The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that bereaved cohabitees with dependent children will soon be eligible for additional financial support, following a successful debate in the House of Commons earlier this week.
The DWP is now in its final stages of extending Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance to working age parents who were not married or in a civil partnership with their late partner. Subject to final Parliamentary approval of the draft Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2022, the application window is expected to open early this year, allowing more parents to claim.
Some people may be eligible for backdated payments worth up to £9,800 if their partner died before the law was changed. The DWP said that it will publish more details on GOV.UK soon, explaining the application window and how to claim.
