Bereavement benefit

Robin9

calcotti said:

Robin9 said:

Did your partner have a will ?  Have you ?

What relevance has that got?

We don't know the circumstances but I consider it important that I provide for those I love after I am gone - making a will and leaving enough in the bank for my funeral is part of that.  

calcotti

Robin9 said:

calcotti said:

Robin9 said:

Did your partner have a will ?  Have you ?

What relevance has that got?

We don't know the circumstances but I consider it important that I provide for those I love after I am gone - making a will and leaving enough in the bank for my funeral is part of that.  

Don’t disagree with that, just don’t see the relevance to bereavement benefits.

Rubyroobs

How would you establish who would qualify though ? Having been together five years/ ten years/ have children together/ share a home/ mortgage together ? Otherwise people who had been with a partner a few months could qualify and anyone could say anything ? I think the rules around BSP have been legally challenged at some point recently. I expect the qualifying rules may change at some point in the near future but for now you need to have been married to qualify.

p00hsticks

fatboy1 said:

I know we do not make the rules, and yes I do work for a living, but my point is just because we did not want to get married or enter a civil partnership I am penalised for it.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, you are penalised in some ways, but got benefits in others - it's basically people's choice to weigh up the pros and cons of each option and decide whether to get married or not. Presumably you both felt there were advantages in choosing not to get married ?

(I speak as someone who has been happily 'living in sin' for 25+ years, but got married a couple fo years ago when we realised that if I died first my partner would only be able to get a spouses pension from my old DB pension if we were married.)

calcotti

Rubyroobs said: I think the rules around BSP have been legally challenged at some point recently. I expect the qualifying rules may change at some point in the near future but for now you need to have been married to qualify.

The challenge may, as I understand it, mean that surviving parent of someone with children may become eligible but not all surviving members of a couple. Lots of practical difficulties as you outlined.
https://cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/legal-test-cases/bereavement-support-payments-unmarried-parents

freesha

Sigh. It's NOT just a piece of paper. Sadly, people are realising that too late.

Lanzarote1938

Our marriage certificate is certainly not just 'a piece of paper'. It isthe legal proof of our lifelong committment to each other.

alison_manning

I’m 55 and haven’t been able to work for the past 5years due to ill health, my husband died 18 months ago and I got bereavement benefit payment for 18 months, now that has finished is there anything else that I get to replace that . Thanks

MovingForwards

alison_manning said:

I’m 55 and haven’t been able to work for the past 5years due to ill health, my husband died 18 months ago and I got bereavement benefit payment for 18 months, now that has finished is there anything else that I get to replace that . Thanks

Please start your own thread.

Alice_Holt

alison_manning said:

I’m 55 and haven’t been able to work for the past 5years due to ill health, my husband died 18 months ago and I got bereavement benefit payment for 18 months, now that has finished is there anything else that I get to replace that . Thanks

     Possibly Universal Credit / Council Tax reduction - dependent on savings and income.
    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/     
   https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/help-with-your-council-tax-council-tax-reduction/     

      Possibly PIP - dependent on the severity of your ill health.
      https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/    Use a benefits calculator:
     https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

    Or ask for a benefits check at your local advice charity.
   https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/contact-us/
  You will need to supply them with more details of your situation / financial circumstances.