It is very difficult to cope when you have lost your partner unexpectedly, and this isn't made any easier when there are children to consider. There is however, some help available.
As a widow with dependent children, you are entitled to apply for the Widowed Parents Allowance if your partner died before 6 April 2017. If your partner died on or after 6 April 2017, you should apply for Bereavement Support Payment instead. Now, even though your finances won’t be at the top of your list at this current time, it is worth checking out what extra help you are eligible for.
A Little Extra
The surviving parent of a child may be eligible to apply for the Widowed Parents Allowance providing that the child is able to receive child benefit and that the surviving parent has paid enough National Insurance (NI) payments throughout their working life.
If the surviving parent is pregnant by their deceased partner, they may also be entitled to a grant.
However, the rules change slightly if your partner died whilst at work. If this is the case then you could be eligible for the grant even if they didn't make sufficient NI payments.
Though you cannot claim Widowed Parents Allowance if you are a pensioner you may be due for extra retirement pension your deceased partner paid NI during their working life.
You will not be eligible to receive the grant however, if the marriage or partnership had ended previous to the death and it will also be withheld if the surviving parent has a surviving spouse or partner and is living with them.
A Helping Hand
This form of funding is paid to a single parent to help them maintain a standard of living for both them and the child.
The maximum Widowed Parent's Allowance is £150.90 a week. There are no longer separate payments for children.
The After Effects
It is possible that if you, as the sole parent, are in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance, or other similar benefits, they will be reduced if you begin receiving the Widowed Parents Allowance.
Child benefit will also be affected if you are in receipt of extra for an only child. In this case, you will receive that standard child benefit but still be eligible for the extra only child payment of the Widowed Parents Allowance.
The Application
It is important that you check what financial help you are entitled to as soon as you can, that way you will benefit the most. When you have applied for the Widowed Parents Allowance, you will receive the payments automatically to your bank, building society or even post office account.
Although your partner may have made sufficient arrangements to provide for their family following their death, having this extra reliable income will provide you with some stability in what can be in a very trying time.
Other Benefits
If you have received the Widows Parents Allowance, then your deceased partner must have kept up their NI payments. If this is the case, or they died whilst at work, then you could be eligible for Bereavement Allowance. For deaths on or after 6 April 2017, Bereavement Support Payment provides a lump sum of £3,500 (with children) or £2,500 (without children), plus monthly payments for up to 18 months.
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