bad either and will help you for 18 months … make life a bit easier xx
Lost mine 12 weeks ago he was in Belgium and he just literally died (still waiting on coroner). I got him home (massive complications) then 8 weeks after he’s stuff followed (motorbike recovery as well) then about 2 weeks ago everything was dealt with and I feel like I’m worse now then when it happened! Have you applied for bereavement support allowance?
@Brokenlady Hi brokenlady, I’ve given a link to the qualifying terms for bereavement support payment, its from the Government website, I had a quick read through and as far as I can see it’s non means tested and doesn’t mention children under 18
If you think you qualify it might be worth getting in touch with Citizens Advice they will be able to help
No that’s not right, I have no children but got the payments, please check gov.uk for bereavement support payment and apply online. As long as you’re not retired and your husband paid national insurance you should get it . It’s so easy to claim with hardly any questions and it’s not means tested. Please try as it’s a lot of money to miss out on. It felt so wrong to me to be getting money because my husband passed away but I could hear him in my head saying “ claim it… I paid enough in “ so I did and it really helped with my finances
@Deb5 is right…my son is 23 and my husband died at 53, before retirement age so if your husband paid National Insurance you should be entitled to bereavement payments.
I worked in IT for 35 years and found myself sending blank e mails and had trouble paying in 2 cheques via the banking app. I have to check and re check everything I do.
I didn’t get this either. Applied three times , as despite being told and by looking at the criteria and on paper looking like I qualified for it, I didn’t.
We weren’t married and didn’t have kids of our own.
I’ve heard people in the same position have had the payment so not sure why.
@Ali29 can only think it was because you weren’t married? Which is ridiculous if you lived together. I got it but had to take my marriage certificate into the local job centre. My daughter is an adult and didn’t live with us so don’t think you need to have kids.
Go tp your MP … they help with benefits you know xx
Thats why we have them and people dont use them enough … they sort it out so quickly !!honestly i know. Ive done it in the past xx
@Ali29 Hey ALi, having had a closer read through the criteria it seems as if, if you were not married but living with a partner as married to qualify you have to have been in receipt of child benefit, eligible for child benefit or pregnant.
So it appears that you get it if you’re married regardless but if not married, children have to be involved. Another under the radar present from our lovely government. they also changed the rules so that from what I can find I will get none of my wife’s state pension. Gotta love those guys!
@Walan you’re joking! It’s a farce, can you appeal?
You’d think they would make it easier to deal with all the financial side, probate etc and no one is happy to hand over money without making you jump through hoops with your grief backpack on!
It’s a nightmare and I’m pretty savvy! Lol
@Ali29 Nah can’t appeal the rules were changed in 2016, if we had married before then then I would qualify for some of her pension. Now nothing. Well that’s my understanding of it, I’ll go back to it nearer the time, hopefully!
Tbh in my experience bereavement benefits are quite straightforward as far as benefits are concerned. It’s when you have to apply for ESA and PIP that the fun really begins
I was once asked to provide 15 years of bank statements, who keeps their bank statements for 15 years
Its all so wrong isnt it, married or not if you live with someone for all this years tou ahoukd be entitled to same as everyone else xx
Does seem a bit outdated in the modern age. Wasn’t eligible for anything as I get state pension. Am lucky enough to get part of my husbands as well. Can’t access the rest of his money until we have been through probate and still waiting for some figures before we can start the process so income suddenly dropped massively.
It takes so long. It does shock me how long things take and how your supposed to manage financially while you’re waiting.
No … children don’t come into it. I knew someone who was a widow and had no children. Only criteria is if your partner has to have paid national insurance … x
I am very lucky. We had built up a pretty healthy savings pot although when he died our pensions were being changed from drawdown to annuity. In order to get a better return when he was given a terminal diagnosis we had to cancel and start again. Can’t access his but my new annuity may cut in about 6 weeks and gives a better return than the old one. I just need to hang on until then. He was the spender so credit card less. I don’t drive so no car finance but I do have the cost for carers. Don’t know what things will be like yet. Too soon to tell.
@Deb5 If you were married or civil partnership then that’s the case, if you were unmarried and living as married (partners)then you only qualify for it if you were in receipt of child benefit or qualified for child benefit, but hadn’t applied, or are pregnant at the time of bereavement. Well that’s my understanding of the information on the government website