Help With Funeral Costs
DSS - Funeral Help from the Social Fund
You may be able to get help towards the cost of a funeral if you are getting one or more of the following benefits listed below.
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit (or the Council Tax payer where you live gets a Second Adult Rebate because you are on a low income)
- Working Tax Credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
- Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element
The funeral grant is normally payable if all the close members of the family are in receipt of one of the benefits listed below. If one member is not, then the DSS will assume that person has sufficient funds and the claim will be refused. Furthermore the deceased person must have left no funds or assets which could be used to pay, or part pay, for the funeral.
Should this be the case, then we would strongly recommend that you either make an approach to your local DSS office before making the funeral arrangements or talk to your Funeral Director.
Currently the payment made in relation to a successful application can include:-
The funeral directors charges up to a maximum of £700.00
In the case of cremation, the cremation fee and fees to doctors for cremation certificates.
In the case of burial the cost of re-opening a grave or purchasing and opening a new grave.
The payment made by the Social Fund is a contribution towards the cost of the funeral and is not intended to nor will it pay the whole funeral account.
