Funeral payment

In England and Wales, further entitlement conditions must also be met. A claimant can get a Funeral Expenses Payment if:

• they live in England or Wales;
• they were the partner of the person who died;
• they were a close relative or close friend of the person who died and it is reasonable for them to accept responsibility for the funeral costs, because they were in close regular contact with the person who has died.

A close relative means

• a parent, father-in-law, mother-in-law or step-parent
• a son, son-in-law, step-son or step-son-in-law
• a daughter, daughter-in-law, step-daughter or step-daughter-in-law
• a brother or brother-in-law
• a sister or sister-in-law

If there is another close relative of the person who has died who is not getting a qualifying benefit, their situation may need to be considered.

A claimant cannot get a payment as a close relative or close friend of the person who has died if:

• the person who has died had a partner when they died;
• there is a parent, son or daughter of the person who has died who is not getting a qualifying benefit

  and whose relationship with the person who has died had not broken down.

In Scotland, Funeral payments has been replaced by Funeral Support Payment, a new benefit delivered by Social Security Scotland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment/overview/|title = Funeral Support Payment}}

In the United States, several limited federal programs exist to assist with funeral expenses. The Social Security Administration provides a one-time death benefit payment of $255 to eligible surviving spouses or dependent children of qualified workers.{{cite web|url=https://www.ssa.gov/survivor/amount|title=What you could get from Survivor benefits|publisher=Social Security Administration|access-date=2025-05-21}} The Department of Veterans Affairs offers burial benefits for eligible veterans, including burial in national cemeteries, headstones, markers, and burial allowances ranging from approximately $300 to $2,000 depending on whether the death was service-related.{{cite web|url=https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/veterans-burial-allowance/|title=Veterans burial allowance and transportation benefits|publisher=U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs|access-date=2025-05-21}}{{cite web|url=https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/claims-special-burial.asp|title=Burial Benefits - Compensation|publisher=U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs|access-date=2025-05-21}}

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides assistance for disaster-related deaths and implemented a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program that reimburses up to $9,000 for COVID-related funeral expenses for deaths occurring after January 20, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.fema.gov/disaster/historic/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance|title=COVID-19 Funeral Assistance|publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency|access-date=2025-05-21}}

Beyond government assistance, private financing options have emerged to help families manage funeral costs, including specialized funeral financing services like [https://www.lilypay.co/funeral-loans Lilypay], which offers flexible buy now, pay later payment plans specifically for funeral expenses. These services provide alternatives to traditional loans or credit cards for families facing immediate funeral costs.

• [https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/overview Gov.uk]

{{Social Fund in the United Kingdom}}

Category:Social Fund (UK)

Category:Social security in the United Kingdom