Widow payment for unmarried partner

clff11

Hello, If anyone has any ideas on the following I would appreciate some help.  As an unmarried Mother whose partner died in 2012 , with the recent changes , I would have been eligible to claim backdated bereavement support, if I was eligible for child benefit on or after August 2018. My child benefit payments stopped in August 2017 - I was eligible as my child remained in full time education but I did not realise and did not claim. Does anyone know if being ‘eligible’ to claim would be enough because I think it looks like I would actually have to have made a claim for child benefit to qualify ?

elsien

According to this page:
https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment/eligibility

the underlying eligibility would be enough.

“When your partner died, you must have been either:

• getting or entitled to Child Benefit
• pregnant

You must meet the eligibility rules for Child Benefit but you do not need to have made a claim for it.”

clff11

Oh well that is very encouraging . I really appreciate you taking the time to provide an answer . 

Sf154

I recently put in a claim and was rejected, the reason they give  'at the time you were not entitled to claim child benefit in your name'.
At the time my children were 4 and 1, I wasn't claiming child benefit but I am now. 

I though you only had to be eligible! anyone had similar?

calcotti

Sf154 said:

At the time my children were 4 and 1, I wasn't claiming child benefit but I am now. 

I thought you only had to be eligible! anyone had similar?

Was somebody else claiming CB?

Sf154

calcotti said:

Sf154 said:

At the time my children were 4 and 1, I wasn't claiming child benefit but I am now. 

I thought you only had to be eligible! anyone had similar?

Was somebody else claiming CB?

My partner was at the time but then they obviously stopped it when she died, no one else was involved.
I didn't transfer the benefit over to my name until about a year after but had no issues getting child benefit when I did. 

calcotti

I definitely think you should go back to them on the grounds that you were eligible.

Sf154

calcotti said:

I definitely think you should go back to them on the grounds that you were eligible.

Thanks, I spoke to the DWP on the phone and they said I had to have transfer the claim over to my name within a week of the bereavement.
I'm not sure there clear. Anyway I need to do a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice and I will post the outcome on this forum in case anyone else has a similar issue. 

calcotti

As you say, the guidance says you needed to be eligible not actually claiming and that doesn’t seem consistent with what they are telling you.

clff11

Just updating my experience. I have been refused widow payment on the grounds that I was not getting child benefit on or after 31 Aug 2018.  I had previously called child benefit and was advised that I was eligible until 3rd September 2018 - I called again and was told all my records are archived now and they cannot tell me anything.  Any advise on what I can do - clearly HMRC are not using eligibility to assess this ?

sheramber

HMRC  use the child benefit  records to check eligibility.

What are the circumstances that you are eligible to 3 September 2018?

Child’s age, date leaving full time education  etc?