Bereavement Benefit

glyons

My husband died in November, I am 38 years old, in full time work, with no children. How can it be right that I do not qualify for bereavement benefit because I'm not 45 Years old? Is this ageism & I thought that was illegal - are my bills any less because I'm 7 years below the qualifying age - does something huge happen when you turn 45 that means you need more money? Why does it increase for every year older you are from then on?
The only bill reduction I have had is a 25% C Tax discount - why 25%, why not 50%. My gas bill is huge, as is my waste water (we have 2 water bills here in the South East). Please, please someone tell me why my dreadful loss is worth less than a 45-59 year olds?

Thanks

silvercar

Sorry to here of your loss.

I would guess that being of working age with no children means that you can carry on earning and would be less in need of the benefit than others. It does seem arbitrary and unfair.

Council tax discount is always 25% when there is only one (adult) living in a property. This is not connected to your just loss, just that there is only one person in the property.

You could consider asking your water board to install a meter - it should reduce your water bills.

Gas bill is measured by consumption not number of people in the property. Time to investigate insulation (cavity wall and loft). there are a number of grants available at the moment.

AsknAnswer

I'm sorry to hear of your bereavement. I'm afraid that no-one can tell you why the legislation is the way it is other than the people who set the legislation up that way.

It's not age discrimination and isn't illegal. If that were the case, then there would be no qualifying age to claim benefits or retirement pension.

Council Tax discount is the same for everyone who is a single person, and everyone is entitled to that if they are a single person regardless of income.

As you aren't entitled to Bereavement Allowance because of your age, have you looked into whether you would meet the eligibility criteria of the Bereavement Payment? This is a lump sum of £2000.00, tax free. The eligibility is: your husband would need to have paid enough National Insurance contributions, you would need to be under state pension age and your husband must not have been entitled to Catgory A state retirement benefit when he died. Although you need to be over 45 for Bereavement Allowance, this doesn't apply to Bereavement Payment. You can't get it if you were divorced from your husband, if you are living with another partner, or if you are in prison, all of which I am assuming isn't the case.

Have you applied for any other means tested benefits?

SomeBozo

glyons wrote: »

My husband died in November, I am 38 years old, in full time work, with no children. How can it be right that I do not qualify for bereavement benefit because I'm not 45 Years old? Is this ageism & I thought that was illegal - are my bills any less because I'm 7 years below the qualifying age - does something huge happen when you turn 45 that means you need more money? Why does it increase for every year older you are from then on?
The only bill reduction I have had is a 25% C Tax discount - why 25%, why not 50%. My gas bill is huge, as is my waste water (we have 2 water bills here in the South East). Please, please someone tell me why my dreadful loss is worth less than a 45-59 year olds?

Thanks

I hear all you say.

However can you tell us all what you earn per year?

Most of my advice depends on this fact.

Bozo

MrsA1939

glyons wrote: »

My husband died in November, I am 38 years old, in full time work, with no children. How can it be right that I do not qualify for bereavement benefit because I'm not 45 Years old? Is this ageism & I thought that was illegal - are my bills any less because I'm 7 years below the qualifying age - does something huge happen when you turn 45 that means you need more money? Why does it increase for every year older you are from then on?
The only bill reduction I have had is a 25% C Tax discount - why 25%, why not 50%. My gas bill is huge, as is my waste water (we have 2 water bills here in the South East). Please, please someone tell me why my dreadful loss is worth less than a 45-59 year olds?

Thanks

So sorry that I cannot offer you any advice, but would like to say how sorry I am to read of your sad loss

HellsGranny

Have you approached your council about the possibility of Council Tax benefit (if you own your house) or Housing benefit otherwise?

Worth trying for.

SkyWatcher_3

glyons wrote: »

My husband died in November, I am 38 years old, in full time work, with no children. How can it be right that I do not qualify for bereavement benefit because I'm not 45 Years old? Is this ageism & I thought that was illegal - are my bills any less because I'm 7 years below the qualifying age - does something huge happen when you turn 45 that means you need more money? Why does it increase for every year older you are from then on?
The only bill reduction I have had is a 25% C Tax discount - why 25%, why not 50%. My gas bill is huge, as is my waste water (we have 2 water bills here in the South East). Please, please someone tell me why my dreadful loss is worth less than a 45-59 year olds?

Thanks

You may be entitled but it depends on whether or not your husband had paid sufficient NI contributions. If he was in work then chances are he may have. Had the circumstances been different at the time my (now)OH could have claimed and she was younger than you.

The "or" in the guidance below is crucial:

You can get Bereavement Allowance if:

your husband, wife or civil partner had paid enough National Insurance contributions,

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]or [/FONT][/FONT]their death was caused by their job,

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]and [/FONT][/FONT]you were 45 or over but below State Pension age when they died

Available from http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_015928.pdf

sammyjammy

SkyWatcher wrote: »

You may be entitled but it depends on whether or not your husband had paid sufficient NI contributions. If he was in work then chances are he may have. Had the circumstances been different at the time my (now)OH could have claimed and she was younger than you.

The "or" in the guidance below is crucial:

You can get Bereavement Allowance if:

your husband, wife or civil partner had paid enough National Insurance contributions,

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]or [/FONT][/FONT]their death was caused by their job,

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]and [/FONT][/FONT]you were 45 or over but below State Pension age when they died

Available from http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_015928.pdf

Its not the OR thats crucial its the AND, the and states you must be over 45 wheher either of the previous apply or not!

SkyWatcher_3

sammyjammy wrote: »

Its not the OR thats crucial its the AND, the and states you must be over 45 wheher either of the previous apply or not!

Having read it again you are right, thanks for the correction but the OP does appear to be entitled to the £2,000 one-off Bereavement Payment. I agree with the OP, why 45? This does seem rather unfair.

Can the OP claim Tax Credits perhaps?

sammyjammy

SkyWatcher wrote: »

Having read it again you are right, thanks for the correction but the OP does appear to be entitled to the £2,000 one-off Bereavement Payment. I agree with the OP, why 45? This does seem rather unfair.

Can the OP claim Tax Credits perhaps?

Unfortunately there isn't much about the benefit system that is fair, for example why does someone of 24 need less to live off than someone 12 months older, its a big mess.

cannyscot_2

I am so sorry about your position. It puts lots of nonsense worrying about money people do into perspective. You are probably worse off by working full time but in the long run it will help and you will look back and feel proud.


I wish you all the very best.