Financial support for the bereaved

Financial support for the bereaved

If you have a low income and are worried about paying for a funeral, the following sources of support may be helpful: 1. Funeral payment from the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) www.gov.uk/funeral-payments You can claim by telephone to the Bereavement Service Helpline 0800 731 0469 (Choose Option 2) Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm (free from mobiles and landlines) or by post. You will need to download a claim form from the website above and send it to the address on the form. As of January 2018, to get the Funeral Expenses Payment you must: - get certain benefits or tax credits - meet the rules on your relationship with the deceased person - be arranging a funeral in the UK, the European Economic Union or Switzerland. You have 3 months from the date of the funeral to make a claim. If you are awarded a payment, it won’t cover the whole funeral bill. As such, depending on where you live, you might have to pay up to a third of the cost of a simple funeral. You will usually have to pay the DWP back from any money you get from the person’s estate such as savings.

2. Bereavement Support Payment from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) www.gov.uk/bereavement-support payment

You may be able to receive this if your wife, husband or civil partner: - paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks - died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work

When they died you must have been: - under State Pension age - living in the UK.

You must claim within 3 months of the death to receive the full amount. You can apply using a downloadable form or by telephone to the Bereavement Service Helpline 0800 731 0469 (Choose Option 2) You may be able to access charitable support to help towards funeral costs. The social worker at St Michael’s Hospice can advise you about this. You may find it helpful to contact the following for free impartial advice:

Money Helper at www.moneyhelper.org.uk or 0800 011 3797

The Quaker Social Action’s Down to Earth service www.quakersocialaction.org.uk/we-can-help/helping-funerals/ down-earth or 0208 983 5030

The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have created a dedicated telephone helpline, an address box and a new form for people who need to contact them about PAYE and Self Assessment matters relating to bereavement.

When you call the HMRC, an automated message starts, select option 2, then option 4 to speak to an advisor on the Bereavement Helpline.

• Telephone Helpline 0300 200 3300

Office Hours: 8.00am to 8.00pm - Monday to Friday 8.00am to 4.00pm – Saturday. 9.00am to 5.00pm – Sunday • For anyone who is deaf or has a hearing or speech impairment

Telephone 0300 200 3319 (Textphone).

If you need to write to HMRC about income tax and bereavement, such as form R27 (reclaiming tax or paying tax when someone dies), self assessment tax return and any other correspondance relating to bereavement for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Self Assessment, write to the address below

HM Revenue & Customs Pay As You Earn & Self Assessment PO Box 4000 Cardiff, CF14 8HR