Help With Funeral Costs

You can get a Funeral Expenses Payment if all of the following apply:

• you get certain benefits or tax credits
• you meet the rules on your relationship with the deceased
• you’re arranging a funeral in the UK, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland

You might be able to get other help to pay for the funeral if you’re not eligible for Funeral Expenses Payment.

British Legion / Other charities .

You (or your partner) must get one or more of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• The disability or Severe Disability Element of Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Universal Credit

You might also be eligible if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.

You can still claim Funeral Expenses Payment if you’ve applied for these benefits and you’re waiting to hear about your claim.

If you were responsible for a deceased child but you’re not their parent, the non-resident parent must get one or more of these benefits.

If there’s a close relative of the deceased who is not getting one of these benefits, you might not be able to claim Funeral Expenses Payment.

You must be one of the following:

• the partner of the deceased when they died
• a close relative or close friend of the deceased
• the parent of a baby stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy
• the parent or person responsible for a deceased child who was under 16 (or under 20 and in approved education or training)

You might not get a Funeral Expenses Payment if another close relative of the deceased (such as a sibling or parent) is in work.