Widowed Parent's Allowance

Last updated April 2006

This benefit is dealt with by Jobcentre Plus.

• if you are aged under 45 and do not have a dependent child or children you cannot get Widowed Parent's Allowance or Bereavement Allowance
• if you were over state pension age when you were widowed you may get extra Retirement Pension based on your husband or wife's NI contributions
• if your husband, wife or civil partner died as a result of their job, you may be able to get bereavement benefits even if they did not pay enough NI contributions
• you cannot get bereavement benefits if you were divorced from your husband or wife or your civil partnership was dissolved
• you cannot get bereavement benefits if you remarry or reform a civil partnership or if you live with a partner as if you are married to them or as if you had formed a civil partnership (in Scotland, special habit and repute provisions apply)
• you may be able to get Widowed Parent's Allowance if you are not getting Child Benefit
• bereavement benefits are not affected if you work
• if you get Widowed Parent's Allowance you may be able to get the Additional Pension part of your husband, wife's or civil partner's state Retirement Pension. This is paid from the State Earnings- Related Pension Scheme (SERPS)
• you may be able to claim Child Tax Credit if you are not currently receiving this. To find out more about Child Tax Credit and to get a claim form visit: www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits

All claims made on or after 6 April 2003 will receive Child Tax Credit. Contact HMRC www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits  to inform them of your change of circumstances.

How do I claim?

Claim straight away. If you delay you may lose benefit.

Contact your social security office for a claim form. Find your local office on this site or look in the phone book under Benefits Agency, Jobcentre Plus or social security.

It is important that we can be sure of your identity when you make a claim. We may need to ask you about your background and look at any official documents you have to support the information you give.

You can download a bereavement benefit claim form in PDF format. This form does not apply in Northern Ireland. Please choose a form from the options below.

This form only works in version 4, or above.

You can download documents marked with a using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free of charge.

If you want to fill in the form on screen (923k).

• We recommend that you save this file to your computer hard disk or a floppy disk before completing it.
• To save a copy of the file to disk right click with your mouse on the link below and choose the 'Save Target As' option.
• You can not save the form once you have opened it in an internet browser.
• After you have completed the form on screen, you will have to print and sign it.

If you want to print out a form to fill in with a pen (184k)

The form comes with notes that will help you fill in the form and tell you where to send the completed form.

More information

For more information on benefits for people bringing up children, get leaflet BC3 Bringing up children? from your Jobcentre Plus office or social security office.

Child Benefit
Funeral Payments
Income Support
Jobseeker's Allowance

Remember that this website is only a general guide to benefits and schemes, and is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. We have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website is correct at the date shown at the top of the page. However, changes in the law may make the website become gradually less accurate.