THOUSANDS of bereaved families will get up to £10,000 in backdated payments following a major rule change.
It's estimated that more than 21,000 households previously denied support will be able to apply for it with a new online application form.
The change will also benefit a further 1,800 families each year.
The rule change is expected to come into force later in the year extends bereavement benefits to couples with kids who live together but are not married.
Previously only married parents could claim the benefits.
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However, campaigners defeated the policy in the High Court and Supreme Court back in August 2018.
In response, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published a "remedial order" last year granting the benefit to grieving partners.
And subject to final Parliamentary approval, the application window which will allow those affected to apply for the cash is expected to open early this year.
Families who were previously denied these benefits from 30 August 2018 onwards will also be able to claim for any retrospective payments.
The DWP will publish more details on Gov.UK in the coming weeks explaining the application window and how to claim.
Viscount Younger of Leckie, minister for work and pensions said: "I am pleased to see this important change is nearing its very final steps to becoming law, so more bereaved parents can access this support."
This change will only affect couples that lived together with kids and not those without kids or those who lived apart.
The Bereavement Support Payment is worth up to £3,500, plus £350 a month for 18 months for those eligible though, so the extra money will be welcomed by hard-up Brits that qualify.
If you receive child benefit you will receive the higher rates but in order to receive the full amount, you must claim within the first three months of your partner's death.
If you are getting Bereavement Support Payment, it won’t affect your other benefits for a year.
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After then, the income you get from it will be taken into account for means-tested benefits.
Check if you're eligible for other benefits
The quickest way to see what benefits you may be able to claim is to use one of the three benefit calculators recommended by Gov.UK.
Each one is free to use. They are:
- Turn2us
- Policy in Practice
- Entitledto
Free tools are also offered by Christians Against Poverty and MoneySavingExpert.
Before using the tools, make sure you have key financial information to hand, such as bank and savings statements, and information on pensions and existing benefits.
If you live with a partner or family, get their basic financial information together too as this could affect your claim.
For each of these, you’ll be asked information about your circumstances, such as your current employment and income.
You’ll also need to give information about yourself, including your age and who you live with.
You can then use the contact information on Gov.UK to get the ball rolling and apply for what you're owed.
Of course, the tools only provide an indicator of what benefits you can claim - and usually don't include means-tested benefits, so you may be entitled to even more.
Some benefits can be backdated
It is also possible to get some benefits backdated if you found out you’ve missed out on claiming for them.
But it depends on which benefit you’re making a claim for, as different benefits have different rules for back payment.
For example, new claims for Universal Credit, income support and housing benefit can be backdated for a maximum of one month.
You can get child benefit and pension credits backdated for up to three months.
But in most cases, you’ll have to provide evidence to show a good reason why you were not able to make a claim earlier.
This could be because:
- You have a disability
- You’re unwell
- The online claims system was down
- You’re making a new claim after breaking up with your partner
You can apply to backdate your benefit payments when applying for the benefit.
