Eligibility
Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) is being replaced by Bereavement Support Payment.
You can only make a new claim for WPA if your husband, wife or civil partner died before 6 April 2017 and the cause of death has just been confirmed.
All the following must also apply:
- you’re under State Pension age
- you’re entitled to Child Benefit for at least one child and your late husband, wife or civil partner was their parent
- your late husband, wife or civil partner paid National Insurance contributions, or they died as a result of an industrial accident or disease
You may also claim WPA if you were pregnant when your husband died, or you were pregnant after fertility treatment when your civil partner or wife died.
You cannot claim WPA if you:
- were divorced from your husband, wife or civil partner when they died
- remarry or are living with another person as if you’re married to them or as if you’ve formed a civil partnership
- were over State Pension age when you were widowed or became a surviving civil partner – you may be able to get extra State Pension
- are in prison
How much you will get
The amount you get is based on how much your late husband, wife or civil partner paid in National Insurance contributions. The maximum Widowed Parent’s Allowance is £122.55 a week.
If your husband, wife or civil partner died as a result of an industrial accident or disease, you may claim WPA even if they did not pay National Insurance contributions.
You’ll continue to get WPA until you either:
- stop being entitled to Child Benefit or
- reach State Pension age
How WPA is paid
WPA is usually paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.
Effect on other benefits
Other benefit payments you get may change when you start claiming WPA.
Once you get WPA, you must report it if you’re getting any of the following:
- Income Support
- Incapacity Benefit
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
If you do not report changes straight away, you could be paid the wrong amount and have to pay it back. You might also have to pay a fine.
The benefit cap
The benefit cap limits the total amount of benefit you can get. It applies to most people aged 16 or over who have not reached State Pension age.
Some individual benefits are not affected, but it may affect the total amount of benefit you get.
How to claim
To claim, phone the Bereavement Service on freephone 0800 085 2463
If you disagree with a decision
You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for ‘mandatory reconsideration’.
What to do if your circumstances change
You must tell the Bereavement Benefits section or Jobs and Benefits office if your circumstances change, for example:
- stop being entitled to Child Benefit
- remarry or form a civil partnership
- you start to live with a partner as husband or wife, or as if you had formed a civil partnership
If you’ve been paid too much
You may have to repay the money if you:
- did not report a change straight away
- gave wrong information
- were overpaid by mistake
Find out how to repay the money you owe from benefit overpayment.