Funeral Support Payment

Last updated: 12/03/2020

This a new payment available to people in Scotland, who are on certain benefits or tax credits, and need support to meet the costs of a funeral.

The Funeral Support Payment is a new payment available to people in Scotland, who are on certain benefits or tax credits, and need support to meet the costs of a funeral.

Our teams in Glasgow and Lanarkshire can support you in applying for this payment. This is a one-off payment to help people on low income benefits with a contribution towards the cost of a funeral.

Some of the benefits of the payment include:

  • Introducing a new ‘nearest relative’ eligibility test, along with a more sensitive assessment to determine who is responsible for the funeral cost payments. This will widen eligibility for our payment by around 40%, to help reach an estimated 5,000 people each year.
  • Speeding up our processing times for completed applications, once all the required evidence has been received.
  • Annually reviewing and uprating the flat rate element to take account of inflation.

Contact:

Find out more about funeral payments support offered by our local services at the links below, where you can also find their contact details.

Please note

Applications for the Funeral Support Payment are accepted from the date of death, up until six months after the funeral has taken place. This means that anyone who meets the eligibility for the Funeral Support Payment and has already paid for a funeral within the last 6 months will be able to apply retrospectively, if they haven’t already received a Funeral Expenses Payment from DWP.