To date the Bereavement Support Payment programme has only been available to those couples who are married. From September this is being extended to allow unmarried, cohabiting couples with children to make a claim for financial support.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said in November 2021: “This legislative change is in progress to enable more families to access support during the most difficult of times and will face full parliamentary scrutiny. Once approved by Parliament, payments could be backdated to 30 August 2018.”
- Those who do not have children can receive a lump sum payment of £2,500 and monthly payments of £100 for up to 18 months.
- Those who have children or are pregnant can get a lump sum payment of £3,500 and monthly payments of £350 for up to 18 months.
There is no tax on any of the payments.