Advice needed, who is next of kin and responsible for the funeral?

Princess_Coupon

carolan78 wrote: »

I read that earlier thank you, it just left me more confused because it says you can not get the grant if a blood relative is still alive, but surely they can not count someone that held no part in your life for 99% of your life a blood relative and therefore next of kin.

If that is the case then it sucks big time and leaves a lot of people wide open to not getting laid to rest properly which is very sad

I think she should be okay taken from direct.gov funeral grants

Who isn't eligible?

You can't get a payment as a close relative or close friend of the deceased if either:

• the deceased had a partner when they died
• there's a parent, son or daughter of the deceased who has not been awarded one of the qualifying benefits or was not estranged from the deceased. This doesn't include family members who are: aged under 18, qualifying young persons for the purposes of Child Benefit, full-time students, members of religious orders, in prison or in hospital (and who had been awarded a qualifying benefit immediately before they entered prison or hospital), asylum seekers being supported by the National Asylum Support Service or family members not ordinarily resident in the UK
• there's a close relative of the deceased, other than a close relative in one of the excluded groups listed above, who was in closer contact with the deceased than you were, or had equally close contact and is not getting a qualifying benefit.

As she was estranged I'd guess she would be ineligible

carolan78

Well his estranged mother got the death certificate. She is however handing over the funeral arrangements to friend B. I am not sure of the ins and outs but at least he will get a decent send off. Thank you all x

lavidaloca

carolan78 wrote: »

Well his estranged mother got the death certificate. She is however handing over the funeral arrangements to friend B. I am not sure of the ins and outs but at least he will get a decent send off. Thank you all x

She's probably done this so she doesn't have to pay the funeral expenses if a grant is not avaiable.

My condolences to you and your friend.

Newly_retired

I am glad for friend B, but I do hope she does not have to pay the bill for the funeral herself if the mother is not involved.

carolan78

I am really hoping the same but I think both would be eligable for the grant so one of them should ercieve it and from reading information on it if the funeral hasn't been paid for then it will go straight to the funeral director anyway. I haven't had chance to speak to Friend B yet and will try to find out more info and post it. I hope nobody else ever has to go through anything like this but if they do hopefully they will find this thread and all your wonderful advice and links x

Errata

Who is eligible for a funeral grant

(note the use of the word MAY)

You may be able to get a Funeral Payment but it depends on the benefits you're getting, your relationship with the person who died and any other money, other than your personal savings, that may be available to help with the cost of the funeral.
Benefits and tax credits

You may be eligible for a Funeral Payment from the Social Fund if you or your partner are getting any of the following benefits or tax credits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit (or the Council Tax payer where you live gets a Second Adult Rebate because you are on a low income)
• Working Tax Credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
• Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element

The term 'partner' is used here to mean:

• a person you are married to, or person you live with as if you are married to them
• a civil partner, or person you live with as if you are civil partners

choille

Nothing much to add but know of a similar situation & it is so terribly upsetting. The people most involved have to go through so much distress as it is without this Mother's awful 'input'.
The person conducting the funeral - whether it is religious or not will have heard of similar & maybe able to offer up advise.
What a good friend you are being by trying to find out the practical stuff.
Hope it all goes well as can considering the sad situation.

pupsicola

carolan78 wrote: »

Well his estranged mother got the death certificate. She is however handing over the funeral arrangements to friend B. I am not sure of the ins and outs but at least he will get a decent send off. Thank you all x

I am so glad to hear that your friend will be arranging the funeral and that you will all be able to say a proper farewell to a very special person. Everyone deserves dignity and now he will get it and his last wishes will be met.

Is his mother attending the funeral? A reminder that one step out of line and she will have to leave, wouldn't go a miss. Considering when she visited him in hospital whilst he was seriously ill and treated him appallingly, she seems to lack the social graces most of us understand. This would not be the time for her to ruin it for anyone else.

jonty1970

I'm so sorry for your loss.

What a horrible woman, to say those things about her son! I hope your friend gets the send off he deserves.

carolan78

Hello all a very happy update for you. The funeral is all arranged, it is going to be everything he would want it to be. I still don't know who is paying for it or how but he won't end up in a bin x