Can I get help from the DWP?

If you are on any of the following benfits you mayu be eligible for support from the DWP:

Universal Credit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Pension Credit
Housing Benefit
The disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit

You might also be eligible if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.

You can still claim Funeral Expenses Payment if you’ve applied for these benefits and you’re waiting to hear about your claim.

How it works

Your Funeral Expenses Payment will be deducted from any money you get from the deceased’s estate.

The estate includes any money or property they had but not a house or personal things left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner.

What you’ll get

Burial fees for a particular plot
Cremation fees, including the cost of the doctor’s certificates
Travel to arrange or go to the funeral
The cost of moving the body within the UK, if it’s being moved more than 50 miles
Death certificates or other documents

You can also get up to £1,000 for any other funeral expenses, such as funeral director’s fees, flowers or the coffin.

The payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral.

How much you get depends on your circumstances. This includes any other money that’s available to cover the costs, for example from an insurance policy or the deceased person’s estate.

If you would like to make a claim we always advise that you talk to us about it before making the application. If you want to make a claim please visit the government website here: https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/how-to-claim

Funeral Finance

If you aren’t eligible for a payment from the DWP there is also the option of a finance plan.