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Written by Adam McIlroy.
14 minute read
Article reviewed by James Daley, Managing Director at Fairer Finance on May 28, 2025.
The cost of dying in the UK can be high and it’s only increasing. Alongside the emotional and practical challenges of losing someone close, many families are left wondering how to pay for a funeral, especially when the need arises suddenly or unexpectedly. In this article, we’ll guide you through how to apply for a government funeral grant and explore what financial support may be available.
Before we get started, we’d just like to say that, whatever has brought you here, we are here to help. It could be that you are starting to think about your own future funeral, and you are looking to get things sorted. It could also be that you have very recently lost someone, and you think you might need some financial support in order to pay for their funeral. Whether your needs are long or short-term, Aura’s funeral services are available to you in the shape of our direct cremations for today, and our prepaid funeral plans for tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
If you’re looking into applying for a funeral grant, you may also be wondering what it is, and who is eligible.
As we know, funeral expenses are rising in the UK, and they have been for some time. According to SunLife in their latest Cost of Dying Report, last year’s national average total cost of a funeral was £5,140. Not only that — they say that over the last 21 years, funeral prices have risen by 134%, whereas, if they’d only risen at the normal rate of consumer inflation, they would only have increased by ~75%.
As such, people are looking for ways to keep funeral costs down, and, in some cases, for financial support with paying for them. The UK Government (through the DWP), as well as some of the devolved powers, have various support schemes in place which people can apply to. The first one is the Funeral Expenses Payment, and the other one is the Bereavement Support Payment. If successful in your application, these grants can be used to contribute towards the funeral costs you need to pay.
Both of these grants have an eligibility criteria, and are not necessarily available to everyone.
Funeral Support Payment
For the Funeral Expenses Payment through the DWP, the criteria are as follows:
You must already be claiming one of the following forms of benefit:
Furthermore, you may be eligible for the Funeral Expenses Payment if you are:
In Scotland, the equivalent payment is called the Funeral Support Payment. If someone in Scotland has already received the Funeral Expenses Payment from the UK government, they will not be eligible for this one, therefore they’ll need to pick which one to apply for.
Bereavement Support Payment
The Bereavement Support Payment is not means tested, which means everyone is eligible so long as certain criteria are met.
When your partner died, you must have been:
Your partner must have either:
When thinking about what bereavement support is available to you, you will need to weigh up these eligibility criteria.
When you are applying for a funeral grant, you will need to consider the application process, as well as the processing time and the likely grant amount.
There are slightly different application processes for each support payment. For the Funeral Expenses Payment, you’ll need to gather together all of the relevant documentation. This will be a mix of official documents, such as their Death Certificate, as well as proof of the benefits you are receiving. You will also need to provide evidence of the funeral costs. If the funeral has happened, then an invoice from the funeral director or final bill could work, but if you didn’t use a funeral director, then you will need to submit individual bills and receipts for the different elements of the funeral you have paid for.
However, if the funeral hasn’t yet happened, then you will need to submit a signed contract in order to apply; the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can’t accept provisional bills or cost estimates.
In order to apply for the Bereavement Support Payment, you can head to the UK government website. It should take around 15 minutes to apply, and it can be done online, or over the phone. In order to apply, you will need the following information:
You might also need to show how you related to the person who has died, as well as documents like their Death Certificate too.
The processing time for each type of support payment can vary. For the Funeral Support Payment, the DWP will aim to process your claim within 13 days of applying. For the Bereavement Support Payment, the government will try to process your claim within a few weeks. In order to get the full amount, you should apply within three months of your partner’s death.
If you have already paid the funeral director, the Funeral Expenses Payment is usually paid into your bank, building society or credit union account. If the funeral director has not yet been paid, the Funeral Expenses Payment is usually paid directly to them.
According to the UK government website, the Funeral Expenses Payment (sometimes known as the DWP funeral grant) can help cover the following funeral costs:
Please bear in mind that, if the person who died had a funeral plan, you can only get up to £120 to help pay for items not covered by their plan. With the Bereavement Support Payment, however, the most you can get is £3,500 in a one-off payment, or 18 monthly instalments of £350.
If you are ineligible for either the Funeral Expenses Payment or the Bereavement Support Payment, there are other ways of paying for a funeral.
If a government payment or other support is not available, funeral financing may help you spread the cost over time. There are two main options to consider.
A Budgeting Loan is an interest-free loan from the UK government for people receiving certain qualifying benefits. If you’re eligible, you repay the loan gradually through your benefits, making it a lower-cost way to manage essential funeral expenses.
A commercial loan for a funeral is offered by banks, credit unions and other lenders. These loans can be available to a wider range of people, but they usually charge interest and the amount you can borrow, as well as the repayment terms, will depend on your circumstances.
Before choosing any type of borrowing, compare the total cost, interest rates and repayment terms carefully to make sure it’s the right option for you.
Aside from government support, you may be eligible for charitable support to help you with funeral costs. Organisations like Quaker Social Action or Cruse Bereavement Support can signpost you towards helpful resources, and may even be able to cover certain costs for you.
Others find that crowdfunding is helpful. You can go to websites like GoFundMe or JustGiving to start a fundraising campaign, where you can share some information about the funeral and the person who has died. Then you can share links to the posts online if you are announcing a death on social media, for example. This can help you to easily share the information among affected people who knew the person who died. You may find that people will be very willing to help and contribute in any way they can.
If you are arranging a funeral for a child, you may also be able to get help through the Children’s Funeral Fund for England. The fund covers burial or cremation fees for a child under 18, or a baby stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy. It is not means-tested, so your income or savings will not affect eligibility. In most cases, your funeral director will make the claim on your behalf, so you will not need to apply yourself.
When applying for a funeral grant from the government, you may find that your application has been rejected. In this case, you will need to understand the reasons for your funeral grant rejection, and, where appropriate, you may wish to appeal them.
A Funeral Expenses Payment application can be refused if you do not meet the eligibility rules or if the DWP decides someone else should be responsible for the funeral costs. Common reasons include another, closer relative who is not receiving a qualifying benefit being considered responsible for arranging the funeral, applying more than six months after the funeral, or the estate of the person who has died having enough money to cover the costs. Applications may also be refused if you do not receive a qualifying benefit or if supporting information is missing.
If you think the decision is wrong, you can ask the government to review it. The first step is to request a mandatory reconsideration. If you still disagree with the outcome after the review, you can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. If you need help, organisations such as Citizens Advice can explain the process and support you with your appeal.
Thank you for reading this article about applying for a funeral grant; we hope you have found it useful. Funeral costs can add a great deal of stress to families at an already-stressful time. Understanding the process for applying for support can therefore be useful.
Aura is a family-run company, set up by Paul Jameson back in 2019 following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease. He runs the company today alongside his son, David (our CEO) and a family friend called Ben (our COO) with one mission in mind: to provide families across Great Britain with compassionate, low-cost funeral care. The father–son partnership of Paul and Dave means that we all strive to offer only the level of care that they’d expect for themselves and their own family. Our industry-leading Aura Angels offer their compassionate and knowledgeable care to every family, whether for funerals in the here and now or in the future. In fact, it’s thanks to them that we are the top-rated ‘Cremation Services’ provider on Trustpilot, with a score of 4.9/5 stars.
If you’d like to see whether we’re the right fit for your immediate funeral needs, our compassionate Aura Angels are available by calling the number below.
A funeral grant is financial support from the UK government to help cover the cost of a funeral. The two main grants available are the Funeral Expenses Payment and the Bereavement Support Payment.
You must be receiving certain benefits such as Universal Credit, Income Support, or Housing Benefit. You also need to be closely related to the person who has died, such as their partner or parent.
This grant is for people under State Pension age who were married to or living with their partner at the time of their death. Your partner must have paid sufficient National Insurance or died due to work-related causes.
The old death grant no longer exists. Today, support is available through the Funeral Expenses Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for people on certain benefits, the Funeral Support Payment in Scotland for eligible low-income households, and Bereavement Support Payment for eligible surviving husbands, wives and civil partners. Each scheme has different eligibility rules, so it’s worth checking what support you may be able to receive.
For the Funeral Expenses Payment, you’ll need documentation like the Death Certificate, benefit details, and funeral invoices or contracts. For the Bereavement Support Payment, you can apply online or by phone with national insurance numbers and bank details.
Funeral Expenses Payment applications are typically processed within 13 days. The Bereavement Support Payment may take a few weeks. Apply within three months of the death to get the full Bereavement Support Payment.
You may get help with burial or cremation fees, transport, and up to £1,000 for funeral-related expenses. The Bereavement Support Payment offers either a one-time payment of up to £3,500 or monthly payments of £350 for 18 months.
The government will send a letter explaining the reason. You may appeal the decision if you believe it was unfair or made in error. You can also seek support from organisations like Citizens Advice.
Other options include interest-free Budgeting Loans, charitable grants, and crowdfunding through websites like GoFundMe or JustGiving. Local charities and bereavement organisations may also be able to offer support.
No. Being the next of kin does not automatically make someone legally responsible for paying for a funeral. Funeral costs are usually paid from the estate of the person who has died. If there is no money in the estate and no one can pay, a Funeral Expenses Payment or a Public Health Funeral arranged by the local council may be available. The person who signs the funeral director’s contract is responsible for that bill.