Help with Funeral Costs Across the UK

If you are arranging a funeral and cannot afford the bill, there is government help. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is called a Funeral Expenses Payment, paid by the Department for Work and Pensions. In Scotland it is a Funeral Support Payment, paid by Social Security Scotland. Both cover the cost of a simple burial or cremation and up to £1,000 towards other funeral expenses, such as funeral director's fees and the coffin¹.

The money is not means-tested against your savings in the way most benefits are, but it is tied to the benefits you or your partner already receive, and to your relationship with the person who died. It is also usually reduced by any money left in the estate. You must apply within six months of the funeral³.

This page explains what each payment covers, who can claim, how the estate affects the amount, how to apply in each nation, and what to do if the decision goes against you.

What a Funeral Expenses Payment covers: burial or cremation fees plus up to £1,000

The payment is built from two parts. The first is the reasonable cost of a simple burial or cremation¹. The second is a flat contribution of up to £1,000 towards everything else, generally the funeral director's fees, or the cost of a coffin if you are arranging the funeral yourself².

Beyond those two parts, the payment can also cover specific extras: doctors' fees in Northern Ireland, death certificates needed to release money belonging to the person who died, and one return journey to arrange or attend the funeral, not including the cost of a funeral car. In some circumstances it can cover transport costs if the person who died needs to be moved more than 50 miles².

In Scotland the Funeral Support Payment is structured slightly differently. It is made up of burial, cremation or alkaline hydrolysis costs, travel and transport costs, documentation costs, and a flat rate payment⁹. It will cover the cost of one return journey, either to arrange the funeral or to attend it¹⁰.

One important limit: the payment is not designed to fund an elaborate funeral. It covers a simple burial or cremation, and the £1,000 is a ceiling, not a starting point¹.

Who can claim: qualifying benefits and your relationship to the person who died

To get a Funeral Expenses Payment you, or your partner, must be responsible for the funeral costs, and you must apply within six months of the date of the funeral³. You also need to be receiving one of a list of qualifying benefits at the time you claim. These include Income Support, State Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, certain Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit awards, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, and owner-occupier loan payments treated as entitlement to a specified benefit¹¹.

The relationship rule is where many claims fail. The basic rule is that there cannot be another person who was equally or more closely related to the deceased and who is not receiving a qualifying benefit¹². In practice this means close relatives, such as adult brothers and sisters including half and step siblings, who were at least as close to the person who died as you are, must also be on a qualifying benefit².

There is a further restriction in the legislation: there is no entitlement where the responsible person is an immediate family member, close relative or close friend, and an immediate family member who is not entitled to the relevant benefits was not estranged from the deceased, subject to exceptions¹¹.

In Scotland the test is framed around your relationship to the person who died and whether you meet the eligibility criteria, and the application process asks for that relationship to be recorded⁵. If you are on a low income, or your partner was claiming benefits, you can get help with funeral costs¹⁴.

Money in the estate is usually taken off the payment

The payment is not a straightforward grant that sits alongside whatever the person left behind. If the person who died had money or assets in their estate, such as a bank account or an insurance policy, that money is deducted from any award paid out². If you receive any money from the estate, your Funeral Expenses Payment will usually be deducted from it¹.

The deduction is calculated on money that is available without probate or letters of administration. There is an exception for money held as a joint tenancy, meaning a joint account where both people pay in and neither has restrictions on withdrawing³.

In Scotland the rule is similar: any available funds in the person who died's estate should be deducted from the Funeral Support Payment award¹⁵. A Funeral Support Payment is treated as a funeral cost, and if the person who died had money or assets in their estate, it may need to be repaid from that estate¹⁶.

Funeral expenses themselves are often the highest priority claim on an estate, except for some secured debts such as mortgages¹⁷. That matters because it means the estate is expected to meet the funeral bill before most other things, which is why the benefit is designed to step in only where the estate cannot.

How to claim in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Funeral Expenses Payment is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions⁶. The claim route is to call the DWP Bereavement Service if you live in England, Scotland or Wales, or the Northern Ireland Bereavement Service if you live in Northern Ireland. Where the funeral is not in the UK, the route is to seek advice before claiming¹⁸.

If the person who died lived in Northern Ireland, you may also be able to claim a Funeral Expenses Payment for a funeral in the Republic of Ireland¹⁸. More information and an application form are available at nidirect¹⁹.

The DWP aims to process Funeral Expenses Payments within 13 working days, though in practice it can take longer³. One practical difficulty is that the DWP requires an invoice to process a claim, which means applicants must commit to meeting funeral costs without knowing how much, if anything, they will receive²¹.

In Scotland, the Funeral Support Payment is administered by Social Security Scotland. Applications can be made by phone, and the application should take between 10 and 30 minutes to complete. Social Security Scotland aims to send a letter telling you whether you will be paid within 10 working days of getting everything it needs⁵. Applications can be made for up to six months after the date of the funeral²².

If you are claiming a Bereavement Support Payment at the same time, that is a separate payment with its own claim route: apply online at GOV.UK, by phone, or by post if you live in England, Scotland or Wales, or by phone or post via nidirect if you live in Northern Ireland²³. There is more on that in the guide to Bereavement Support Payment.

If your claim is refused: reconsideration and appeal within 30 days

If the DWP turns down your Funeral Expenses Payment, the decision can be looked at again. This is called a mandatory reconsideration, and the request is made within 30 days of the decision³. If the outcome is still disputed after the mandatory reconsideration, an appeal goes to an independent tribunal within 30 days of that reconsideration decision³.

In Scotland the process has different names and slightly different deadlines. You can ask for a re-determination within 31 calendar days of being notified of the determination. That deadline can be extended to up to one year where there is a good reason for lateness⁸. If you still disagree after the re-determination, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security Chamber) within 31 days of the re-determination³.

There is more detail on how these processes work in the guides to challenging a decision and appealing to a tribunal.

If the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan

A pre-paid funeral plan is one of the ways a funeral can be paid for, alongside a financial scheme the person had such as an insurance policy, contributions from you or other family and friends, or money from the person's estate such as savings²⁵. Pre-paid funeral plans are products that allow you to pre-arrange and pre-pay for your funeral with a provider, generally for a fixed cost, sold by third-party intermediaries or directly by providers, and paid for by a one-off premium or in instalments²⁶.

If a plan exists, it affects the claim. You must send a copy of the funeral plan, funeral bond or other such prepaid arrangement with your claim, along with any letter from the plan provider about the amount to be repaid²⁷. Because the payment is intended for funerals that would otherwise be unaffordable, a plan that already covers the cost will reduce or remove what you can get.

Funeral plans themselves are regulated, and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme covers certain claims relating to them²⁶.

Extra help for a child or a stillborn baby

If you are paying for the funeral of a child under 18 or a stillborn child, you may be able to get extra help⁷. In Scotland, a client applying for the funeral of a stillborn child will qualify for a Funeral Support Payment if they meet the eligibility criteria and have incurred costs for the funeral²⁸. The same applies to the funeral of a baby born alive who then dies, including babies born alive prematurely who die before 24 completed weeks of pregnancy²⁸.

Where to get free advice

The Down to Earth funeral costs helpline, run by Quaker Social Action, is staffed by an expert team who can offer free and confidential advice about help with funeral costs anywhere in the UK². Your local Citizens Advice can also help, and in Northern Ireland information and an application form are available at nidirect¹⁹.

If you are dealing with a death more broadly, there is guidance on what to do when someone dies and on the benefits that may be available through the benefits section.