Bereavement Support Payment Calculator
Calculate your Bereavement Support Payment entitlement for 2025/26. See your lump sum and monthly payments (higher rate £3,500 + £350/month or standard rate £2,500 + £100/month), check claiming deadlines, and explore other bereavement support including Funeral Expenses Payment and State Pension inheritance.
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How to Use This Calculator
BSP Entitlement tab
Select your relationship to the deceased (married, civil partner, or cohabiting), whether you have dependent children or are pregnant, your age relative to State Pension age, and whether the deceased paid National Insurance contributions. The calculator instantly shows whether you qualify, which rate applies (higher or standard), and the full payment breakdown: lump sum, monthly amount, and total over 18 months.
Claiming Timeline tab
Enter the date of death and the calculator shows your three critical deadlines: 3 months (for full entitlement), 12 months (last chance for the lump sum), and 21 months (absolute deadline). It calculates exactly how many monthly payments you can still receive and estimates the total amount at both the higher and standard rate.
Other Support tab
Explore additional financial support available after a bereavement: Funeral Expenses Payment (up to £1,000 for funeral costs), the Tell Us Once service (notify all government departments at once), inheriting State Pension, the old Widow’s Pension scheme (for pre-2017 deaths), and other benefits you may now qualify for as a single person.
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How Bereavement Support Payment Is Calculated
Bereavement Support Payment is a flat-rate benefit — there is no means test and no income-based calculation. The rate depends solely on whether you have dependent children or are pregnant:
Higher rate (dependent children or pregnant):
→ Lump sum: £3,500
→ Monthly payments: £350 × 18 = £6,300
→ Total: £3,500 + £6,300 = £9,800
Standard rate (no dependent children):
→ Lump sum: £2,500
→ Monthly payments: £100 × 18 = £1,800
→ Total: £2,500 + £1,800 = £4,300
Claiming timeline impact:
Within 3 months: Full lump sum + all 18 monthly payments
3–12 months: Full lump sum + remaining monthly payments
12–21 months: No lump sum + remaining monthly payments only
After 21 months: Cannot claim
BSP is not taxable and is not means-tested. It does not count as income for Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, or any other means-tested benefit. It replaced the old Bereavement Allowance, Bereavement Payment, and Widowed Parent’s Allowance for deaths on or after 6 April 2017.
Unlike most DWP benefits, BSP is not uprated annually by CPI. The Pensions Act 2014 does not require annual uprating, and the rates have remained at £3,500/£350 and £2,500/£100 since the benefit was introduced in April 2017.
Example
Sarah — 42, from Leeds, husband died in January 2026, two children aged 8 and 12
Sarah was married to James, who worked as an electrician and paid National Insurance for over 20 years. James died suddenly in January 2026. Sarah is 42 (well under State Pension age of 66) and has two dependent children receiving Child Benefit. She claims BSP within 3 months of the death.
BSP entitlement
Other support Sarah may receive
Sarah receives the £3,500 lump sum within days of her claim, then £350 each month for the next 18 months. The BSP payments do not affect her Universal Credit or any other means-tested benefits. In total, she receives £9,800 in BSP — all tax-free.