Bereavement Support Payment
If your spouse or civil partner has died you may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment to help ease some of...
Sometimes you just can't afford an unexpected bill. If that happens, you might be able to get your benefit paid in advance, or apply for help from your local council or a charity.
There are a couple of ways you could get a benefit payment earlier than you normally would:
Budgeting Loans can help you pay for essential things such as furniture, clothing and removal costs.
The minimum loan is £100. The maximum amount you can borrow is:
To be eligible for a Budgeting Loan, you or your partner must be receiving one of the following benefits:
There may be different options for how you pay your loan, but you’ll need to repay it within 104 weeks. What you owe is usually taken out of your benefit payments until the loan is paid off.
Budgeting Advances can help to pay for a range of different expenses, such as one-off items, home repairs, moving costs or clothes.
The minimum advance payment is £100. The maximum amount is:
A Budgeting Advance is a loan. You’ll need to repay it within 24 months. Repayments will be taken from your Universal Credit payments until it's paid back. You’ll be told how much your payments will be reduced by.
If you’re waiting for a decision on your benefit claim, you might be able to get a short-term advance to tide you over while you’re waiting for your first benefit payment.
You can apply for an advance if you’ve recently applied for:
A short-term advance is a loan. Repayments will be taken from your benefit payments until it's completely paid back. You’ll be told how much your payments will be reduced by.
To apply for a short-term advance, contact the organisation responsible for the benefit you’re claiming.
Do you know what benefits you are entitled to? Our Benefits Calculator can help you, quickly and easily, to find out what you could be claiming.
Your local council might be able to help if you’re in financial crisis. Schemes vary from one area to another.
Some local councils may not offer a cash grant but provide goods, services or vouchers instead.
Charities and benevolent funds might be able to help you if you’re unable to get support elsewhere.
If you ask for help from a charity or benevolent fund, you might need to show proof that you weren’t able to get a loan or advance for your benefit or help from the local council.
Grants from charities can range from small amounts for food vouchers to large amounts for buying domestic goods, such as a washing machine or cooker. Others may provide help towards the cost of a wheelchair or housing adaptations.
There are many charities and trusts in the UK. Some may only support particular groups, while others will consider helping anyone. Each charity will have their own eligibility criteria and application process.
Contact Charity Search or Turn2us to find out what various charities can help with.
The Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need guidebook may be available from your local library.
Funeral Payments from the Department for Work and Pensions can help towards burial or cremation costs and up to £1,000 for other expenses, such as funeral director’s fees. You usually need to pay the amount back from the estate of the person who's died.
The eligibility criteria can be complicated. Read our factsheet The Social Fund, Advances of Benefit and Local Welfare Provision to get more information.
Visit GOV.UK to download a claim form or phone the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 731 0469 to make a claim. You must make a claim within 3 months of the funeral.
Some benevolent funds might be able to help with funeral costs. See the section above to find out how to search for one.
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 125 local Age UKs.
If your spouse or civil partner has died you may be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment to help ease some of...
Our Benefits Calculator can help you, quickly and easily, to find out what you could be claiming.
If you're over State Pension age and you're struggling to make ends meet, Pension Credit could help top up your income.
If you're on a low income or you're out of work, you might be able to claim Universal Credit to boost your income.