A woman managed to reclaim a staggering £38,000 in Bereavement Support Payments after being made aware she may be eligible through a tip from Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis.
Writing in this week’s Money Saving Expert (MSE) email, the team wrote: “Of the many, many successes shared with us, this issue has been among the most heart-wrenching.
“Thanks to a law change this year, unmarried couples with children became eligible for backdated bereavement support if one partner died, sometimes worth £10,000s. Sara got in touch last week to say she received a massive payment.”
Sharing Sara’s note, it reads: “I would like to say a huge THANK YOU for letting us know about bereavement support payments. My partner died in 2013 and I was left with our five-year-old son.
“We had no life insurance, so I had to ask my parents for help and sell the family home. I sent in the application form and received £38,000, and I’m getting a weekly amount due to my son being in full-time education.” (sic)
Earlier this year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened a 12-month window for cohabiting parents to backdate their claims. Parents whose partner died before February 9, 2023, have until the end of February 8, 2024, to do so.
After this, it will not be possible to claim Widowed Parents Allowance (WPA) and they will not get their full entitlement to backdated Bereavement Support Payment (BSP), making it key for people to check if they may be eligible.
The payments are designed to help with the financial impact of losing a partner and can be backdated to August 30, 2018.
DWP Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie said: “This change will help provide many more bereaved families with children access to the financial support they need through a profoundly difficult time.”
“I would urge anyone who thinks they may be eligible to claim as soon as possible so that they can ensure that they benefit from these backdated payments.”
Parents will be eligible for different benefits depending on the date their partner died. If they died before April 6, 2017, they would need to claim WPA.
If they died on or after April 6, 2017, they would need to claim BSP, which has replaced WPA.
Alison Penny MBE, director of the Childhood Bereavement Network said: “Time is ticking on for the thousands of families that could be eligible for a back-dated payment but haven’t yet claimed. It’s crucial that we find them so they can make a decision about putting in a claim before the window closes and they miss out.”
“We’re urging friends, families and support organisations to spread the word. Even if someone was bereaved a long time ago, it’s worth exploring whether they are eligible for a back payment.”
BSP claims can be made online, over the phone or through a paper application form. WPA claims are only processed by paper forms. These can be downloaded from the GOV.UK website or requested via the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 151 2012.
Martin Lewis is the Founder and Chair of MoneySavingExpert.com. To join the 13 million people who get his free Money Tips weekly email, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip.
