Funerals
Funeral Expenses Payment: what it covers and what is left to pay
The payment helps people on certain benefits who are arranging a funeral. Enter the fees and other costs from the funeral director’s quote.
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Funeral Expenses Payment
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
Most the payment can cover
£2,100
| Burial or cremation fees | £1,100 |
| Other costs, capped | £1,000 of £1,000 |
| Left to pay | £2,200 |
Only for someone getting a qualifying benefit and arranging the funeral; claim within 6 months. Any money in the estate is taken back.
The Funeral Expenses Payment, also called a Funeral Payment, helps with the cost of a funeral you are arranging if you or your partner get a qualifying benefit, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA or Housing Benefit. It can pay burial fees for a particular plot or cremation fees, including the doctor’s certificate, travel to arrange or attend the funeral, moving the body more than 50 miles within the UK, and death certificates. On top of that it pays up to £1,000 for other costs such as the funeral director, flowers or the coffin, or only up to £120 for items not covered if the person had a prepaid funeral plan. With £1,100 of fees and £3,200 of other costs, the most it can cover is £2,100, leaving £2,200 to find. It is deducted from any money you later receive from the estate, and must be claimed within 6 months of the funeral.
Rates read and sums checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the figures are worked out
What is paid against different funeral costs
The fees are paid in full in this example; other costs are capped. The two right-hand columns show the lower cap of £120 when the person had a prepaid funeral plan, which assumes the plan pays for the rest.
| Other funeral costs | Most paid, no plan | Left to pay, no plan | Most paid, with a plan | Not covered by the payment, with a plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,000 | £2,100 | £0 | £1,220 | £880 |
| £2,000 | £2,100 | £1,000 | £1,220 | £1,880 |
| £3,000 | £2,100 | £2,000 | £1,220 | £2,880 |
| £4,500 | £2,100 | £3,500 | £1,220 | £4,380 |
The estate comes first
GOV.UK states that the payment is deducted from any money you get from the estate of the person who died. The estate here includes their money and property, but not a house or personal things left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner. Money from an insurance policy can also reduce what is paid. So for a family with a life policy or savings, the payment is a bridge rather than a gift. A policy written in trust pays the beneficiaries directly and is not part of the estate.
Other bereavement support
A partner who was married or in a civil partnership, or living together with children, may also be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment, up to £9,800 in all at the higher rate, if the person who died paid enough National Insurance and the partner is under State Pension age. It is a separate claim. Universal Credit is one of the qualifying benefits for the funeral payment; if you have applied for a qualifying benefit and are waiting, you can still claim.
Planning ahead
For people who will not be on a qualifying benefit, the state pays nothing towards a funeral, and costs fall on the estate or the family. The usual ways to prepare are savings, a prepaid funeral plan, an over 50s plan or a funeral budget inside a larger life policy, which the life cover calculator includes as a line. Claims must be made within 6 months of the funeral.
What to keep for the claim
The claim asks for details of the person who died, the relationship, the benefits you get and the funeral costs. Keeping the funeral director’s invoice or signed contract, the death certificate and your benefit award letters together makes the claim quicker. If a decision goes against you, it can be appealed to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal, as GOV.UK explains. The Bereavement Service helpline can also check whether you can claim other bereavement benefits in the same call.