A mum has explained how she managed to claim £33,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after following a tip from Martin Lewis.
The viewer, known only as Sherry, got in touch with the Martin Lewis Money Show Live team to thank the MoneySavingExpert.com founder for mentioning Bereavement Support Payments on the show. Bereavement Support Payments and Widowed Parent’s Allowance are DWP schemes which provide support payments to people who have children and have lost a partner.
Originally, these benefits were only available to married couples and those in civil partnerships - however, the rules were changed last year and couples who were cohabiting and had dependent children are now also eligible. After the rule change, the DWP then opened a 12 month window for cohabitating parents to backdate their claims - potentially as far back as 2001. The deadline for backdated claims is February 8 2024, and over the last year Martin has been urging those eligible to put in a claim.
Sherry told the ITV show team that she lost her partner unexpectedly whilst she was pregnant and was not entitled to any support at the time. Sherry then heard about Bereavement Support Payments from Martin Lewis on one of his shows and put in a claim. She then received a backdated payment of £33,000.
She told the show: "Thank you for mentioning Bereavement Support for unmarried parents. I lost my partner unexpectedly whilst I was pregnant and I wasn't entitled to any support. I received a backdated payment of £33,000. This will make a massive difference to our quality of life, I can't thank you enough."
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Martin told viewers this week that if they knew anyone who could be eligible for the money they needed to tell them now as it "was urgent".
He said: "If you’re unmarried, have kids, and your partner has died since 2001, you can possibly claim up to £40,000 backdated bereavement support. The form has to arrive by February 8, which means if I tell you this time next week, you probably won’t be able to post it in time. This is your last chance.”
How to claim Bereavement Support Payment or Widowed Parent’s Allowance
The amount you may be able to claim from the DWP is dependent on when your partner died. If your partner died on or after April 6, 2017, then you might be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment and if they died before this date, you may be entitled to Widowed Parent’s Allowance - you have to be under state pension age to apply.
The Bereavement Support Payment is worth £2,500, plus £100 a month for 18 months for those eligible. 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 receive up to £9,800 in support.
Widowed Parent’s Allowance is based on how much your partner paid in National Insurance contributions. The maximum is £139.10 a week and you might be entitled to claim this until you either stop being entitled to Child Benefit or reach state pension age. The MSE website says this means you could be eligible to tens of thousands of pounds depending on how old your child was when the partner died.
Bereavement Support Payment claims can be made online, over the phone or through a paper application form. Widowed Parent’s Allowance claims are only processed by paper forms and these can be downloaded from the GOV.UK website or requested through the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 151 2012.
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