Can I claim WTC?

cw18

The Bereavement Benefits form is very quick and easy -- took me 10-15 mins (plus finding/getting copies of marriage certificate, my birth certificate and DS's birth certificate).

Have to say I was pleasantly surprised, as this comes at a time in life when you really can get too much paperwork to do -- so many thanks to the DWP for simplifying this one :T

cw18

Just dug out the booklet I have about Bereavement Benefits (the lump sum and Widowed Parents Allowance). It says "please send the claim form BB1 within 3 months of the death of your spouse or civil partner. Failure to do so may affect your entitlement to benefit".

Given you say you contacted Tax Credits in November, it sounds like this one is urgent if you've not already done it.

Sammie_UK1

My Sister passed away in July so I guess this will deffo effect my B-I-L's entitlement for the Bereavment benefit. I better get on this and the WPA ASAP. Does anyone have a link for a site where I can download the forms?

Also, who do I get in touch with to enquire about an Tax Credit application, not heard anything since I sent the form in November.

Thanks again..!

cw18

The lump sum (Bereavement Benefit) actually looks as if you have 12 months to claim, but the delay could impact on his entitlement to Widowed Parents Allowance

Some info here and links to forms on here

angelheart-xx

does the youngest no get a free nursery place or is that just in scotland ??

Sammie_UK1

The youngest would have started nursey this month but the nursery took an excess of names for september intake and so the overflow was accepted in the January intake which meant that my niece was bumped off the entrylist til September this year.

Thanks for the links cw18.. but what do you mean by this:

cw18 wrote: »

The lump sum (Bereavement Benefit) actually looks as if you have 12 months to claim, but the delay could impact on his entitlement to Widowed Parents Allowance

I'm having a blonde moment..

cw18

There are three different Bereavement Benefits, but you only complete 1 form and they work out which you're entitled to (if any).

The first is a one off lump sum of £2,000 -- and the notes say you can claim this at any time up to 12 months after the loss of a spouse/civil partner

Then there is Bereavement Allowance if the surviving spouse is 45 or older (I think) and has no dependant children (not the case for your BIL)

The other element is Widowed Parents Allowance. This is the one you should have applied for within 3 months, so hopefully all the delay means is that he won't get it backdated by more than that. I've just had the awards notice through, and I've been given the basic £90.70/week, plus an additional £15.85 (making for a total of £106.55) which is based on my DH's NI contributions during certain years.


Did your sister have an Occupational Pension with her current (or any previous) employer. These would probably also pay a Widow(er)s pension. My DH had a preserved one from a job he left in 2000, and I'm due the first payment from that (including backpay from mid-November) at the end of this month. I get half of what he woudl have received at 60 as a widowers pension, and an additional amount (not quite sure how they've calculated it) for having a dependant child. If I'd still had more than 1 then I think they'd have topped this side of it up to the equivalent of what I get for me......