At last, bereaved families gain financial support

Thousands of bereaved young families struggling with finances when a partner dies can now claim support worth up to £9,800, thanks to a campaign backed by Wealth & Personal Finance.

Last week, the House of Commons voted in favor of a bill to help nearly 23,000 grieving families where parents were living together but not married.

The surviving mother or father can now claim the same bereavement support that was previously only offered to married couples or civil partnerships. The new rules, which are expected to take effect early this year, could benefit an estimated 1,800 widows or widowers a year.

The change is also retroactive to cover an additional 21,000 claims as of August 30, 2018, which could affect those whose spouses died more than a decade ago. Unfortunately, families only have a 12-month window to claim back support before the offer is dropped.

Families entitled to child benefit, who are still in full-time education until the age of 20, can receive a lump sum of £3,500, followed by monthly payments of £350 over 18 months.

The WAY Widowed and Young charity is leading the fight for equal rights for bereaved people, as highlighted in our newspaper in recent years.

Georgia Elms, campaign ambassador for the charity, says: ‘Thanks to the campaign of brave bereaved parents – along with the support of others – justice is finally being done. Many are forced to suffer many years of financial hardship.”

The extra money will help families who are most vulnerable – who face a drop in household income when there may be additional childcare costs along with funeral expenses. To be eligible for help, you must be younger than the state pension age, currently 66 years.

The benefits largely come from the national insurance contributions of the deceased partner, so the deceased partner must have paid contributions for at least 25 weeks in one tax year since 1975 or must have died due to an occupational accident or illness.

More than half of all births are now to unmarried couples, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

For more information, please contact the Death Helpline on 0800 151 2012.