Funeral payment when on benefits?

paddy's_mum

If the children are/were dependent upon the father (now deceased) and he has not provided for them, they are entitled to apply to the courts for provision from the inheritance in the offing. A judge's ruling on this would over-ride anything a will said, since the needs of the children must come first.

A great many ifs are in this thread. To give more accurate advice, the forum would need to know if there was a will, and if so, what it said, and what terms it was expressed in.

For example, our wills say that the spouse must survive by thirty days before any inheritance comes into play. This is to protect the children we each have. Without that clause, if my husband was killed outright in say a car crash but I survived but died of my injuries a week later, his son would be cut out by virtue of hubby dying first. If it were the other way around, my children would be cut out.

I think we need to know more but wish the OP good luck in the difficult days ahead.

sloughflint

So reading between the lines paddy's mum, you also think that the date of grant of probate is irrelevant ?

zzzLazyDaisy

I also think the date of probate is irrelevant. Probate can come months after the death and is not relevant. Think about it - if it is known that a beneficiary has a terminal illness the executor could delay going to probate until the beneficiary had died to avoid paying out to that person. That isn't what happens.

What IS relevant is what the will says. As another poster has pointed out, there will often be a proviso that the beneficiary must survive the testator by a given period (for example 30 days). If there is no will, then the son inherits immediately - if he then dies shortly afterwards his share passes through his will or intestacy.

OP needs to know if there is a will and if so what it says. If the will has already been proved in probate a copy can be obtained from the relevant probate registry (usually the registry closest to where the executor lives).

inkie

[QUOTE]
im not sure but it sounds to me like the funeral directors are asking for a downpayment if you are recieving dole money.

[/QUOTE]

The cases where funeral directors are asking for downpayment is nothing to do with whether people are on benefits or not. I know for a fact that The Co-operative funeral service asks for a downpayment - this is to cover the costs that they have to pay out themselves which are, amongst others, burial or cremation to the local authority, paying the Drs fee who sign the certificates. The remainder of the balance will be the things that the FD are themselves responsible for e.g. coffin, transportation and bearer, amongst others.

PLease be aware that any payment from the social may not necessarily cover all of the costs, even for the most basic of funerals.

jdavanport

arlybarly wrote: »

marc faulkner

my sisters husband died a few weeks ago as well and he had been made redundant a couple of years previously. he was signing on or whatever its called at the time of his sudden death. anyway my sis was aked for 1000 pounds upfront before theyd do the funeral. which i think was totally unreasonable as she has 3 kids as well.

anyway my parents paid the whole funeral for her and now she is having a terrible time trying to recoperate the costs off the dwp. i would be careful before paying anything upfront as you may not get the full entitlement after.

im not sure but it sounds to me like the funeral directors are asking for a downpayment if you are recieving dole money.

my natural father died last year and at no time was i asked for payment up front, i just settled the bill from his estate after the funeral.

hope this helps and good luck xx

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! be very carefull about paying anything up front. I did and the social said if i could pay anything towards the cost, i could pay it all.
john

jdavanport

inkie wrote: »

[QUOTE]
im not sure but it sounds to me like the funeral directors are asking for a downpayment if you are recieving dole money.

The cases where funeral directors are asking for downpayment is nothing to do with whether people are on benefits or not. I know for a fact that The Co-operative funeral service asks for a downpayment - this is to cover the costs that they have to pay out themselves which are, amongst others, burial or cremation to the local authority, paying the Drs fee who sign the certificates. The remainder of the balance will be the things that the FD are themselves responsible for e.g. coffin, transportation and bearer, amongst others.

PLease be aware that any payment from the social may not necessarily cover all of the costs, even for the most basic of funerals.[/quote]


Hi inkie,
i have used the co op for the last three funerals, and they have nevver asked for a payment up front.
john

zzzLazyDaisy

I used the coop in 2004 when my mum died. I wasn't asked for a deposit, but I was expected to pay the bill within 28 days. I paid it in my credit card (I accept that I am lucky to be able to do that)

inkie

It's something that they have introduced quite recently, so I believe.
I have a lot of dealings with FDs (I'm a minister, and so conduct funerals), and when i have been in, have heard them telling people that the arrangements can only be definately booked when the down payment has been received.

AsknAnswer

The Co-op have only recently started to charge a deposit for their funerals, and as another poster commented, it is to cover the costs they pay out on behalf of the person arranging the funeral. The costs are for the cemetery or the crematorium, NOT the undertaker themselves.

A Funeral Payment does not cover all costs involved in a funeral. A funeral payment is not reliant on what benefits the person who has passed away received, it is reliant on the benefit the person is claiming receives and anyone else who is a close relation, like if it is a brother that dies and one sibling claims all siblings have to be getting benefit covered. It takes into account any estate the person who passed away had or insurance and so on. It is not a grant, - if an estate is uncovered the social can reclaim money they paid out.Receiving benefit does not mean you are automatically entitled to get a funeral payment. You have to be receiving certain benefits, not all benefits are covered.