Funeral Expenses Payment¶

Funeral Expenses Payment is the UK government's means-tested grant towards the cost of a funeral, available to people on a qualifying low-income benefit who are responsible for paying. Three distinct schemes operate across the UK: the rest-of-UK Funeral Expenses Payment administered by the DWP, the Scottish Funeral Support Payment administered by Social Security Scotland, and the Northern Irish Funeral Expenses Assistance administered by the Department for Communities. Eligibility, payment levels, and claim processes are similar but distinct; this guide covers all three.

The grant is real money — typically £1,500 to £2,500 — but it does not usually cover the full cost of a funeral. Families on qualifying benefits typically still pay £1,000 to £3,000 from their own resources, with the grant filling the rest. Understanding what is and is not covered, and applying within the claim window, is the difference between a useful contribution and missing out.

If you can only do one thing today: Phone the relevant bereavement service — 0800 151 2012 for the DWP (England, Wales, Northern Ireland in practice; in NI you may also be referred to the Department for Communities) or 0800 182 2222 for Social Security Scotland. Ask whether you qualify, what they need, and how to claim. The phone interview opens the case faster than posting form SF200 and can be done before the funeral takes place. The window to claim is 6 months from the date of the funeral. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-how-to-claim-2026-04-30.html]

Which scheme applies¶

The scheme depends on where the claimant lives, not where the deceased lived or died.

England, Wales — Funeral Expenses Payment from the DWP.
Scotland — Funeral Support Payment from Social Security Scotland. Different rules; do not apply to the DWP.
Northern Ireland — Funeral Expenses Assistance from the Department for Communities (DfC). Same statutory basis as the DWP scheme, separate operational administration. [source: nidirect/help-funeral-costs-2026-04-30.html]

Only one scheme can be claimed per funeral. Where a Scottish-resident family is arranging a funeral for someone who died in England, the family claims FSP from Social Security Scotland; the DWP scheme is not available. [source: social-security-scotland/funeral-support-payment-2026-04-30.html]

Who can claim¶

Eligibility has two parts: a qualifying benefit, and a qualifying relationship to the deceased. Both must apply.

Qualifying benefits — the claimant (or, in some cases, the claimant's partner) must be receiving one of: [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-eligibility-2026-04-30.html]

Universal Credit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Pension Credit
Housing Benefit
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit with a disability or severe-disability element

The benefit must be in payment when the claim is made; awards from the period before the funeral are not enough on their own.

Qualifying relationship — the claimant must be one of: [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-eligibility-2026-04-30.html]

The partner of the deceased (married, civil partner, or cohabiting "as if married").
The parent of a deceased child under 18 (or under 20 if in full-time non-advanced education).
A close relative or close friend, but only where the deceased had no surviving partner at the time of death and no parent (in the case of a deceased child) is reasonably able to claim. The DWP applies a defined hierarchy here; the bereavement service confirms eligibility on the call.

Where the deceased had a surviving partner who is not on a qualifying benefit, no one else can claim. The deceased's partner is treated as the responsible person, and the test is applied to them.

What the payment covers¶

The grant has two components. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-what-youll-get-2026-04-30.html]

Necessary burial or cremation fees, in full. The crematorium fee or burial-ground plot and interment fees, paid as billed by the third party. There is no cap on this component; if the burial plot in the local council cemetery costs £4,500, the grant covers £4,500. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-what-youll-get-2026-04-30.html]

A capped sum towards other reasonable funeral costs. This contributes to the funeral director's professional fees, the coffin, transport of the deceased over 50 miles, flowers, religious requirements, the doctor's certificate where the crematorium requires one, and the death certificates the family needs to release estate funds. The cap on this component changes from time to time and is published on the gov.uk page; check the current figure before relying on a specific number.

The pre-paid plan rule. Where the deceased held a pre-paid funeral plan, the entire grant is capped at £120 for items the plan does not cover. The plan is expected to fund the funeral itself; FEP is restricted to a small contribution for ancillary costs the plan misses (often a wake or post-funeral expenses, although a wake itself is not eligible — see "what is not covered" below). [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-what-youll-get-2026-04-30.html]

What is not covered. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-what-youll-get-2026-04-30.html]

Memorials, headstones, and grave markers.
The wake or any post-funeral catering.
Travel costs for the family to attend the funeral.
Flowers from family members (only the funeral floral tribute is eligible).
Newspaper or online death notices.

The scheme covers the funeral itself, narrowly defined. Memorial and post-funeral arrangements are out of scope.

How much¶

The total payment is the sum of the two components less any contribution from other sources. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-what-youll-get-2026-04-30.html]

The DWP deducts from the calculated total any money already available to pay for the funeral, including: insurance policy payouts, sums payable from the deceased's bank or savings accounts, sums from a charity or relative who has agreed to pay, and any other state contributions (an NHS hospital funeral contribution, for example). The deduction reflects the principle that FEP is a top-up, not a substitute for the deceased's own resources.

In practice, families with a small uninsured estate and limited insurance receive £1,500 to £3,000 from the grant. Families with substantial estate funds available to the funeral receive the cremation or burial fee in full but reduced or no contribution to the other costs.

When and how to claim¶

The claim window is 6 months from the date of the funeral. Claims received after the window are not paid. Claims can be made any time from the date of death; the funeral does not need to have taken place yet, although the date and details must be set. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-how-to-claim-2026-04-30.html]

By phone (fastest). Call the relevant bereavement service:

DWP (England, Wales) — 0800 151 2012 (Welsh: 0800 731 0453).
Social Security Scotland — 0800 182 2222.
Department for Communities (Northern Ireland) — 0800 022 4250.

The phone interview takes around 30 minutes. The agent confirms qualifying benefit, takes basic details, asks for the funeral director's name and the funeral date, and explains the documents to send in. Postal documents typically follow within a week.

By post or online, using form SF200 (DWP), the online application at mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment (Scotland), or the DfC application form (Northern Ireland). All three options are accepted but slower than the phone route.

Documents the claim needs. Recent benefit award notice or letter, the death certificate, the funeral director's invoice or estimate, proof of the relationship to the deceased (marriage or birth certificate), and the claimant's bank details for payment. Where the deceased held a pre-paid plan, the plan documentation. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-how-to-claim-2026-04-30.html]

Decision and payment. Decisions usually issue within 4 to 6 weeks of a complete application. Where the claim is approved and the funeral has been paid for, payment goes to the claimant's bank account. Where the funeral has not yet been paid for, payment goes directly to the funeral director, which most funeral directors will accept on the strength of the DWP's letter of intent in lieu of immediate payment. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-what-youll-get-2026-04-30.html]

Recovery from the estate¶

The DWP, Social Security Scotland, and the Department for Communities can each recover the amount of the payment from the deceased's estate after probate is granted. Recovery is automatic where the estate has surplus assets after priority debts are paid; it is not pursued where the estate is insolvent or has no residue. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-2026-04-30.html]

The recovery sits in the executor's schedule of debts as a Crown debt of the estate, immediately behind funeral expenses themselves. Beneficiaries should expect the residue available for distribution to be reduced by the amount of any FEP, FSP, or Funeral Expenses Assistance paid.

This is the single most-misunderstood aspect of the grant. It is correctly described as a grant during the claim — not a loan to the claimant — but the estate (which is a separate legal entity from the claimant) does eventually repay it where there is enough to do so. Beneficiaries who expected the residue to include the £2,000 FEP contribution often find they were wrong.

Where the claimant is the only beneficiary and the estate has no other distributees, the recovery is functionally invisible: the money flows from the claimant to the estate to the DWP, but the claimant is the residual beneficiary either way. Where the claimant is not the residual beneficiary, the recovery materially reduces what other beneficiaries receive.

If the claim is refused¶

The most common refusal grounds are: not on a qualifying benefit at the time of the claim; outside the 6-month window; the deceased had a surviving partner not on a qualifying benefit and the claimant was not the deceased's partner; or insufficient documentation. [source: gov-uk/funeral-payments-how-to-claim-2026-04-30.html]

The first step on a refusal is to request a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision. The reconsideration is free, requires no formal grounds, and is an internal review by a different decision-maker. New evidence can be submitted. Where the original decision was wrong on the facts, the reconsideration usually overturns it.

Where the reconsideration upholds the refusal, the next step is an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; Scottish Tribunals for Scotland). Appeals are independent of the decision-maker, free, and can be conducted on paper or in person. Citizens Advice provides free help with the appeal paperwork.

For families ineligible for FEP entirely — too far above the qualifying-benefit thresholds — the charity Down to Earth (run by Quaker Social Action) provides free practical guidance on low-cost funeral arrangements.

Scotland: the differences in detail¶

Funeral Support Payment differs from the rest-of-UK scheme in several material ways: [source: social-security-scotland/funeral-support-payment-2026-04-30.html]

More generous flat-rate component. The Scottish flat-rate contribution to non-disbursement costs is set higher than the DWP cap and is reviewed annually.
Wider definition of "responsible person". Scottish rules accept a wider range of relatives as eligible claimants where there is no surviving partner.
Mutual exclusivity with NHS hospital funerals. Where the local NHS Health Board has paid for a hospital-arranged funeral, FSP is not available.
Re-determination process — Scotland uses a re-determination procedure rather than the DWP's mandatory reconsideration; substantively similar but procedurally distinct.

The FSP application is at mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment, by phone on 0800 182 2222, or by paper form. Decisions issue within 4 weeks of a complete application.

Northern Ireland: the differences in detail¶

Funeral Expenses Assistance (NI) follows the rest-of-UK scheme on most points but is administered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP. The phone line is 0800 022 4250. The form is the NI equivalent of SF200 and is available from DfC offices. [source: nidirect/help-funeral-costs-2026-04-30.html]

What this guide doesn't cover¶

This guide is about the means-tested state grant. It does not cover the broader cost of a funeral (Funeral costs), the practical sequence of arranging the funeral, or using a pre-paid funeral plan. The relationship between FEP and pre-paid plans (the £120 cap) is summarised here but covered in more detail on the prepaid-plans page.

It also does not cover the Bereavement Support Payment — a separate, much larger payment to surviving spouses and partners, not means-tested, which is covered in Stopping benefits after a death.

If you're struggling, you don't have to do this alone. Samaritans (116 123, 24/7) | Cruse Bereavement Care (0808 808 1677) | Mind (0300 123 3393)

Next: Prepaid funeral plans

Last verified: 30 April 2026 against gov.uk/funeral-payments, mygov.scot/funeral-support-payment, and nidirect.gov.uk/articles/help-funeral-costs.