Uptake of backdated Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance under the Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023
Published 14 July 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bereavement-benefit-remedial-order-uptake-february-2023-to-november-2024/uptake-of-backdated-bereavement-support-payment-and-widowed-parents-allowance-under-the-bereavement-benefits-remedial-order-2023
Main Stories
- There were 4,830 successful claims for Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) under the Remedial Order. These claimants received a full backdated payment. A further 130 claimants received partial backdated payments.
- There were 3,400 successful claims for Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) under the Remedial Order. All of these claimants received a full backdated payment.
Purpose of publication
This publication provides the number of successful backdated BSP and WPA claims for cohabiting parents with dependent children whose partner died before 9 February 2023.
Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) helps working-age people who lose their spouse/civil partner or cohabiting partner with dependent children by providing financial support to help with the immediate costs of bereavement. Those without children receive the standard rate of an initial lump sum of £2,500, followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £100. Those with dependent children (or who are pregnant) receive a higher rate of a lump sum of £3,500 followed by up to 18 monthly payments of £350. This recognises the higher costs associated with having children. BSP is only payable for bereavements on or after 6 April 2017.
Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) is a forerunner to BSP and is only payable for deaths before 6 April 2017. It can be paid for as long as there is entitlement to Child Benefit (up to 20 years in some cases), though the average length of award is approximately 6 years. WPA payments are paid weekly at a maximum rate of £150.90 (2025 to 2026), and those eligible for these payments can choose to have it paid into their account either every 2 weeks, 4 weeks, or 13 weeks.
To qualify for both WPA and BSP the claimant’s deceased partner must have made sufficient National Insurance contributions during their working life (or died due to an accident at work or disease caused by work). To be eligible, when the claimant’s partner died, the claimant must have been:
- under State Pension age
- living in the UK (or a country that pays bereavement benefits)
- married to their partner, in a civil partnership with them, or living with them as if they were married
Prior to 9 February 2023, both benefits were only available to bereaved spouses and civil partners. From 9 February 2023, our Remedial Order 2023 extended WPA and the higher BSP to cohabitees with dependent children, covering entitlement from 30 August 2018.
Claims under the Remedial Order
From 9 February 2023, eligible claimants were able to apply for WPA (deaths before 6 April 2017) or the higher rate of BSP (deaths on or after 6 April 2017). Those bereaved before 9 February 2023 had until 8 February 2024 to apply for a backdated payment and get the full amount due to them. This was a special 12-month window which was more generous than the normal backdating rules for these benefits.
The final deadline for backdated WPA claims was the end of 8 February 2024. Those owed a backdated payment of BSP were still able to claim from 9 February 2024 to 8 November 2024, but they did not receive their full entitlement.
Bereavement Benefits Remedial Order Management Information
Table 1: Number of successful claims for Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) under the Remedial Order
This table shows the number of successful claims for BSP under the Remedial Order for cohabiting parents with dependent children whose partner died before 9 February 2023 where the claim was made on or before 8 February 2024. These claimants received the full backdated BSP payment.
There were a further 130 successful cohabitee claims made between 9 February 2024 cut off and 8 November 2024. These claimants received a partial backdated payment and are not included in the table.
These figures show that the highest number of Bereavement Support Payment claims were in the months shortly after the Remedial Order became law. DWP took a range of steps over the year to raise public awareness of the 12-month claiming window working closely with stakeholder groups and running regular Press and Media campaigns. The effectiveness of campaigns taking place towards the end of the claiming window would account for the comparatively high number of claims in the final months.
| Month | Number of successful claims |
|---|---|
| February 2023 | 1,690 |
| March 2023 | 920 |
| April 2023 | 190 |
| May 2023 | 240 |
| June 2023 | 200 |
| July 2023 | 170 |
| August 2023 | 140 |
| September 2023 | 30 |
| October 2023 | 40 |
| November 2023 | 50 |
| December 2023 | 440 |
| January 2024 | 330 |
| February 2024 | 380 |
| Total | 4,830 |
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
3. BSP figures are for Great Britain.
4. The number of successful cohabitee claims relates to deaths prior to 9 February 2023 where the claim was made on or before 9 February 2024.
5. There were 130 successful claims made between 9 February 2024 cut off and 8 November 2024. These claimants received a partial backdated payment and are not included in the table.
6. For BSP, February 2024 figures in the table include only successful cohabitee claims made before 9 February 2024.
7. Successful cohabitee claims relating to deaths prior to 9 of February 2023 received after 8 February 2024 cut-off date would be owed a backdated payment of BSP but would not get their full entitlement. These claims are not included in the table.
Source: DWP Management Information. Management information is not quality assured to the same extent as Official Statistics.
Table 2: Number of successful claims for Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) under the Remedial Order
This table shows the number of successful claims for WPA for cohabiting parents with dependent children whose partner died before 9 February 2023.
| Month | Number of successful claims |
|---|---|
| February 2023 | 90 |
| March 2023 | 290 |
| April 2023 | 130 |
| May 2023 | 60 |
| June 2023 | 160 |
| July 2023 | 80 |
| August 2023 | 110 |
| September 2023 | 150 |
| October 2023 | 130 |
| November 2023 | 40 |
| December 2023 | 40 |
| January 2024 | 310 |
| February 2024 | 130 |
| March 2024 | 300 |
| April 2024 | 260 |
| May- 2024 | 420 |
| June 2024 | 260 |
| July 2024 | 190 |
| August 2024 | 220 |
| September 2024 | 20 |
| October 2024 | less than10 |
| Total | 3,400 |
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
2. WPA figures are for Great Britain.
3. The number of successful cohabitee claims relates to deaths prior to the 9 February 2023.
4. Previous data provided publicly is an underestimate due to some cases being processed clerically.
5. Whilst the cut-off date for claims was the 8 February 2024, not all claims received before this time were processed in the month they were received. The figures listed after February 2024 were all received before the 8 February 2024 cut-off date but were processed after 8 February 2024. Claims shown here in the month in which they were processed.
Source: DWP Management Information. Management information is not quality assured to the same extent as Official Statistics.
Further information and feedback
To find out more about the Remedial Order, please visit The Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (legislation.gov.uk).
Analysts: Elizabeth Wilkinson, Clare Smithson
Contact the DWP Press Office if you have any questions or feedback.
Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics
The Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) is built around 3 main concepts, or pillars:
- Trustworthiness – is about having confidence in the people and organisations that publish statistics
- Quality – is about using data and methods that produce statistics
- Value – is about publishing statistics that support society’s needs
The following explains how we have applied the pillars of the Code in a proportionate way.
Trustworthiness
This management information exists to monitor uptake of BSP and WPA in relation to the Bereavement Benefits Remedial Order. This is being published now to provide an overview of data up to one year after the Remedial Order came into effect. The data has been published as soon as officials within DWP had an opportunity to check their accuracy and that of the associated notes. This publication provides access to relevant data to all those with an interest in them. The data are processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018. DWP has put in place a thorough governance process to ensure that data are securely managed and reviewed before release.
Quality
This publication used internal management information and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics standards. However, engagement has taken place with data owners to ensure this operational data is fit for purpose and of sufficient quality for publication. Weekly and monthly data validity checks are conducted by the DWP data development team. The data in this publication has been through a thorough quality assurance process to ensure that the source management information is accurately represented.
Value
Releasing this information serves the public interest by providing granularity of number of claimants for BSP and WPA in relation to the Bereavement Benefits Remedial Order. This ensures the public can see how many people have received each benefit. Making this information accessible ensures we are responding to user needs. It also reduces the need for stakeholders to request the information through Parliamentary Questions (PQs), Freedom of information (FOI) requests and ad hoc queries about the uptake of benefits related to the Bereavement Benefits Remedial Order.