Bereavement payments
The Bereavement Allowance was a weekly benefit that was payable to certain widows, widowers, or surviving civil partners whose spouse or civil partner died before 6 April 2017. Prior to that date, it was also possible for qualifying applicants to claim the Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Payment.
The new Bereavement Support Payment was launched on 6 April 2017. The Bereavement Support Payment replaced Bereavement Allowance, Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Payment. If you lose your spouse or civil partner on or after 6 April 2017 you may be eligible to claim the Bereavement Support Payment.
You could be eligible to claim if your partner either paid National Insurance contributions for at least 25 weeks or died because of an accident at work or a disease caused by work. You must also be below the State Pension Age in order to claim Bereavement Support Payment. The new system of state bereavement payments usually means a more generous initial bereavement payment, but further support payments may be less than under the old system.
HMRC has a specialist bereavement services team that deals with PAYE and Self Assessment issues which arise when a taxpayer dies. In most cases, the team provides family members or personal representatives with a single point of contact when finalising the PAYE and Self Assessment affairs of the deceased.
Latest News
- Tax Diary May/June 2024
18/04/2024 - More...
1 May 2024 - Due date for corporation tax due for the year ended 30 July 2023. 19 May 2024 - PAYE and NIC deductions
- Payrolling employee expenses and benefits
18/04/2024 - More...
Employers can register on a voluntary basis (before the start of the tax year) to report and account for tax on certain
- Changes to Scottish Income Tax rates 2024-25
18/04/2024 - More...
A reminder of the changes to Scottish Income Tax rates for the 2024-25 tax year. It was announced as part of the
Newsletter
With our newsletter, you automatically receive our latest news per e-mail and get access to the archive including advanced search options!