Department of Work and Pensions  - FUNERAL PAYMENT INFORMATION

 

What is a Funeral Payment? Who can Apply?

 

A funeral payment is made from the Social Fund to people who are on a low income for disbursments such as  a cremation or burial fee, doctors fees for certiying the death and the services of a Funeral Director up to £700.00.

 

You can apply to the Funeral Payment Scheme to help with the cost of paying for a Funeral only if:

 

a) You are receiving one of the following: Income Support, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Based Job Seekers Alowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit,  Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit which includes a disability element or a Severe Disablement  Element;

 

b) You are paying and accept responibility for the funeral expenses andyour local benefits office accepts that it is reasonable for you to do so;

 

To make a claim for a funeral payment  you must complete a 25 page form the SF200. This must be submitted to the DWP by the person paying for the Fuenral.

No grant  is payable until AFTER the Funeral and receipt of the Funeral Directors Invoice. It must be noted that in the interim there is no way for you to know the amount of the grant awarded or even if it is to be paid at all.

 

WHAT IS A FUNERAL PAYMENT USED FOR?

 

The costs of the actual Cremation or Burial are usually met in full by the payment ,together with reasonable costs of transporting the person who has died, the coffin and the hearse.

However, the additional costs of the services of a Funeral Director are subject to a MAXIMUM of £700.

 

In summary:

 

A Funeral Payment is only available to people on qualifying benefits , it may not meet the full cost of the Funeral you choose and you would then be liable to pay the shortfall;

 

We will respectfully ask for a deposit, equivilent to the Cremation or Burial fee BEFORE the Funeral and the DWP will not pay this before the funeral takes place. You will  need to have available the deposit fees.

 

The claimant must be the person who is taking responsibilty for the arrangements and they must be on the qulaifying benefits. It does not matter whether or not the person who has died was on benefits - this does not qualify.

The Telephone number for the Funeral Payment