You can apply for a Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) even if you do not use a funeral director.
The FEP is a grant and does not need to be paid back by the person who has made the claim.
Eligibility for the FEP is dependent on your benefits, not those of the person who has died. The quickest way to check your eligibility for a payment for the funeral for an adult is to use our unique Eligibility Checker.
If you prefer to read about your eligibility for the FEP, please continue reading.
Once you have checked your eligibility, you can work out how much you’ll receive.
*Link to What it covers, amounts and deductions section.*
Eligibility
The Department for Communities (DfC) look at several things in deciding whether to issue a funeral payment, including:
1. Benefits
The DfC consider the applicant’s benefits and possibly the benefits of some of the deceased person’s family.
You, or your partner, need to be in receipt of one of the following benefits, or waiting for a decision on your application for one of these:
• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
You may also be eligible if you get Support for Mortgage Interest loan payments.
2. Responsibility for the costs
The DfC assess whether they consider it reasonable for the applicant to have taken responsibility for the funeral.
If the person who died was living with a partner, the DfC will only consider an application from that partner and it is only their benefits that are taken into account.
If they didn’t live with a partner the DfC will need information about other family members. However, there are some instances when they should ignore a family member’s benefit status. This includes if they were estranged from the person who has died (the relationship had broken down) or if they are in one of eight categories e.g. they are under 18. The other categories and more guidance can be found in the DfC Notes.
However, any ‘immediate family members’ (i.e. parent or adult child of the person who has died) who aren’t estranged from the person who died and don’t fall into one of the above categories must also be on a qualifying benefit, no matter who applies. So must any ‘close relatives’ (e.g. adult brothers and sisters, including half and step) who were at least as close to the person who has died as the person applying.
More detailed information can be seen below.
3. Name on the bill
The applicant usually needs to be named on the funeral bill; if not it will need to be explained why.
Responsibility for the funeral costs and the DfC's family tests
After a live-in partner, the DfC will normally look at this order of priority in terms of who applies:
- Immediate family members (i.e. parent or adult child)
- Close relatives (e.g. brothers and sisters, including half and step)
- Other family (e.g. grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins), partners who weren’t living together, and friends
However, they also expect the applicant to be the person who had the closest contact with the person who has died. So it is possible for someone in a lower category to be the most ‘reasonable’ person to apply. The DfC’s assessment of this is known as the ‘family tests’.
In deciding who is closest they look at how often the applicant, and other family members, were in contact with the person who has died and in what way.
Example:
Desmond died aged 79 leaving two sons. DeShawn, aged 54, lived in the same house, helped with domestic tasks, took him to hospital and cared for him when he was ill. Terrance, aged 50, visited him once a month and kept in touch in between by phone. Desmond also had a brother and a sister who he saw a couple of times a month. Desmond’s parents and his wife are all deceased and he did not have a new partner.
If DeShawn is on a qualifying benefit, he can apply for the Funeral Expenses Payment. The DfC are likely to see it as reasonable that he take responsibility for Desmond’s funeral, but if Terrance is not also on a qualifying benefit, DeShawn’s claim would be turned down. The DfC are unlikely to take into account the benefits of Desmond’s brother and sister, as they appear to have had less contact with Desmond than DeShawn.
What it covers, amounts and deductions
The main costs the Funeral Expenses Payment contributes towards are:
1. Reasonable burial or cremation fees
If a cremation is arranged, the DfC will pay the cost of the least expensive peak-time service at a local crematorium. If the arrangements are for a lower cost, an early morning service time or a direct cremation, the DfC will only use that figure when calculating the payment.
If purchasing a grave, the DfC will pay the cost of the least expensive grave with an ‘exclusive right of burial’ for one person (single depth). If there is a less expensive cemetery or crematorium nearby, the DfC may restrict the amount paid when calculating the payment. If you are having a burial in a different area from where the deceased person lived and it is more expensive, they will only pay the price of a burial in their home area.
2. Up to £1,000 toward other funeral expenses
For example funeral director’s fees, the coffin or floral tributes
3. Death certificates
To release money belonging to the person who died
4. One return journey
To arrange or attend the funeral, not including the cost of a funeral car.
5. Transport costs
In some circumstances, if you need to move the person who died over 50 miles
The total amount will be reduced by any money in the deceased person’s estate.
The total amount will be reduced by any money in the deceased person’s estate, (except money held as a ‘joint tenancy’ – a joint account where both people pay in and neither has restrictions on withdrawing). It is recommended to get advice if you share funds in the deceased person’s account(s). However, arrears of benefits paid in on the date of death or afterwards should not be deducted.
The DfC should not deduct from the award any money borrowed, or contributions from charities, friends, relatives or crowdfunding to pay for the funeral.
What happens if there is a pre-paid funeral plan?
If the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan, the DfC would pay for any reasonable burial or cremation costs that are not covered by the funeral plan. They would contribute up to £120 towards other funeral expenses (For example funeral director’s fees, the coffin or floral tributes). This is because their funeral plan should help pay for the funeral costs.
The total amount will be reduced by any money in the deceased person’s estate.
The total amount will be reduced by any money in the deceased person’s estate, (except money held as a ‘joint tenancy’ – a joint account where both people pay in and neither has restrictions on withdrawing). It is recommended to get advice if you share funds in the deceased person’s account(s). However, arrears of benefits paid in on the date of death or afterwards should not be deducted.
The DfC should not deduct from the award any money borrowed, or contributions from charities, friends, relatives or crowdfunding to pay for the funeral.
How to claim
You must make your claim for the Funeral Expenses Payment within 6 months of the date of the funeral.
You can call the DfC Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 085 2463 to make your application over the phone.
For alternative ways to claim, including post, textphone or British Sign Language, please click below:
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