Funeral Payment

Need to pay for a funeral?

What is a Funeral Payment?

If you or your partner are on a low income and have to arrange a funeral, you may get some help with the costs.

This is a one-off, tax-free payment to help cover the necessary costs of a funeral.

Who can get help with funeral costs?

You or your partner must get one of the following benefits.

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
• Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit

It must also be reasonable for you or your partner to pay for the funeral.

We may need to consider the circumstances of other relatives of the person who has died.

Normally the person needs to have been living in the UK when they died. The funeral usually needs to be held in the UK.

How much help can I get?

The Social Fund can help to pay for a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral.

This includes:

• the necessary costs of burial or cremation fees
• a new burial plot (if a burial is chosen)
• certain other expenses, and
• up to £700 for any other funeral expenses like funeral director’s fees, a coffin or flowers.

We may take off an amount for:

• any assets of the person who has died available to you or a member of your family
• any lump sum from a pre-paid funeral plan or insurance policy payout, and
• costs paid by a charity, relative or other grant.

What are the benefit rates?

Social Fund Funeral Payment covers the necessary cost of specified items or services plus up to £700 for other funeral expenses.

What do I need to do next?

You can download a Funeral Payment claim form

You can download a Funeral Payment claim form in PDF format. The form comes with notes that will help you fill it in and tell you where to send the completed form. This form does not apply to Northern Ireland.

 Funeral Payment form, print out a form to fill in with a pen (122k)

More information can be found in the leaflet 'The Social Fund'.

 The Social Fund (684.78kb)

Get help with PDF's

When do I claim?

You must claim within 3 months of the funeral date.

If you are waiting for a decision on a benefit you need to be getting to receive a Funeral Payment, you must still claim within the 3-month time limit.

Decisions and Reviews

Disagree with our loan or grant decision?