Bereavement Payment Query - Worth applying?

welshtony

My mother died earlier this year. I am trying to find out if my 90 year old father is entitled to the £2000 Bereavement Payment, before I go to the trouble of getting all the details and certificates for the form BB1.

If I understand the eligibility correctly, dad will qualify if:

- mum had met the NI contribution conditions (leaflet NP45 seems to suggest that this is only 25 class 1,2 or 3 contributions before State Pension Age) AND
- she was not in receipt of a category A State pension at date of death.

Mum did work part time, paying reduced rate contributions, from about 1965-75; previously, she'd have worked full time for a few years just after WW2, up to 1951. I'd guess that her part time earnings were above teh minimum for NI stamps (as they were then), but I can't find any record of NI contributions in her papers. I don't want to ask dad about it until I know whether or not he'd qualify for the benefit if the answer met the conditions above.

She wasn't receiving a state pension at the date of death (and my converations with her and dad suggest that she'd never thought of enquiring as to her eligibility, as dad was receiving a pension including a spouses allowance)

So, can anyone help me understand whether it's likely that dad would qualify for the Bereavement Payment, from the above (i know he doesn't qualify for any of the other allowances, and his capital assets disqualify him from any of the means tested benefits).

stazi

Let JCP decide if the BPT is payable or not. The BB claim pack is here-
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/bb1_print.pdf

anmarj

welshtony wrote: »

Mum did work part time, paying reduced rate contributions, from about 1965-75; previously, she'd have worked full time for a few years just after WW2, up to 1951. I'd guess that her part time earnings were above teh minimum for NI stamps (as they were then), but I can't find any record of NI contributions in her papers. I don't want to ask dad about it until I know whether or not he'd qualify for the benefit if the answer met the conditions above.

as the basic state pension as we know it was only introduced in 1975, it would only be these ones that would count plus addtional pension. conts prior to that are paid as graduated retirement benefit and I think that is not counted (sorry on holiday, so can't check), this should of been considered automatically when the deceased death was registered with the department as the accounts would of been checked. - just added that you can call the dwp and get them to check your dad's side of things as this is where it would be registered but would need to speak to your dad to do secuirty