08 January 2024 , 14:09
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Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert (MSE) has issued an "urgent" warning ahead of an upcoming deadline.
The MSE team sent the warning on X - formerly Twitter - this morning as the deadline for claiming backdated Bereavement Support is next month on February 8. This means people only have four weeks left to check if they are eligible for cash.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) changed the eligibility rules for Bereavement Support Payments and Widowed Parent’s Allowance in February last year. Previously, these benefits were only available to married couples and those in civil partnerships - but now, couples who were cohabiting/living together and had dependent children are also eligible for payments. The DWP then opened a 12-month window for cohabitating parents to backdate their claims.
The MSE post said: "Urgent. Please spread the word. If your partner dies before you reach state pension age, you may be due £10,000s in bereavement support payments. But you only have until 8 February 2024 to claim this backdated support, so check NOW."
The post also linked to an MSE page which explains the payments and what you could be entitled to. According to the MSE team, the amount you may be able to claim is dependent on when your partner died. If they died on or after April 6, 2017, then you might be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment. If they died before this date, you may be entitled to Widowed Parent’s Allowance.
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The earliest point payments can be backdated to is August 30, 2018 - so you could claim around six years' worth of payments. You would have needed to qualify for either payment on this date to be eligible for the backdated payments. You also needed to have been under the state pension to qualify.
After the deadline in February, it will not be possible to claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance and parents will not get their full entitlement to a backdated payment of Bereavement Support Payment.
The Bereavement Support Payment is worth £2,500, plus £100 a month for 18 months. If you get Child Benefit or you were pregnant, you receive higher rates. This includes a first payment of £3,500, plus £350 a month for 18 months - this means you could potentially receive a £9,800 payment.
Martin Lewis has spent the last year urging people to check if they were eligible for money. If you are unsure of whether you qualify, Martin Lewis and his MSE team said you should make an application anyway. A recent MSE newsletter said that as the deadline is so close you should "just cross your fingers & apply".
The newsletter read: "I've spoken to Govt and got it to promise me there's no negative if you apply when not due, you just won't get it."