You鈥檒l have to make new claims for some benefits that your partner was claiming for your family. You may also be able to claim other benefits to help with your bereavement or if you鈥檙e on a lower income because of the death. Bereavement benefits You may be able to get: Funeral Expenses Payment - to help towards the cost of a funeral if you鈥檙e on a low income Bereavement Support Payment - if your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months, or if your partner you were living with as though married died after 6 April 2017 Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance - if your partner died before 6 April 2017 and you have at least one dependent child Phone the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) Bereavement Service to check if: you can get bereavement benefits the death will affect any other benefits you鈥檙e already claiming DWP Bereavement Service Telephone: 0800 151 2012 Textphone: 0800 731 0464 Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 151 2012 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm Find out about call charges You鈥檒l have to make new claims for Child Benefit and tax credits if your partner was claiming them. Child Benefit You鈥檒l need to make a new claim for Child Benefit if you were not the person named as the claimant on the original claim form. Tax credits You should tell the Tax Credit Office about the death within one month if you have not already heard from them. Phone the Tax Credit Helpline to report the death. If your income is lower You may be able to get benefits if you鈥檙e on a lower income following the death of your partner. Use a benefits calculator to work out what benefits you can get and find out how to claim. You may also be able to apply for: Winter Fuel Payment - if you were born on or before 5 July 1952 Cold Weather Payment - if you鈥檙e on a low income Warm Home Discount Scheme You may have to pay Income Tax on some benefits you claim.

You may be able to get extra pension payments from your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 pension or National Insurance contributions. State Pension You need to be over State Pension age to claim extra payments from your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 State Pension. What you get and how you claim will depend on whether you reached State Pension age before or after 6 April 2016. Contact the Pension Service to check what you can claim. If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 You鈥檒l get any State Pension based on your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 National Insurance contribution when you claim your own pension. You will not get it if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reach State Pension age. If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 You鈥檒l receive the 鈥榥ew State Pension鈥� and you may be able to inherit an extra payment on top of your pension. Private pensions You may get payments from your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 workplace, personal or stakeholder pension - it will depend on the pension scheme. Contact the pension scheme to find out. You鈥檒l have to pay tax on those payments if the pension provider does not pay it for you. War Widow鈥檚 or Widower鈥檚 Pension You may be able to get War Widow鈥檚 or Widower Pension - if your husband, wife or civil partner died because of their service in the Armed Forces or because of a war.

Your benefits, tax and pension after the death of a partner: Tax and National Insurance

Your benefits, tax and pension after the death of a partner

Tax and National Insurance

Your income will probably change after the death of your partner.

If you get extra money from pensions, annuities, benefits or an inheritance, you may need to pay more tax. You may be on a lower income and need to pay less tax.

Your tax allowances - the income you do not pay tax on - may also change.

Income you must report

Tell HMRC if you get:

interest from a bank, building society or a National Savings and Investment product, for example pensioner income, capital bonds
income from letting out property
income from Purchased Life Annuities
Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance or Bereavement Allowance
Carer鈥檚 Allowance
foreign pension payments
other income that should have been taxed but has not been

You do not need to tell HMRC about:

income your employer pays tax on through PAYE
income from a private pension
income which does not get taxed, for example from an Individual Savings Account (ISA)
any income if you鈥檒l reach State Pension age within 4 months
getting Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance (JSA), Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Bereavement Support Payment

How to tell HMRC

Tell HMRC about a change in your income:

in your next Self Assessment tax return, if you鈥檙e registered for Self Assessment
by phone

Tax allowances

If you pay Income Tax, you鈥檒l have a Personal Allowance - income you do not pay tax on. Your allowance may change if your income changes.

HMRC will automatically adjust your Personal Allowance when you tell them about your change of income.

Married Couple鈥檚 Allowance

If you or your husband, wife or civil partner were born before 6 April 1935, you may have been claiming Married Couple鈥檚 Allowance. You鈥檒l still get the allowance for the current tax year (up to 5 April) but HMRC will automatically stop it after that and you鈥檒l get just your Personal Allowance.

If your husband, wife or civil partner was claiming Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance, ask HMRC to transfer what鈥檚 left of their Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance for the current tax year (up to 5 April) to you.

HMRC Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance enquiries
Telephone: 0300 200 3301
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Saturday, 8am to 4pm
Find out about call charges

Reduced rate National Insurance

If you鈥檙e a widow and you were married before April 1977, you might be paying a reduced rate of National Insurance (sometimes called the 鈥榮mall stamp鈥�).

You may be able to keep paying the reduced rate. Contact HMRC to find out what you should do.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Step 1 Register the death
1. Register the death
Check what to do if:
Step 2 Tell government about the death
The Tell Us Once service allows you to inform all the relevant government departments when someone dies.
1. Use the Tell Us Once service to tell government
2. If you cannot use Tell Us Once, tell government yourself
You'll also need to tell organisations outside government, like employers and private pension providers, banks, and utility companies.
Step 3 Arrange the funeral
Step 4 Check if you can get bereavement benefits
You might be eligible for financial help.

Check if you can get:
and Deal with your own benefits, pension and taxes
Your tax, benefit claims and pension might change depending on your relationship with the person who died.
1. You are currently viewing: Manage your tax, pensions and benefits if your partner has died
2. Check how benefits are affected if a child dies
and Find bereavement support and services
Get help with managing grief and the things you need to do when someone dies.
1. Find bereavement help and support
2. Find bereavement services from your local council
and Check if you need to apply to stay in the UK
If your right to live in the UK depends on your relationship with someone who died you might need to apply for a new visa.

Check the rules if:
- you're in the UK as the partner of a British Citizen or someone with indefinite leave to remain
- your partner who died served as a member of HM Forces
1. Contact UKVI to check the rules for other visas
Step 5 Value the estate and check if you need to pay Inheritance Tax
To find out if there鈥檚 Inheritance Tax to pay, you need to estimate the value of the property, money and possessions (the 鈥榚state鈥�) of the person who died.
1. Estimate the value of the estate to find out if you need to pay Inheritance Tax
1. Find out how to report the value of the estate
1. Pay Inheritance Tax if it鈥檚 due
Step 6 Apply for probate
You might need to apply for probate before you can deal with the property, money and possessions (the 鈥榚state鈥�) of the person who died.
1. Check if you need to apply for probate
1. Apply for probate
Step 7 Deal with the estate
Pay any debts or taxes owed by the person who's died. You can then distribute the estate as set out in the will or the law.
1. Deal with the estate
1. Update property records

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